BOC Juggles Multiple Complaints, Budget Issues

By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY

Cleaver Staff Writer

HARRISON – The first visitor to speak at the Sept. 18 meeting of the Clare County Board of Commissioners was Dewayne Rogers, managing director of the Clare County Road Commission. He informed that the road commission would be seeking a municipal bond through the county to finance its renovation of the road commission buildings/facility. Rogers assured that the CCRC would bear all the financial responsibility, and that he was seeking to have that item on the Oct. 16 BOC agenda for presentation and discussion, and so he could answer questions.

Second to speak was Kathy Gilliam, who again brought up the long response time for ambulance service in the Claroskee Road area and sought information regarding what might be changing there – if anything. She also offered a few suggestions. She was informed that the Clare County Medical Control Board has oversight, not the county. Also noted was that Mobile Medical Response now has a 24-hour paramedic rotation, which is an upgrade.

Also addressing the same concern was Jane Walters, who had visited previously to describe the one hour wait for an ambulance while her husband suffered a medical emergency – something anyone would find inadequate. Administrator Lori Phelps reminded that Clare County is a rural community, which means response times are far from what they are in a more urban setting. Commissioner Dale Majewski, fire chief in Lincoln Township, offered examples of how complicated responses can be, noting a recent day when four calls came in at the same time. He said that on any given day there could be nothing, then suddenly comes a bombardment of calls.

Walters also offered complaint regarding ongoing road issues, as well as dead trees overhanging electric wires, adding that “I’m not a flatlander anymore and I deserve to have better.” Dewayne Rogers said he would take a look at the problem, adding that the CCRC had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in that area.

Attending were Bryan Krogman and Sara Miceli-Sorensen to provide an update on Community Mental Health, which serves the counties of Clare, Gladwin, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland and Osceola. Krogman noted that some 11,000 individuals had been served last year by a staff of approximately 450 employees, plus others contracted through other agencies. He said this year’s budget is $151 million, with Clare County’s contribution being $139,000, adding that 93% of funding comes from Medicaid. He explained that Medicaid enrollment is down, and that enrollment is what drives CMH funding, adding that CMH is in a deficit now and that is expected to continue in the next fiscal year. Krogman said that despite the challenges, the staff is dong amazing work and Clare County’s support is appreciated.

Miceli-Sorensen spoke of 670 adults and children in Clare County who were served this year; school-based mental health services, and that all Clare-Gladwin RESD schools have a school-based therapist. She spoke of family health practitioners, lauded the CMH team for student care, noting a nearly 100% success rate in family stabilization. Also noted were jail inmate support, trauma-informed parenting program, examples of teen pregnancy success, Baby Court [including a reunification story], and the successful prevention of a kidnap/child trafficking plan. She, too, expressed gratitude for Clare County’s support.

Moving on to the 2025 Budget Review, the administrator informed that health care open enrollment was 100% complete with 35 employees having opted out of health insurance, leaving 128 eligible employees enrolled; that two signed tentative agreements with unions had been received, with four others remaining.

Phelps said the county’s projected revenue sharing is $859,548 which is up from $834,633 and there is a Public Safety set aside of $15,176. She also noted a draft of bylaws was completed for the Materials Management Group with meeting dates set through 2026.

Phelps also informed that there was still $1.5 million in expenditures yet to go out for the current fiscal year, with about $4 million yet to come in [due by Nov. 30]. She and Treasurer Jenny Beemer-Fritzinger projected a balance of $400,000 over expenses, adding that the BOC would meet Sept. 30 to approve the 2025 Budget and any last-minute changes.

She also detailed Capital Outlay projects which have been included in the FY 2025 budget, and proposed using half of any realized revenue-over-expenses amount for additional capital outlay projects: upgrade and relocation of a fire suppression panel in the Department of Corrections, as well as replacement of the remaining 42 [rotting] wood windows in the Clare County Building.

As commissioners reviewed the budget expense lines, George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport, stating he believes it is subsidizing recreation for a few people in the county, and not really servicing the county or the economy. He claimed one flight every 9.5 days is either recreation or drug traffic, and the county shouldn’t subsidize either one.

Eyebrows up, Commissioner Gabe Ambrozaitis, chairman of the Airport Committee and driving force behind the airport’s forward motion, quickly rebutted the disparaging remark.

“I couldn’t disagree more, George,” he said. “That is an economic driver for Hayes Township and Harrison. It is a county airport: one of 83 we have in the state. A mere $20,000 that we appropriated last year – we’re asking the same amount this year – allows us to continue to rehabilitate the airport. It shows good faith with MDOT if they are providing us money. We have the ability to get lights in this year. That $20,000 is a minor amount and, yes, you might think that only certain planes come in, but on Labor Day there were three aircraft parked in front that flew in to have breakfast at the airport – none of them signed in. There is no guarantee because there is no requirement for any pilot to sign in; it’s a request.”

When Commissioner Rickie Fancon asked if any support was coming in from the City of Harrison or Hayes Township, Ambrozaitis expressed his desire to reinstitute an agreement with those two entities.

“This begins the discussion,” he said. “If we give no money to the airport, then I cannot have a discussion with the city or the township. And both of them have indicated a willingness to rejoin a joint agreement between the three entities.”

He explained that having such an agreement would allow for application for grants.

“I think this is the way forward,” Ambrozaitis said. “It’s only $20,000 – we saved $70,000 on health care. We saved a lot of money, as the administrator has pointed out.”

Commissioner Jack Kleinhardt spoke of various revenue increases the county can reasonably be anticipating, seemingly illustrating that, in comparison, the $20,000 in question was not a hardship.

After the budget presentation, Commissioner David Hoefling thanked Phelps for all the hard work done on the budget.

The Board then went into closed session to confer with an attorney regarding pending arbitration.

In the final Public Comment, Kimberly Davis of the Clare County Sheriff’s Office spoke in support of the airport appropriation, noting that if one helicopter Med-Flight lands there and saves one life, to her it’s worth at least $20,000.

The BOC will meet next at 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30 for a public hearing, make any last-minute changes, then adopt the resolution approving and adopting the County General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025.

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