Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ontonagon County approves broad budget amendments, 3% wage increase and extra MERS payment
Summary
Ontonagon County commissioners approved multiple budget amendments across funds, authorized a $52,686.53 extra payment to MERS, and voted to raise Department Head, elected and nonunion hourly wages by 3% effective Jan. 1, 2026. The board also declined a drug-detection K-9 and canceled two remaining special budget sessions.
Ontonagon County commissioners on July 17 approved a package of budget amendments and personnel actions during a special budget meeting, reallocating funds across county departments and recording several grant and revenue adjustments.
The board voted 4-0 to adopt Budget Amendment No. 2025-04, which transfers multiple General Fund line items to increase spending authorizations for offices including the clerk, elections, treasurer, equalization, courts, sheriff and jail. County Clerk Stacy C. Preiss presented the line-item adjustments, which move sums among medical waiver, pension, insurance, travel and other accounts.
Commissioner Nousiainen moved the amendment, Commissioner Cane supported it, and the motion carried on a 4-0 roll call vote. The amendment lists numerous account changes (for example, increases to equalization director salary and associated health insurance, and adjustments to jail overtime and building maintenance) and reduces the appropriation from fund balance by accounting transfers.
The board separately recorded the cancellation of the Secondary Road Patrol Grant (a $55,000 reduction effective Oct. 1, 2024) and approved a Road Commission Fund adjustment that records $4,106,000 in state trunkline maintenance revenues and related expenditures. The board also approved a $314,000 increase to the SONCO Ambulance Fund for contractual services and recorded a PCCF juvenile justice grant of $139,440 with related personnel and benefit line-item increases.
By motion of Bourdeau, supported by Nousiainen, the board authorized an extra payment to the Michigan Employees' Retirement System (MERS) of $52,686.53 to apply toward county pension obligations; that motion carried on a 4-0 roll call vote. The board also approved a 3% wage increase for department heads, elected officials and nonunion hourly employees to take effect Jan. 1, 2026 (motion by Bourdeau, supported by Cane), carried on a 4-0 roll call vote.
On a separate personnel and procurement matter the board voted 4-0 to decline approval of a drug-detection K-9 for the sheriff's department. Commissioners also approved canceling the remaining special budget sessions scheduled for Aug. 7 and Aug. 14.
The actions were presented as part of a special budget meeting called at 1:30 p.m.; roll call showed one commissioner absent for the session. County Clerk Stacy C. Preiss prepared and read the amendment detail in the meeting record. The meeting adjourned to the call of the chair at 3:01 p.m.
The transcript excerpt does not include verbatim floor debate or extended public comment on these items. Several adjustments reflect internal reallocations of existing appropriations; where the record does not specify an individual roll-call tally for routine payment approvals, the article notes the motion and that a vote was not specified in the excerpt.
