Mackinac County commissioners whittled the number of county planning commissioners down to seven, from a proposed board of nine, to save the county money, while considering an ordinance outlining the planning commission's role in the county. The proposed ordinance will be passed along to the county's attorney for consideration before it's accepted or further revised.

The Mackinac County Planning Commission presented the draft ordinance Thursday, August 27. It will formally establish the planning commission and bring it into compliance with the Michigan Planning Enabling Act.

The 2008 state law standardizes planning commissions across Michigan, requiring all of them to operate under an ordinance approved by the local governmental entity, in this case, Mackinac County.

Previously, planning commissions around the state were established through a variety of means including local ordinances, resolutions, and the informal creation of committees.

"There is a lot more consistency between the different units now," said Michelle Walk, liaison to the planning commission from the Michigan State University Extension office in St. Ignace.

The biggest change resulting from the adoption of this ordinance will be a requirement to operate with a board of five, seven, nine, or 11 commissioners, Ms. Walk said. The planning commission has been operating with eight members, a number reduced to seven in August after the resignation of Judy Luoma.

At its August 5 meeting, the planning commission recommended that their board should consist of nine members, which would require two appointments after the resignation of Ms. Luoma.

The county board of commissioners disagreed, revising the ordinance to stipulate seven members instead of nine during Thursday's meeting. County commissioners also approved the reappointment of Dean Reid for another three-year term. His term expires in December this year.

The reasoning behind this change in ordinance language, County Board Chair Dawn Nelson said, is to minimize the price to the county of holding regular meetings.

Commissioners on the planning commission, who are appointed to three-year terms by the county board of commissioners, are paid $60 per meeting, plus reimbursement for travel expenses, to attend their monthly meetings.

After looking back at bills for planning commission meetings, Mrs. Nelson found some instances where the stipend and travel expenses came to around $750, which she said is too high for a county with limited resources like Mackinac County.

The planning commission had recommended a nine-person board to represent the diverse geography, industries, and interests of Mackinac County residents, Ms. Walk said.

"It will make it more challenging to make sure there is coverage for all the different regions of the county," she said of the switch to a seven-person board.

This change to the ordinance, along with the reappointment of Mr. Reid, means that the two positions the planning commission was seeking are no longer available until another seat is vacated.

After approving the reappointment of Mr. Reid and stipulating a seven-person planning commission, county commissioners decided to have the county attorney look over the ordinance and consider it for approval or revision at their next meeting.

The Michigan Planning Enabling Act requires governments to establish planning commission ordinances by 2011. If adopted, the ordinance would go into place 63 days after the county board meeting in which it is approved by the county board of commissioners.

East Lake Level

Hearing Scheduled

Commissioners discussed the public hearing held Saturday, August 22, surrounding the proposed East Lake Dam project.

Members from the East Lake Dam Committee recommended a dam be constructed to stop a declining lake level.

A hearing at the 11th Circuit Court in St. Ignace is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Friday, September 11, during which project leaders will request the court to set a minimum lake level of 4.9 feet.

If a lake level is set by the court, it is then the county's responsibility to maintain that level, which would be done by funding the dam project through a special tax assessment district to tax property owners on the lake.

County, Tribe Sign Emergency

Assistance Agreement

Mackinac County and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will be entering into an agreement to use each other's resources in a disaster situation.

Through this agreement, each entity can call on the other for assistance during an emergency, said Mike Kasper, coordinator for the county's office of emergency management.

"I think it's going to be a good thing," Mr. Kasper said. "It's kind of a technicality, but it's always good to have these agreements in case of a disaster."

Mr. Kasper also presented an agreement to be considered with Houghton County, in which it would serve as a financial manager for all stimulus dollars coming into the area. He said Houghton County has taken on this role for the last three years, funneling the federal funds and tracking what entities and projects receive them. The fiduciary process is funded through a grant, he said.

Houghton County asked all 15 counties in the region to enter into similar agreements.

The county board approved the signing of both agreements with no dissenting votes.

Bids Requested

for Security System

County commissioners agreed to put out a request for bids to install a security system in the Mackinac County Courthouse and in the county's annex building.

This bid notification will be placed in the newspaper, commissioners said. Bids will be due September 18 and would be opened at the September 24 meeting.

Negotiations with

Courthouse Workers Set

County courthouse employees and commissioners will enter into employment negotiations beginning Wednesday, September 9, at 6 p.m.

The negotiations are with the courthouse employees' union, a chapter of Local 388, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

Subsequent meeting dates of September 16, 23, and 30, all at 6 p.m., were also approved by the county board.

The negotiations will probably consist of a request for a certain percentage raise and an extension to the union contract, Mrs. Nelson said, and representatives from the union told her that no major changes were being pursued and the negotiations could likely be completed in two or three meetings.

Employee Awarded

Unscheduled Pay Raise

County commissioners approved an unscheduled pay raise for Probate Register Gerry Glenn, placing her at an hourly wage of $17.28 from her hired rate of $15.94.

Probate Judge Clayton Graham approached county commissioners Thursday to request that Mrs. Glenn be moved from her hired pay rate to three steps up in the pay scale, at which her wages would be $17.95.

Mrs. Glenn, hired about nine months ago, came to Mackinac County with 29 years of experience at Livingston County Probate Court, which Judge Graham said was good reason to approve this unscheduled pay increase.

"Gerry has been with us close to a year now and has proven to be a valuable asset to the Mackinac County Probate Court," Mr. Graham wrote in a letter to commissioners.

Mrs. Nelson said her understanding of the pay scale system is that employees step up to the next pay rate on the yearly anniversary of their hiring, regardless of when any special pay raises are approved by the county board.

For this reason, she said the board should approve a raise to step two, since she believes Mrs. Glenn's pay will step up to $17.95 on her hire anniversary, which is December 1.

Mrs. Nelson went on to say that many other county employees have worked for Mackinac County for longer and don't have such a high rate of pay.

The unscheduled raise was approved without a dissenting vote.

County Puts Old

Computers Up for Sale

After the county updated its computer system, 10 of the old computers need to be discarded, and county commissioners agreed Thursday to loan two of these to the Mackinac County Michigan State University Extension and to offer the other eight to employees and residents fo $40 each.

Mrs. Walk said her office would like to replace 10 year old models.

Employees and others can purchase the eight computers and monitors through James Fenlon, county equalization director.

Mr. Fenlon is taking on duties as the county's only on-staff information technology (IT) technician. Commissioners took this opportunity to discuss the possibility of hiring a part-time or contracting someone to take pressure off Mr. Fenlon, who said at certain times of the year his duties at the equalization department are too demanding to be available for computer troubleshooting.

No decisions were made, although board members said they would keep the idea on the table.