County board: Review border pandemic rules

By TOM LAVENTURE

tlaventure@yourdailyglobe.com

Bessemer — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday acted to draft a letter expressing concerns about how COVID-19 rules and regulations are established for border counties. 

The board 7-0 approved a letter to be drafted by board chair James Lorenson, to be submitted to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The  concerns of Gogebic County to be expressed are how the pandemic rules do not consider the unique nature of the western-most point of the Upper Peninsula with shared borders to Iron and Vilas counties in Wisconsin.

The letter, which is to be reviewed by all seven commissioners prior to sending to the governor, will express that Michigan pandemic shutdown and gathering rules do not apply fairly to border counties. The interaction of communities sharing a border with different pandemic laws has placed Gogebic County businesses at a disadvantage and is also counterproductive to the state prevention goals, a board member said.

The issue was placed on the agenda by Commissioner Dan Siirila, who asked the board to sign on to a joint resolution of Menominee County that is requesting all Michigan counties to oppose “current and future orders unilaterally issued by Gov. Whitmer and state agencies in response to COVID-19.”

Siirila said one size does not fit all with pandemic rules and that small businesses here have been negatively impacted. He asked the board to sign onto the resolution to add weight to the effort.

Lorenson said it was clear that the entire board shared the concerns that the one-size-fits-all approach by the state of Michigan is not working well for border counties. The restrictions on restaurants and taverns in the border counties lead people to Wisconsin and is a loss of business and counterproductive to limiting public gatherings, he said.

Lorenson disagreed with joining the Menominee resolution, however, and asked that the board approve a letter to the governor that expresses concerns and offers suggestions. He said it is not clear whether the Menominee resolution is valid under constitutional law and if the counties have the authority or not to disregard the laws of the state and directives of state agencies.

“I think the way it has been approached is not the correct approach for Gogebic County,” Lorenson said. 

Siirila suggested that the resolution would be another step in adding weight to other topics that the county is in opposition to the governor. The proposed Line 5 pipeline is one example, and opposing vaccine distribution policies is another, he said.

Lorenson said the county is already on record in support of Line 5 petroleum and natural gas line and communications have been sent to the governor expressing that concern. The letter objecting to vaccine policies was also submitted downstate, he said.

Lorenson responded that the county should submit a letter that states the concerns that enactment of pandemic rules and regulations should take into account the uniqueness of counties and especially border counties, Lorenson said.

“If our neighbors across the border have different rules and regulations then having the Michigan rules isn’t going to do a thing for us because people are going to cross the border,” Lorenson said.

Other comments from the board included Commissioner Joe Bonovetz, who said he agreed to signing the Menominee resolution if he felt it would change things but that he doesn’t think those methods and tactics work.

James Byrns, board vice-chair, said supporting area businesses is more constructive. He said it wasn’t the place of the board to try and tell the governor what she can and cannot do.

“That is something that isn’t going to change anything,” Byrns said.

Commissioner Tom Laabs said the letter communication was preferable to the Menominee resolution.

“We need to send a letter,” Laabs said. “Not that letter, but ‘a’ letter.”

Lorenson said he felt the board consensus was unanimous to send a letter and proposed it should state the county believes the rules as established do not serve Gogebic County well as a border county. The letter will include suggestions on how rules would better serve the county while also working toward the state goals regarding prevention. 

The board received the Menominee County resolution and placed it on file.

The board appointed Carrie Hampston and William McMullin to the Gogebic County Transit Board, along with reappointing Crystal Suzik to the Gogebic County Fair Board, and William Malloy to the Community Mental Health Authority Board. 

The board approved the recommendations from the Dr. Steven Fortunato Dal Pra and Colleen Dal Pra Educational Award Committee. There will be a total of 54 Dal Pra scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year. Each scholarship award is $2,500.

Of the total, there will be 18 scholarships to the Bessemer Area School District; 17 to the Ironwood Area Schools; 13 to the Wakefield Marenisco School District; five to the Watersmeet School District, and one to Gogebic County Community Schools.

In other business, the board approved:

—A finance committee recommendation on proposed cash management and unclaimed property policies.

—A Gogebic County Court reorganization plan.

—Issuing paid time off payout to Ramona Collins.