Delta County commissioners approve medical examiner contract, fairgrounds restroom contract and multiple labor agreements; several FOIA appeals decided

Delta County commissioners met Sept. 2 in the Delta County Service Center conference room and approved a series of operational contracts, personnel letters of agreement and rulings on multiple Freedom of Information Act appeals, while also hearing administrative updates on opioid settlements and county finances.

The board approved a one-year contract with Dickinson County to provide medical examiner services beginning Oct. 1, 2025, after the county’s longtime medical examiner announced retirement. Under the per-capita contract the county expects lower base costs compared with its current $42,000-per-year arrangement; additional fees will apply per service such as autopsies. Administrator Emily described the arrangement and said it will take effect with the county’s new fiscal year on Oct. 1.

The board also approved a contract with Cross General Contracting to remodel bathrooms and showers at the Delta County Fairgrounds using a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant administered by the county as the grant’s authorized signatory. County staff said the vendor was selected through an RFP process and that work is scheduled to begin in 2026.

On labor and staffing, commissioners approved multiple letters of agreement with the Teamsters covering the county dispatch unit: - A memorandum allowing a long‑time dispatcher (Delaney) to remain grandfathered into a 401(k) benefit while moving to part-time status, and related adjustments to staffing; - An agreement to restore a quasi‑supervisory position (bringing one manager back into the bargaining unit in a supervisory role) and to create a formal dispatch supervisor position to be added to the union contract; and - An agreement to preserve seniority…