Clare County BOC 10/21/09, Part Two
Besides the recurring issue of how to fairly deal with building and electrical permit fee waivers – the eventual result of several lengthy discussions was that the Clare County Board of Commissioners voted to deny all waiver requests – the Board had an otherwise full agenda at their October 21, 2009 meeting.
Lori Ware, Director of Senior Services, updated the Board on the transition to Clare County-run senior services. “You still have your complaints, but the staff is trying to adjust to the different way that we’re doing things; but the staff is fantastic. We’ve been lucky there, and it’s going well with the…scratch kitchens that we turned into satellites. So far, so good. I’m real pleased, but it’s still a lot. I figure in another couple months we’ll be into our groove,” Ware told the Board.
“I was told the lady at Hayes [meal site] resigned?” Chairperson Karen Lipovsky asked. “Yes, she’s having knee problems,” Ware answered. “No other reason?” Vice Chair Jim Gelios asked. “That’s what she told us. She gave her two week notice,” Ware replied. “That’s not what I was told,” Lipovsky said. Gelios said he intended to go out to Hayes and talk to the site manager. “It doesn’t have to be somebody’s fault that somebody resigned. It’s just not the work that she can do because of her knees, and that is what she told us. And I do welcome you to go out and talk to her – that would be great,” Ware said.
“Are you going to have more activities?” Lipovsky asked. “That is the responsibility of the site managers. There is a small activity account set up for every single site, which is new. Clare County has never had an activity account,” Ware responded.
After more questions were asked and answered, the Board voted unanimously to accept the grant and the terms of the contract with the Area Agency on Aging Region 7, which helps fund the senior services programs.
Kim Hallis, Equalization Director, came before the Board to answer questions about her Apportionment Report. “The change in taxable value between last year and this year was greater than the Consumer Price Index – the 4.4 percent,” Hallis told the Board. She continued, “If all the sales in the area show a decline, and the SEV [State Equalized Value] actually happens to be close to the taxable value — so the SEV actually goes below the taxable — the taxable will come down. Also for next year, the CPI — instead of being 4.4 percent — is .997. That means you’re going to take your taxable value – the one you have right now – multiply it by .997, and that will be your new taxable value for next year. It will be less than it is right now, if you do absolutely nothing to your property.” “That’s going to mean a big drop in taxable value, correct?” asked Commissioner Jack Kleinhardt. “Absolutely,” Hallis responded. “As a taxpayer, I guess I kind of like that, but as a County Commissioner, it doesn’t sound so very good,” Kleinhardt remarked. The Board approved the Apportionment Report for 2009, by a vote of 7-0, and authorized Hallis to spread the roll.
Also at the Monday, October 21st meeting, the Board voted to:
* approve repairs to the County’s salt and plow trucks used to clear the County’s parking lots.
* adopt a resolution to establish the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) as the County standard for incident management.
* to approve the District Court capital expenditure request of $12,500.
* appoint Paul Geoffrey to the Board of Appeals Construction Board for a two-year term.
* approve the appointment of Jenny Beemer-Fritzinger, Donald David, Jack Kleinhardt, Steve Kingsbury, Tracy Beadle, Steven Grim and Elizabeth Wilson to the Land Bank Authority.
* approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $20,000 to fund the broadband/fiber-optic project.
* approve the addendum of the contract with the Village of Farwell and Surrey Township to allow them to pay for benefits for the Sheriff Department personnel contracted to patrol the area.
* approve the addendum of the contract with Farwell Area Schools to allow them to pay for benefits for the liaison officer.
* accept the recommendation of the Clare County Prosecutor regarding the Freedom of Information Act request by the Huron Daily Tribune.
* approve an adjustment to the Senior Services budget regarding volunteer mileage.
During the Committee of the Whole meeting that followed, Albert Esser, Director of the Building and Electrical Department, came before the Board to answer questions and introduce the new Permits Department Manager, Larry Barclay. Esser said Barclay’s salary for the year will be $37,000 plus benefits. According to Esser, Mr. Barclay had his own construction company for about ten years, and was a State Fire Marshall for nine years. The Board voted unanimously to send the approval of his hiring before the full Board at their next regular meeting.
Mr. Esser also answered questions Commissioners had asked earlier regarding the HUD home expenses and the use of contractors outside Clare County. “We’re required to solicit for contractors and then work off that list,” Esser told the Board, “We used the six contractors in our program.” Esser also commented that outside contractors were used because no contractor in the County is lead-abatement certified, and that it is a requirement that all houses built before 1978 have lead-based paint issues resolved at the time of sale. As for upcoming requirements, Esser said, “In April 2010, every contractor in the whole country is going to have to be EPA federally regulated lead-program approved.” Money is available for contractor training, but the test itself will cost $150 per person, according to Esser.
As for the state of the 2009 budget, Administrator/Controller Bill Newkirk told the Board that “adjustments will continue to occur until the first of January” because, although expenditures are finished for the fiscal year, revenues will continue to come in. “We still have $315,000 worth of jail rentals to be collected,” Newkirk said. He commented that he expects the budget to have a “positive outcome” and that “it really has been done thanks to the efforts of the people in this building.”
After a discussion of the options, Commissioners asked Newkirk to investigate the cost of sending payroll outside the County versus the cost of filling the payroll clerk’s position, which will become vacant November 21st.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting, Commissioners voted to send before the full Board:
* a motion to deny the Boy Scout’s request for a fee waiver.
* a motion to require staff that turns in per diem expenses to do so within 60 days and by the end of each fiscal year.
* a motion to hire the same number of gypsy moth egg mass counters, with a report of their findings per township to be presented to the Board.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, it was announced that the groundbreaking for the Clare Castle Senior Housing and Senior Center project in the City of Clare will be October 29th at 9:00 a.m.
