Good afternoon! Thanks to Rosie and Brenda for another correction to my last email. There is no ACCOA meeting next week. I’m sorry for the confusion!
I attended the commissioner meeting yesterday. All board members were present. There were about 11 people in the audience but five left after the award presentation which started after the minutes from the last meeting were approved and there was no initial public comment. The sheriff presented Josh Geiersbach (not sure if deputy is his correct title) with a Meritorious Service Award for his outstanding and invaluable intel on the active shooter incident that happened on election day. Sergeant Nathanael Leeseberg nominated Josh for the award given his actions on that day. The sheriff went through the incident and related how indispensable Josh was on that day. It was really nice!
Lenny Avery presented the board with ACCOA budget information and did a presentation on the building project. While he was presenting the budget information he reminded the board that the information was proprietary. That information is false because we know the ACCOA is a public 501(c)3, according to their IRS 990 form which means all the financial information is available to the public and not proprietary. I will be requesting the budget information he presented. Next, the presentation is on You Tube if you search for “ACCOA Informational Building Project Presentation”. What I noticed during his presentation is that his rhetoric has changed to ‘senior focused’, ‘senior/community center’, ‘this is good for seniors’, ‘seniors will benefit’ and. ‘my focus has always been the seniors first’. Those are words that have not been in the vocabulary of this project since I have been watching.
The board went next to the veterans affairs allocation invoice and unanimously passed a motion to enforce the allocation of $3000.00 for administration costs for the millage. Dan Gauthier stated every organization with a millage pays it. Adam stated that in talking to Mary Weber, the veterans will have an excess of $200,000.00 in their fund balance (alluding that the veterans have the money). He also stated these are legitimate numbers and that the county needs the funds to operate.
The ACCOA contract with the county came up next. The board said it was the same as last year with date changes. Bill Thompson said the wording changed from senior millage to ACCOA (but I believe he misspoke because it was supposed to be changed from ACCOA to just senior millage. I hope this is correct). However, this contract has never been presented to the ACCOA board members to look over before the county signs it. This is something that is going to be addressed by the current board members. Carolyn Brummund was the only no vote to sign the contract.
Claims were paid in the amount of $633,801.85 from 12/07 – 12/20. The board voted to retain Anderson Tackman (not sure if this is how it’s spelled) to do their auditing. They have received a proposal from another company to do the auditing that will be considered next year. Commissioner Brummund wanted to amend the auditor’s contract to include a longer time to get something fixed if there is an issue (if I understood correctly) but the motion was not passed.
Bill Thompson reported on the library board. The library board recommended Paula Smith for the open position and Theresa McCurdy who is already on the board. The commissioners would like to talk to each of them before they are seated. Also, Bill said there were six very qualified applicants for the open library board position, the first time he had seen that. The board also motioned to acknowledge the Alcona Fire Board applicants and expressed a desire to talk to those recommendations also.
The board passed a resolution (2022-18) for the Consumers Energy Dam project. They passed a motion to accept the city of Harrisville and Mikado Township master plans. There was some discussion on State Land Bank monies available ($200k) for taking care of blight. But the county needs a Land Bank which we don’t have. Cheryl Franks, the treasurer does not want one. Adam volunteered to be part of the committee to explore the possibility of having a Land Bank board. The board approved the signing of an EMPG grant which pays part of the wages for the EMS coordinator.
There were three grant proposals from Caledonia Township supervisor, Cindy Apsey, that needed support. However, later during the last public comment, two people on Zoom asked the board to think hard before they support these proposals. According to one person, Tim Gauthier, two of the proposals are in litigation and the third (Spruce sledding hill) has zoning violations. Considering the DEQ, the DNR, EGLE, the attorney general and the governor are involved and looking at these proposals, Tim asked for the board to wait on support.
There was no significant information from the treasurer and clerk during their reports. There is about $200k in expected revenue that has not been recorded yet. Stephany came across the 2017 commissioner bylaws that had never been completed.
There was a recommendation to the board from Erin Mahalak and Dave Hanson regarding the vacant lot next to the jail. They suggested building a storage facility for the sheriff’s department and offices for the building department and mental health. I guess there is 4,000 square feet of space that can be used to rearrange the current storage and office space.
Dave Hanson gave an update on what has happened with building and grounds over the last year and what upcoming projects he anticipates. 211 has pending a new executive director. There is going to be an anchor drop at the Harrisville Pocket Park on New Year’s Eve with events for kids during the day.
Last public comment – Lenny Avery asked the board for an emergency preparedness plan for the county given the two feet of snow expected tomorrow. The ACCOA is the only space large enough for a warming station and he said people who live on two tracks may not be able to get out if the power goes out. He wants to meet with commissioners and the EMS. Tony Atkinson stood as a private citizen and said the county always says they have no money but employees are getting bonuses. He believes poor decisions are made by the board. Mike Brady from Caledonia Township, via zoom, spoke about issues with construction related to Holcomb Creek wetlands. He believes the construction is illegal and should not be permitted. I was not clear on where the construction is he was referring to (possibly on Hubbard Lake) but it seems to be related to the township supervisor. He stated she had some gravel put on her property and charged to her husband. She has not done an elevation survey and is attempting to change the zoning of the property from Forestry to Agriculture. I did see a notice in the Alcona Review for a meeting regarding this. He believes there are also ethical violations by Cindy Apsey.He believes it is ‘unpermitted and reckless construction’.
If you live in Caledonia township, it might be interesting to attend a township meeting and see what is going on there. I would love to have your notes from the meeting so I can be more clear about what is happening. And if you know what’s happening and would like to share, please let me know so I can get the story straight. 🙂
Adam thanked Bill and Dan for their service on the board since both of them will be replaced at the next meeting. And then they adjourned.
Kudos to Rick Kacel for his letter to the editor in the Review this week. Have a beautiful Christmas!!
Patriotically yours,
Lisa
