Hancock County Commission approves routine personnel, billing and grant actions; tables hydro terms

The Hancock County Commission on Sept. 11 approved a series of routine personnel actions, vendor payments and a grant application, voted to advertise for two regional board vacancies and delayed action on terms tied to a current hydro project while staff awaits information from the assessor.

The votes included approval of payroll-related payouts, acceptance of resignations, two hires at the county animal shelter, a formal order rejecting claims in an estate and authorization to seek grant funding for the October 2025–September 2026 fiscal year. Commissioners also agreed to advertise to fill vacancies on two regional boards that represent Hancock County.

Why it matters: The approvals finalize short-term staffing and payroll obligations, keep county vendor payments current and allow the county to pursue grant funding that could affect school or patrol staffing in the coming fiscal year. Tabling the hydro project terms pauses county action until assessor clarifications are available.

Votes at a glance: Approved — Motion to advertise for a Hancock County representative to the Northern Panhandle Community Criminal Justice Board (voter approval recorded as "Aye"). Tabled — Motion to table items described as "current hydro project terms approved by the Hancock County Board of Education;" commissioners said they were awaiting additional information from the assessor. Approved — Payment of accrued vacation/personal leave to Gary Jenkins: 28 days totaling $4,541.32. Approved — Acceptance of resignation of William (Willie) Ross III from the position of IT technician, effective Sept. 5, 2025, and payment of accrued leave: 15.68 days totaling $2,091.84. Approved — Acceptance of resignation of John Sorrenti from the Northern Panhandle Workforce Development Board, Inc.; commissioners authorized advertising to fill the vacancy with a business representative. Approved — Acceptance of resignation of Sergeant Brent Bergman, effective Sept. 15, 2025, and payment of accrued leave: 9.5 days plus 1 hour comp time totaling $2,235.31. Approved — Application for the Preventative Resource Officer Grant for the Oct. 2025–Sept. 2026 fiscal year (motion: "Move to approve"). Approved — Order rejecting claims in the estate of Steven J. Pollock (motion: "Move to approve"). Approved — Hires at the county animal shelter: Daniel Best (animal care technician) and Trinity Ellis (animal care technician, hire retroactive to Sept. 8, 2025). Approved — Approval of general county bills: $219,739.83; P‑card/all funds: $19,150.80. Related levy fund bills for the animal shelter, sheltered workshop and library were approved as presented. Approved with recusal and abstention — County Commission travel: Commissioner Cowie recused himself because the travel involved him personally; Commissioner Kelly's travel reimbursement was reported as 636 miles totaling $426.12. The recorded tally for the travel approval was two yes, one abstention (one commissioner had recused and one had left the room prior to the vote).

Details and context Commissioners said the items were routine business. Several motions were moved simply as "Move to approve" with no further discussion recorded in the transcript. The hydro-related terms were specifically tabled while the commission awaited additional information from the assessor's office.

Personnel and board vacancies The commission approved resignations and related payout amounts for departing county staff, accepted a long-serving community board member's resignation and authorized advertising two vacancies: one seat on the Northern Panhandle Community Criminal Justice Board and one business-representative seat on the Northern Panhandle Workforce Development Board, Inc.

Financial approvals The commission approved monthly bills and P‑card reconciliations as presented by staff; the general county bills totaled $219,739.83 and P‑card/all funds totaled $19,150.80. Levy-fund bills for the animal shelter, sheltered workshop and library were approved after staff review and recommendation.

Next steps Commissioners set their next regular meeting for Sept. 25, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. No additional dates or implementation deadlines were specified for the tabled hydro items.