Ken Gillmore will retire from the county after a 38-year career. This year's Mackinac County budget does not include money for the road match program that's been in place for 10 years. The program matches $10,000 in township funds for road maintenance with $10,000 from the road commission and $10,000 from the county commission. But county commissioners said their attorney has told them the arrangement of directly giving money to townships for road repairs is not legal, and, at any rate, the program did not make the priority cut in this year's budget.

Meeting Wednesday, December 30, commissioners approved their 2010 budget, which did not include the $130,000 typically allocated for the road match program, and fielded concerns from the Mackinac County Road Commission and township representatives. Commissioners also hired the Corradino Group to conduct a grant-funded public transportation study of the county and announced the retirement of the assistant equalization director, Ken Gillmore, who will leave the department January 15 after 38 years.

Township officials, Road Commission Manager Dirk Heckman and Road Commissioner Tom Doty attended the county board meeting to ask what would happen to the match program.

In response to Portage Township Supervisor Donna O'Grady's question about why commissioners had been looking into the legalities of the program, County Commission Chair Dawn Nelson said her board had been evaluating the matter since June, but can't remember why. Mrs. Nelson thought the question had been raised by Mr. Heckman, but Mr. Heckman said he never had raised that question.

"I have no reason to shoot myself in the foot like that," Mr. Heckman replied.

According to a legal opinion from the commission's attorney, Cohl, Stoker, Toskey and Mc- Glinchey, the commission cannot directly give money to townships for the repair or maintenance of roads, but can have a contract with the townships for road work and pay another entity, such as the road commission.

Mrs. Nelson said the commissioners are actively looking into the issue, but said they would also have to consider the budget before reinstating the road funding. With negotiations on union contracts nearing completion, she said, the county would be close to breaking even without the road funding.

"We're getting a little closer to crunch time," she said of the negotiations.

Moran Township Trustee Mark Spencer asked commissioners to clarify if they are balking over the direct payment issue or the budget, and while commissioners said they would like to keep the road match program, Mrs. Nelson qualified her response by saying she also wants a balanced budget.

Township officials presented ideas on how the program could be saved. In the past, they noted, the county gave the money directly to the Mackinac County Road Commission, rather than the townships, but during a period when the townships questioned the practices of the road commission, the county began giving its money directly to the townships. Nearly everyone agreed they now have an excellent working relationship with the road commission and particularly with Mr. Heckman, but said they are unsure if returning to the old system will work.

Newton Township Supervisor Bob Brotherton told The St. Ignace News he would favor the county giving the road commission money, and agreed that the working conditions with the road commission have improved.

"In my opinion, it's a matter of paperwork," he said.

The match program provides an extra $20,000 to Newton Township for road projects, he said, and it will have a significant impact on the township if it is not received. Mr. Brotherton said he plans to look into the issue.

"Really, that's $130,000 that they're not putting into the roads" county-wide, he said of the county's budget cut.

Mr. Heckman said that while he worked in Chippewa County, a county-wide road millage was used to support road work. Township officials at the meeting were split on the idea of collecting a county-wide millage, as they were unsure if the funding raised would be fairly distributed. A major concern was whether smaller townships would receive enough funding to properly maintain their roads.

The commission took no action on the matter, but commissioners said they would continue investigating it.

Transportation Study

Commissioners hired Corradino Group, with offices in Southfield, to conduct a transportation survey of Mackinac County for $47,166.11. The survey will be funded through a $50,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation and will determine if a county bus service will be viable. Another transportation planner, KFH Group of Maryland, submitted a proposal to perform the survey for $49,910.