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Benzie County commissioners approve series of spending, personnel and policy measures
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Summary
At their Dec. 12 meeting, the Benzie County Board of Commissioners approved multiple contracts and equipment purchases, adopted new pay scales and a revised paid-time-off policy, accepted grant transfers including Michigan Trails and Blight Elimination funds, and appointed a Solid Waste Advisory Committee member.
The Benzie County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 12 approved a slate of contracts, equipment purchases and budget amendments aimed at improving emergency response, park access and county operations.
Among the measures the board approved by roll call were a five-year information-delivery agreement with Chief Technologies for first responders at $3,922 per year; a design-and-engineering contract with Spicer Group for up to $89,500 to develop the Crystal Lake Universal Access Park (funded from ARPA and county parks accounts); and a not-to-exceed $5,500 contract with Precise Door Company to replace sallyport overhead doors at the jail. The board also authorized purchase of a TruNarc narcotics-identification device for $29,900 and approved buying a new jail operations van not to exceed $60,000, with capital funds covering both purchases.
The board adopted a budget amendment to recognize an additional $100,000 in opioid-related revenues in fund 281 and approved a separate $125,000 budget amendment for Blight Elimination Grant revenues and expenditures in the Land Bank Authority Fund. Commissioners also authorized a one-year extension of Colligo GIS services for parcel and aerial mapping, central dispatch mapping and related maintenance (not to exceed $8,500), and adopted an amended Paid Time Off policy to replace the Oct. 24, 2023 policy.
On personnel matters, the board voted to adopt new pay scales; employees will be placed on the new scales based on the outcome of an ongoing reclassification process. The board appointed Cory Brown to a three-year term on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee expiring Dec. 31, 2025.
Most motions were approved unanimously. One grant-transfer vote—the acceptance of a Michigan Trails Fund Grant—passed 6–1, with Commissioner Warsecke recorded as the lone dissenting vote.
During the meeting Treasurer Michelle Thompson briefed the board on demolition activity in Thompsonville related to Round 1 Blight Elimination Grant work and said auditors were on site the prior week. Chair Bob Roelofs called the meeting to order at 9:06 a.m.; the meeting adjourned at 12:28 p.m.
The board's consent of these measures moves them to implementation or, where noted, to additional legal review and administrative execution before contracts take effect.