Mackinac County commissioners adopt no-kill resolution for animal shelter, approve part-time hire and advisory appointment

The Mackinac County Board of Commissioners on July 10 unanimously approved a resolution declaring the county animal shelter a no-kill facility, approved hiring a part-time shelter employee and appointed Melissa Jerzykowski to the Animal Advisory Committee.

Commissioner John Kling read a resolution that the Animal Advisory Committee had adopted and moved that the full board approve the measure; Commissioner Austin Kimberling seconded. The roll-call vote was recorded as yes from Commissioners Kimberling, Kling, Patrick, Schroeder and St. Louis-Scott; no votes were none. The board then voted, on a separate motion by Commissioner Kimberling seconded by Commissioner Kling, to hire a part-time Animal Shelter employee; that motion also passed unanimously.

Earlier in the meeting the board accepted resignations from two advisory members, David Coven and Molly Paquin, on a motion by Commissioner Kimberling seconded by Commissioner Kling. The board appointed Melissa Jerzykowski to the Animal Advisory Committee (moved Kimberling, second Kling). One vacancy remains and the opening will be posted on the county website.

A letter submitted by Mark & Sons Plumbing raising concerns about the Animal Shelter furnace bid process was entered into the record; the complaint prompted discussion about the committee membership changes and the shelter's policies but no formal action on the bid process was recorded in the minutes.

The board's actions on the shelter were procedural and administrative: the resolution and staffing motion were both passed by unanimous roll call and no changes to county code, budget allocations, or contractual awards were recorded in the meeting minutes. The board did not specify an implementation timeline for the no-kill policy in the minutes.