LEGISLATION
AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
A regular meeting of the Chippewa County Board of
Commissioners’ Legislation and Natural Resources Committee was held on Monday,
August 4, 2003 at the Chippewa County Courthouse in Sault Ste. Marie,
Michigan. Chairman Timmer called the
meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. with a quorum present.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard
Timmer, Chairman, Rita Dale and Earl Kay
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Tim
Dolehanty, County Controller
Additions / Deletions to the Agenda
Chairman Timmer called for additions or deletions to
the agenda.
It was moved by Commissioner Dale, seconded by Commissioner Kay, to approve the agenda as presented. On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
Public Comments
Chairman Timmer called for pubic comments. No public comments were offered.
Controller Tim Dolehanty reviewed Public Acts 124 and
125 as approved by the Governor on August 1.
These statutes will require the County to collect $12 from each inmate
booked into the County jail beginning on October 1, 2003. Of the $12, the County will be obligated to
send $2 to the State to provide oversight of a corrections officer-training
program. The remaining $10 will be
retained by the County in a special designated fund for corrections officer
training.
Mr. Dolehanty told the Committee that the Sheriff
Department budget included $2,500 for training in 2003. The new laws will generate approximately
$19,000 for that purpose. However, the
cost of training is expected to increase with newly established training
criteria.
Commissioner Kay expressed concern about the fiscal
impact of the new mandatory training. He
noted that the County is still required to provide staff when employees attend
training programs, resulting in more overtime and additional need for part-time
employees. The Committee discussed other
potential impacts of the new laws and agreed to monitor the implementation
process.
Amendments
to the City TIF Plan
Controller Dolehanty briefed the Committee on City
plans to extend the life of its Tax Increment Financing and Development Plan
for the City airport. He stated the City
seeks to extend the life of the Plan by ten years in order to allow for
construction of buildings and infrastructure at the City airport. If approved, the City will capture $397,321
intended for County use from 2007 through 2016.
The current plan was approved in 1987 and was set to expire in 2006.
Chairman Timmer asked about potential competition
between the City and County airports.
Commissioner Kay said there is little chance for competition as the
County operates an international airport capable of handling several thousand
commercial passengers each year. By
contrast, the City airport is not large enough to handle aircraft of the size
needed to handle such a large volume of passengers.
The Committee did not express objection to the City
proposal and agreed to receive and file the proposed plan.
Volunteer
Coordinator Proposal
Controller Dolehanty presented a proposal initiated by
a local animal welfare organization to appoint a volunteer to coordinate all
volunteer activities at the animal control shelter. The Committee discussed this proposal at
length and raised concerns about the appearance of favoritism. It was their desire to promote volunteerism
at the shelter without regard to volunteer affiliation. Appointment of a volunteer from one
organization may be interpreted by others as meaning an organization is “preferred.” It was the consensus of the Committee to pass
on the volunteer coordinator proposal.
Draft
Euthanasia Policy
The Committee reviewed an animal euthanasia policy
presented by a local animal welfare organization. The proposal was reviewed against the
County’s present policy. The Committee
agreed that the proposed policy presented few differences from the present
policy. It was agreed that the present
policy is adequate.
Controller Dolehanty reviewed the goals presented by
the County’s risk management insurance carrier.
The County was asked to create a safety committee to discuss and
formulate safety policies. The new
committee would also review accident investigation reports and self-inspection
reports. Commissioner Dale suggested
assigning this responsibility to the Health and Human Services Committee
instead of creating a new committee.
It was moved by Commissioner Dale, seconded by Commissioner Kay, to recommend this matter be assigned to the Health and Human Services Committee. On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
There were no public comments.
Committee Comments
There were no additional comments from Committee members.
Chairman Timmer offered no additional comments.
Adjourn
Chairman Timmer declared the meeting adjourned at 6:10
p.m.
__________________________________ __________________________________
Timothy J.
Dolehanty, AICP, Recorder Richard
Timmer, Committee Chairman