Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Bessemer — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners Wednesday approved a three-year contract for audit services with the Gabridge Company after previously tabling a bid from the firm.
The contract calls for payments of $19,680 annually for 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Gabridge, based in lower Michigan, said it was offering the county a 20 percent discount because the county’s fiscal year begins on Oct. 1 and that is a relatively slow time for Gabridge.
County board member Joe Bonovetz, of Bessemer, said county officials had been in contact with Gabridge and some differences talked about that arose from past Gabridge audits at a previous meeting had been worked out.
In other business, the county board agreed to increase in-county per diem rates from $25 to $35 and out-of-county rates from $35 to $45, effective Oct. 25.
The county board reappointed James Peterson, of Ironwood, to the Department of Health and Human Services Board. His term expires Oct. 31.
The county board also approved a $5,000 appropriation to the Community Action Agency.
It was agreed to purchase an Office 365 computer system and implement it throughout the county departments.
A motion also passed to provide the commissioners with county email addresses. Messages are presently sent to their home computers, but commissioners were told there are advantages to having county emails.
Jim Loeper, county emergency management director, said commissioners would be protected from exposing their own personal emails by going to the county email addresses in the event of a court case or other matter that would require scrutiny of messages.
Board members also discussed the possibility of the Ojibway Correctional Institute in Marenisco closing and the blow that would be to the area economy. They will hear a presentation next month from Ojibway prison officials, who have already addressed the Iron County Board of Commissioners on the possible closure.
Board members were given the addresses of lawmakers and Department of Corrections officials to contact regarding the possible closure.
Commissioners also changed the gogebic.org address to gogebiccounty.gov.
Board members changed the second meeting in November to Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. so they will not be meeting on the day before Thanksgiving.
