Antrim County Board of Commissioners

ANTRIM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Thursday, August 10, 2006

Jack White, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

Present: Robert McLeod, Eugene Dawson, Larry Bargy, Jack White, David Howelman,

Michael Crawford, Laura Stanek, Bernard Blackmore, Joseph Allen;

Absent: None.

Pledge of Allegiance

The Chairman requested Public Comment. Ed Martel commented on changes to the new health code. Jim Gurr spoke on tax issues and Helena Township. Public Comment closed at 9:20 a.m.

It was moved by McLeod, seconded by Dawson the minutes of July 12, 2006 be approved. Motion carried all members present voting yes.

Deborah Peters reported on the Veterans Affairs Department and requested a raise in the asset limit for qualification for veterans’ burial allowance from $25,000 to $40,000. The matter was referred to the Human Services Committee.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by McLeod the claims and accounts totaling $80,488.37 be approved and paid. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows:

Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by Howelman a truck be leased from Ford for up to $5,488.24 per year (depending on if the model is 150 or 250) for four years to be paid half from the Snowmobile program and half from the Marine program. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by Allen that the county acquire the property located at 507 Forest St in Mancelona through tax foreclosure and re-sell the property to Habitat for Humanity and that this action does not establish precedent and future requests will be considered on a case to case basis. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by Bargy the Prosecuting Attorney purchase computer equipment for $7,400 as budgeted in Capital Outlay and $176 to be paid from the Prosecuting Attorney’s operating budget. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by McLeod $20,500 be allocated for remodeling of the Prosecuting Attorney’s office to be paid from Fund #470 with $5,000 being reimbursed by the State and the budget of Fund #470 be adjusted accordingly. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by Dawson the County Treasurer purchase a printer for not to exceed $1,000 to be paid from tax foreclosure funds. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Stanek, seconded by Allen that an additional cost of approximately $210 be paid for the Petoskey Stone Festival. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

RESOLUTION #19-06 by Robert McLeod, seconded by Michael Crawford

WHEREAS, The Michigan Association of Counties is opposed to a guaranteed educational inflationary increase that would prevent counties from funding critical mandated services, and

WHEREAS, the American School Board Journal released their “Educational Vital Signs” report indicating that the State of Michigan ranks second only to Vermont in amount of state budget dedicated to education, with 31.5%, while the national average is 21.7%; and

WHEREAS, the national average teacher’s salary is $45,771, in Michigan the average is much higher, at $54,000, which is second only to California at $55,698; and

WHEREAS, the same report ranked Michigan 7^th for dedication of administrative funding per pupil, but No. 1 outside of the Eastern Seaboard and Alaska; and

WHEREAS, the Michigan Association of Counties is very supportive of fair funding for educational resources for Michigan’s students as a means for a thriving quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the Michigan Association of Counties is equally supportive of fair funding of critical emergency, local public health and public safety programs for Michigan’s citizens as a means for a thriving quality of life as well; and

WHEREAS, the State Legislature and Governor are obligated to provide funding for Michigan’s counties and are to come back into revenue sharing beginning in F.Y. 2008, as part of a means for counties to provide these state mandated critical services; and

WHEREAS, if the K-16 spending mandate is passed will cost Michigan over $1 billion dollars, with annual inflationary increases, that will surely cut into funding for revenue sharing, Medicaid, and other critical services counties and Michigan’s citizens depend upon; and

BE IT RESOLVED, that Michigan’s counties need to oppose the K-16 spending mandate in order to continue to provide the critical mandated services which the state requires, and that citizen’s depend upon; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Representative Elsenheimer and Senator Allen, and the Governor for their review.

Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen;

No - None;

Absent – None.

RESOLUTION #19-06 DECLARED ADOPTED.

It was moved by McLeod, seconded by Stanek the fee schedule for orthophotography and other GIS layers (see page ) be adopted except that other units of governments and NWMCGOG will not be charged and non-profits will be handled on a case by case basis by the Administration and County Services Committee. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by McLeod, seconded by Stanek that Robert Koop be hired as Act Bus Driver and if he is unwilling or unable to take the position, Laura Evans be offered the position. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

It was moved by Crawford, seconded by Dawson that repair and replacement of three areas of the roof at Meadowview Apartments be put out for bid. Motion carried all members present voting yes.

William Stockhousen of Michiana Hydroelectric Co. (Bellevue, MI) spoke on the possibility of his company leasing the Elk Rapids Hydroelectric Facility continuing to produce electricity as well as maintaining the lake levels. It was decided to hold a Public Works Committee meeting in Elk Rapids and to have Mark Stone continue communication with Mr. Stockhousen on the project.

Thomas and Denise Murray, whose property is subject to foreclosure due to non payment of property taxes requested the county to acquire the property through the foreclosure procedures and sell it to the Murrays for the cost of the taxes.

It was moved by McLeod, seconded by Howelman that the county acquire the property in Echo Township, Parcel Number 05-05-008-005-00 through the property tax foreclosure procedures and re-sell the property to Thomas and Denise Murray under conditions formulated by the County Attorney and that this action does not establish precedent and future requests will be handled on a case to case basis. Motion carried by a yea and nay vote as follows: Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen; No – None; Absent – None.

The Chairman announced that if any requests for property acquisition through tax foreclosure procedures are received before the Property Auction, the Board will hold a special meeting.

RESOLUTION #20-06 by Michael Crawford, seconded by Eugene Dawson

BE IT RESOLVED, that the County of Antrim, Michigan, does hereby accept the terms of the Agreement as received from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and that the County of Antrim does hereby specifically agree, but not by way of limitation, as follows:

1. To appropriate all funds necessary to complete the project during the project period and to provide sixteen thousand six hundred sixty-seven dollars ($16,667) dollars to match the grant authorized by the Department.

2. To maintain satisfactory financial accounts, documents, and records to make them available to the Department for auditing at reasonable times.

3. To regulate the use of the property acquired and reserved under this Agreement to assure the use thereof by the public on equal and reasonable terms.

4. To comply with any and all terms of said Agreement including all terms not specifically set forth in the foregoing portions of this Resolution.

Yes – McLeod, Dawson, Bargy, White, Howelman, Crawford, Stanek, Blackmore, Allen;

No - None;

Absent – None.

RESOLUTION #20-06 DECLARED ADOPTED.

It was moved by Blackmore, seconded by Dawson the proposed plans for the Ambulance District’s ambulance barn be approved. Motion carried all members present voting yes.

It was moved by Blackmore, seconded by Dawson the Chairman by authorized to sign the Agreement between the County and the Antrim Conservation District for Forestry Management. The motion was tabled and referred to the Prosecuting Attorney.

It was moved by Bargy, seconded by Blackmore the Coordinator/Planner sign the Hazardous Material Emergency Preparedness grant application for the Local Emergency Planning Committee. Motion carried all members present voting yes.

The meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m. to the Call of the Chair.