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Residents raise governance and insurance concerns about Road Commission at Mackinac County meeting
Summary
During public comment at the Feb. 26 Mackinac County meeting, Lee Kanitz asked about adding two Road Commission members and Christina Schalk said her son's health insurance was canceled after a work-related crash; commissioners said legal limits and union contract rules constrain actions and noted the Road Commission is a separate entity.
Two residents used the public-comment period at the Feb. 26 Mackinac County Board of Commissioners meeting to press questions about the Road Commission’s composition and personnel practices.
Lee Kanitz asked whether the Road Commission would add two additional members. Chair Mike Patrick said the proposal is under discussion with county attorneys and "may have to go back to the voters of the County." Commissioner Austin Kimberling warned the county may be legally constrained from creating five districts, and Commissioner Daryl Schroeder suggested staggering terms as one way to accommodate an expansion.
Christina Schalk described a personal case: she said her son, who worked for the Road Commission, wrecked his snowmobile and was unable to work, and that the Road Commission cancelled his health insurance a few days later. "Per the union contract, that is proper procedure," Commissioner John Kling said in response. Chair Patrick reiterated that "the Road Commission is a separate entity and the County has no control over their policies and procedures." The board did not take formal action on either issue during the meeting.
The exchange leaves governance questions unresolved: Chair Patrick identified county attorneys and the potential need for a voter referendum as the next procedural steps. No timetable or formal proposal for expanding the Road Commission was presented in the meeting record.
