Houghton County board delays action on WUPHD environmental health code after questions and public comment

County health officials presented a multi-decade revision to the local environmental health code and the Houghton County Board of Commissioners deferred final action for further review on March 14, 2023.

Tanya Rule of the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) summarized the code rewrite—described in the meeting materials as the first comprehensive update in roughly 20 years—and provided the board with letters of support and a packet document summarizing changes. Commissioners asked questions during the presentation: Commissioner Joel Keranen said he voted against the code at the meeting because he had not had a printed copy of the revised code to review; Commissioner Roy Britz questioned a $500 appeal fee included in the proposed rules.

Chairman Tom Tikkanen told the board it would address the matter at next month’s meeting, effectively postponing any vote. During the public-comment period several residents urged the board to reject or further review the code: Teresa Kariniemi urged a “no” vote; Derek Bradway and Karen Timmonen provided handouts raising hazards and concerns. The minutes show the board did not enact the code at this session.

The transcript and materials in the board packet list specific provisions and a proposed appeal fee, but the minutes do not record the full text of the revised code nor a final vote. The board’s postponement preserves time for commissioners and the public to review the printed draft and for staff to respond to the concerns raised.

Next steps: Board staff indicated the item will return to a future meeting for further consideration and possible formal action.