Hillsdale County commissioners approve equipment purchases, 911 upgrade and employee handbook; appoint building official after contested hiring process

Hillsdale County commissioners on Oct. 14 approved several procurement and personnel measures, including funding for drainage equipment, upgrades to the 911 call-recording system, a construction change order for a communications tower and adoption of a revised county employee handbook.

The board voted to allow the Drain Commissioner to procure a hydrovac trailer "not to exceed $100,000" from the drain commissioner's equipment fund, citing the tool's safety advantages for utility-sensitive excavations. Drain Commissioner Matt described the unit as "basically you can get it in a trailer ... it's like a power washer" and said it lets crews pothole and clear tile drains near other utilities without mechanical excavation.

Commissioners also approved a $33,350 purchase from current vendor Equiture to upgrade recording equipment and software used by the county's 911 center, with the county clerk and staff noting bond-account limitations and that final payments may be scheduled after the new year. In separate action the board authorized a change order for the Litchfield radio tower project after soil borings required larger-diameter piers and additional concrete; the county was told the engineering change increases concrete from 153 to 240 cubic yards and raised the change-order cost.

On personnel policy, the board adopted a revised county employee handbook effective Oct. 14, 2025. The clerk and personnel committee said the update corrects grammatical errors, clarifies the 401(a)/401(k) plan language, and adds an appendix describing work-comp reporting procedures. The handbook was approved by roll call vote.

The board also approved a $2,500 payment to the local Economic Development Partnership (EDP) for its 2025 invoice after debate over whether county dues were an appropriate use of funds; proponents, including EDP representatives, outlined recent grant wins and locally directed contract work they say brought more than $300,000 to the county in the last year. Opponents argued the county should not subsidize an organization that, they said, makes project-selection decisions.

Finally, commissioners appointed Ray Taylor as the county's building inspector/plan reviewer/building official following a contested discussion about whether the vacancy was sufficiently advertised. Some members said the posting window and outreach were limited; others said the promotion fills a needed vacancy and would save budget dollars because of step-level differences between the outgoing and incoming officials.

What the board decided: hydrovac purchase (approved); Equiture 911 upgrade (approved); Motorola tower change order (approved); employee handbook (adopted); EDP 2025 dues payment $2,500 (approved 3–2); appointment of Ray Taylor as building official (approved 3–2). The meeting concluded after a short closed session on collective bargaining.

Next steps: the Drain Commissioner and other departments will execute procurement steps and post documents as required; the clerk will finalize contract paperwork for the 911 upgrade and the county will publish the approved handbook and assessment reports on its website.