Lester Livermore, Jr. and Tom Doty will continue as the chair and vice-chair of the three-person Mackinac County Road Commission, respectively. Both were reappointed to their positions by the road commissioners during their meeting Tuesday, January 5. The other commissioner on the three-person board is Frank Luepnitz.

Commissioners has postponed the purchase of a crack sealing machine until the county commission decides if it will continue the road project match program. The machine would be used for preventive maintenance on roads. Many townships are interested in performing crack sealing, Road Commission Manager Dirk Heckman said, spurring the commission to consider investing in the equipment.

Mr. Heckman said the commission dedicated $40,000 from its capital outlay budget for the machine. The money would be used to purchase the device, and equipment rental costs would pay the depreciation on it through road match projects. But if the match program is dropped, the road commission may not buy the machine, Mr. Heckman said.

Under the match program, townships, the road commission, and county commission each contribute up to $10,000 for road maintenance.

Mackinac County commissioners did not include the $130,000 it typically allocates for the program in this year's budget, adopted December 30, suggesting they may be spending the money on other programs. Commissioners also said they have received legal advice that they cannot give their $10,000 directly to townships, although the road commission has suggested the money could be paid to the road commission as a contractor for road project.