More from the September 16th Clare County Commission meeting

While problems encountered by the new Clare County Senior Services department’s separation from Gladwin City Housing dominated much of Wednesday, September 16^th’s Board of Commissioners meeting, it was far from the only business before the Board.  As the 2009 fiscal year draws to a close, the County budget tightrope was still a topic of concern.

“We’re turning the Titanic,” Administrator/Controller Bill Newkirk said, “Little numbers, little systems — quick turns.  Big numbers, big systems — slow, laborious turns, and we’re turning the Titanic.”

Newkirk predicted, “We’re should come through this year with what I’m hoping is going to be a positive balance,” adding, “I anticipate the ‘09 budget is going to end up in better shape than I thought – not good numbers, but better numbers than what we anticipated.” “Projections of the revenue we should still get – not dependent on the State at this point in time for what they are going to owe us – we should be OK unless there is some huge bombshell out there that I’m not aware of on the expenditure side,” Newkirk continued. 

Newkirk also said that the County’s department heads have been being very conscientious with their 2010 budget requests.  “The department heads have done a phenomenal job,” Newkirk remarked, “They’re doing the work we asked them to do.”  When asked by Commissioner Jordon Lockmiller about how much the County would have to borrow in 2010, Newkirk predicted that the County will need to borrow about 1.5 million dollars, but only to help with cash flow problems, not to cover any deficit spending.  “I’m not as pessimistic as I was eight months ago,” Newkirk admitted.

Final 2010 budget information will be in by September 24^th, when Commissioners have scheduled a Special Meeting to do last minute budget adjustments and hear budget appeals.  A second Special Meeting, set for September 29^th, will be when the Board will adopt the 2010 budget resolution.

Newkirk also gave a brief update on the bulk purchasing of energy-saving devices through EMCOG [Eastern Michigan Council of Governments].  “What we are looking to be doing in the initial round is to replace all the light bulbs, ballasts where necessary and fixtures where necessary, with more energy efficient units,” Newkirk said.  “This is all stimulus money.  Again it’s in reference to the cooperative purchasing program that we’re attempting to move into with initially six other counties and then, as of Friday, two other counties requested permission to join,” Newkirk reported.  The cooperative buying through EMCOG “will result in significant energy savings for all the counties involved,” Newkirk said.

Richard Castle came before the Commission to show drawings of the new Clare Castle senior housing and senior center facility to be built in downtown Clare. Castle warned the proposed lease with the County would be more expensive than originally anticipated due to higher costs incurred in the construction of the kitchen.  Castle said he plans to return to the Board on September 24^th for a vote on the proposed lease, giving Commissioners time to more thoroughly review it. 

During the Committee of the Whole meeting that followed the regular meeting, Sheriff John Wilson and Undersheriff Chad Stevens came before the Board to discuss several upcoming issues.  They requested using the money in their drug forfeiture fund, which Stevens estimated to be about $22,000, to purchase four new tasers.  The Sheriff’s Department already has four tasers purchased used from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Police, and has had a policy in place as to the proper use of tasers since January.  Commissioners agreed to send the matter before the full Board with the stipulation that the Sheriff’s Department look into the availability of RAP Grant money for the purchase. 

Wilson and Stevens also informed the Board that several of their patrol cars had over 200,000 miles on them.  “Costs are going to go from routine maintenance to engines and transmissions,” Stevens warned.  No department in the County has had funds available in the 2009 budget for capital expenditures, such as vehicle purchases. 

Newkirk praised Wilson and Stevens for their exemplary work on the budgets for both the Sheriff’s Department and Jail/Corrections.  Stevens reported, “If we stay at the current pace, we’ll be $130,000 in the black [for the current fiscal year].”

In other business,

* Newkirk reported the telephone system in the County Building was experiencing some problems and that he issued memos to all employees that the phone company would be taping calls to try to determine the source of the problem.

* Clare County Veterans Services Director Renee Haley came before the Board to request a building permit fee waiver in order to construct a wheelchair ramp for a handicapped WWII veteran.  A contractor is donating his time to build the ramp, according to Haley.  Commissioners approved the request 5-0.

* Dave Rowe came before the Board to discuss the File of Life product.  The File of Life is a magnetized pocket that is designed to be put on a refrigerator, so that medical information of the home’s residents will be readily available for EMTs in an emergency.

* Fred Sawyers and Deb Johnson came before the Board to update them on the County’s landfill facility, Northern Oaks, in Harrison.  Sawyers reported that the landfill had an estimated “50 years of life” left, based on current trash volumes.  Waste Management has a contract to run the landfill through the year 2032.  Sawyers told the Board that recyclables are currently taken to the recycling center in Mt. Pleasant.

* Clare County Enterprise Community Director Jerry Burger came before the Board to present them with a check for $10,765.  Burger said the E.C. awarded the money to the County Planning Commission for implementing the new street naming and numbering ordinance and for revising the County’s Master Plan.

* Commissioners voted 5-0 to waive inspection fees for two Habitat For Humanity houses being built in Farwell, with the stipulation that both houses would still need to be inspected.

* Surrey Township Supervisor Rick Miller came before the Board to get their endorsement of the Safe Route to School grant, which needs to be completed by October 7^th.  Commissioners voted unanimously to endorse the grant.

* Commissioners voted to award the janitorial services bid to A.W.O.L. for cleaning the Clare County Courthouse.  The contract is to begin on October 1, 2009, and the first-year payment of $40,560 will be paid in monthly installments.

* The Board approved the expenditures for the month of August 2009 in the amount of $2,402,669.28 with the General Fund expenditures totaling $606,066.11.