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Chippewa County Road Commission approves payroll, designates fiscal officer and backs Bay Mills speed study
Summary
At its Jan. 30 meeting the Chippewa County Road Commission approved payroll and vouchers, designated Office Manager Bobbie Livermore as fiscal officer with up to 30% transfer authority, authorized airfare for a legislative trip to Washington, D.C., and voted to support a Bay Mills Tribe Safe Routes to Schools speed study.
The Board of Chippewa County Road Commissioners met Jan. 30 in Sault Ste. Marie and approved routine financial and personnel items, heard staff reports on winter operations, and discussed state road funding and a communication lapse with Central dispatch that county staff said created safety risks for crews.
Chairman Jeremy Gagnon opened the meeting at 8:00 a.m. and the board approved payroll of $254,565.48 and vouchers of $192,426.22 from the County Road Fund, as well as the minutes of the Jan. 16 meeting. Commissioner Sprague moved the consent items; Chairman Gagnon seconded and the motions were recorded as carried.
Manager Rob Laitinen gave the manager’s report, saying “Road funding talks are going on in Lansing. Both sides want to see an increase in funding.” He also reported that a recent extraction of a semi during a storm involved insufficient communication between Central dispatch and law enforcement, which he said "created potential safety hazards" for crews and other motorists. Laitinen added that a county I-75 left-lane operator was rear-ended this year but that there was no damage to the truck. He also noted ongoing state contract negotiations.
The board approved a proposal to attend meetings in Washington, D.C., with state representatives and to cover airfare as the only cost not already covered. The board then approved a series of routine new-business motions: designating Office Manager Bobbie Livermore as the fiscal officer with authority to transfer up to 30% of line items; casting ballots for Dirk Heckman and Rob Laitinen to seats on the CRA Board; awarding surplus Ford F-250 trucks to the highest bidders; supporting the Bay Mills Tribe and a Safe Routes to Schools speed study; approving Resolution 2025-02 recognizing Brian Decker; and accepting a quitclaim deed from Jessie Knowle for property on Sugar Island. All motions were moved by Commissioner Sprague and seconded by Chairman Gagnon and were recorded as carried.
Guest County Commissioner Jim Traynor reported that the jail’s generators were out and that the county had obtained a loaner; he also mentioned that a wolf had been trapped in Goetzville. There were no public comments during the meeting. The board closed the meeting at 8:37 a.m., offering congratulations to Brian Decker on his retirement.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the agenda and consent items (payroll and vouchers), authorized airfare for D.C. meetings, designated Bobbie Livermore as fiscal officer with up to 30% transfer authority, cast CRA Board ballots for Dirk Heckman and Rob Laitinen, authorized sale of surplus Ford F-250 trucks to high bidders, supported the Bay Mills Tribe Safe Routes to Schools speed study, approved Resolution 2025-02 recognizing Brian Decker, and accepted a quitclaim deed for Sugar Island property. Individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
