Drain commission asks county for full-time soil erosion agent to meet Part 91 obligations; no action recorded

During the Personnel and Health & Human Services Committee meeting on Feb. 13, Administrator Byard presented a request from the Drain Commission to hire a full-time Soil Erosion Agent. The request cited Part 91 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, which assigns counties responsibilities for soil erosion and sedimentation control, and said an increase in permits has stretched current resources and impeded statutory obligations.

Committee materials indicate the request was made to ensure compliance with Part 91 and to support drain maintenance and inspection efforts as an Authorized Public Agency under EGLE. The minutes record that Motion #2025-21 (Drain Commission employee request) had no action taken at the board level on Feb. 13 and that the item will return for future consideration. The Minutes include placeholders for a motion moved by Mr. McCormick but show no completed vote transcript for the full board and explicitly mark the item as "NO ACTION TAKEN."

The committee discussion emphasized the statutory basis (Part 91) for the request and noted the county’s difficulty meeting increased permitting and inspection workload without additional staffing. No decision on hiring or funding was recorded in the minutes; the request remains pending further review and budget consideration by the board.