Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Bessemer — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners adopted the 2021-22 county general fund budget as presented on Wednesday, but not until a room full of supporters spoke in protest of the county 4-H coordinator position being reduced from a full-time to a half-time position.
In separate actions, the county board 4-0 adopted the Fiscal Year 2022 General Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2022 General Fund Budget and Fiscal Year 2022 Special Revenue Fund.
Members Joe Bonovetz and George Peterson were not present. Board chair James Lorenson was present by video but did not vote on any meeting agenda item per state meeting attendance policies.
The board acted 4-0 to “opt-out” of the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act. Public Act 152 is a state law to limit the amount that public employers pay toward employee medical benefit plans.
The county action to option-out will have county employees paying 20% toward their health insurance.
Speaking by video, Lorenson said the reality of the option-out is that at some point in time, the county board must seriously consider a long-term solution to reduce county health insurance costs.
“We can’t do anything right now because of the differences of the bargaining units,” Lorenson said. “But the reality is that this is something we’re going to have to pay for in the future.”
The county board room was full for the public hearing to hear comments on the budget prior to the regular meeting. Most present were there in support of maintaining the full-time 4-H coordinator position that was reduced to half-time.
The coordinator position is not a county employee position but is a Michigan State University Extension position that is funded through a county contribution. The county provided the $74,543 requested for salary and benefits in the 2020-21 fiscal year, but approved the county administrator’s recommendation to provide $38,017 of the $76,033 MSU request for the 2021-22 budget.
The 4-H advocates wanted to know why the 4-H budget was cut at a higher amount than other departments. Others spoke of the importance of maintaining a stable 4-H program with an individual such as current coordinator Ashley Dennis, who dedicates time and effort outside of her official role with related community events that enhance the 4-H mission.
A half-time position will attract young people just out of school who will use the position as a stepping stone to other opportunities, said Vicky Nelson, a previous 4-H coordinator. An investment into the position will ensure that an individual with a commitment to kids and the community are entrenched for the long term.
Both Lorenson and board vice president James Byrns, who officiated the meeting, serve on the Gogebic County Fair Board and spoke highly of Dennis and the 4-H program. They both acknowledged the extensive hours she puts in with the kids who volunteer to paint and do other work at the fairgrounds.
Both said they regretted the cuts but added that it was not possible to amend the budget on Wednesday due to the October deadline.
“By law, we have to do this,” Byrns said. “Going down the road, there’s a possibility we could reinstate that.”
Byrns thanked those who attended the meeting for their passion but said the board was committed to approving the balanced budget as presented at the meeting. The board would revisit the matter at some point in the future, he said.
“I believe we’re going to be looking at this down the road,” Byrns said. “We can’t do it tonight, it’s not going to happen tonight. But down the road, there’s a possibility it will be reinstated. You know, we want everybody to realize that that’s what the situation is, this is what the budget is all about.”
Dennis was present but did not speak until near the end of the meeting. She said the budget process is understood but felt it was unfair to put her through this situation that is becoming an annual occurrence since her hiring in 2015.
There is no guarantee the county will restore the funding and the approved budget cuts, followed by a restoration months later, is a stressful time for her family, she said. She is at the point of considering other opportunities, she said.
“I don’t want to be here every year,” Dennis said of the budget hearing. “It’s too stressful. There’s no reason for this kind of stress.”
Paul Putnam, MSU district director of virtual programs and online resources, said the budget issue is a frequent occurrence but always seems to work out in the end. He pledged to work with the board and assured Dennis he would do all that he could.
“Every year we have to figure this out in October or November,” Putnam said.
Lorenson said the general fund balance has decreased approximately $800,000 over two years, and would not provide enough funds for county operations if some kind of fiscal emergency were to occur. There is work yet to be done on the budget but the October deadline prevents line-item discussions at this time, he said. Once the budget is approved, the process will continue to see what needs to be reduced or increased, he said.
“The county administrator put together a balanced budget at the direction of the board,” Lorenson said. “I would say not everyone is comfortable with where the budget is or what reductions were made. But this is a process that we’re going to have to go through and it’s going to take us some time to do that.”
Lorenson asked the community members present to put any concerns they may have about particular budget items in writing and submit them to the county administrator’s office.
Juliane Giackino, county administrator, said the 4-H coordinator is not a county employee position and that it was not always a full-time position. MSU Extension provides other programming for the county to include a supervisory position and a SNAP program position that are all federally funded.
The county memorandum of agreement with Michigan State University allows Extension to have discretion over the county appropriation. The funds are currently used for the 4-H coordinator wages and benefits.
State law requires a balanced county budget to be approved by Sept. 30, Giackino said. Once approved, the county board has the authority to amend the budget throughout the year which is usually conducted on a quarterly basis.
“Until we actually know how we’re going to end this current fiscal year (in terms of) how much money we’re gonna have to use out of our fund balance to balance this year’s budget, it’s hard to know what we’re going to be able to amend for next year’s budget,” Giackino said.
The current fiscal year does not officially end until Nov. 30, in order to close out bills that will still be coming after Oct. 1, she said. The 4-H coordinator position will be considered half-time as of Oct. 1 until such time as the board reconsiders.
Lynne Wiercinski, director of the Ironwood Carnegie Library, spoke in support of amending the budget to continue the 4-H position at full time. As a youth in Erwin Township, she said, the 4-H program provided the mentoring and confidence to earn a blue ribbon for her computer business at age 10.
“There’s more good stories that come out of 4-H than probably any organization that I know of in this state of Michigan, or across the country for that matter,” she said, adding she understands the “numbers game” of budget time, but recommended they find the funding for the 4-H position.
The 4-H program, by its very nature of partnering with schools, libraries and other community programs impacts more children than are directly enrolled in the 4-H program itself, she said. This is the value that the average person doesn’t see.
“It’s not just horses and animals,” Wiercinski said.
Anna Suvanto, 4-H parent from Bessemer Township and member of the 4-H Council, said the budget cut is a “disservice to the community.” The array of programming offers youth fun and learning alternatives that are hard to find in small towns. The 4-H programming has proven itself in encouraging more youth into the sciences and in instilling civic mindedness.
“I really hope that you look at amending your budget so that our kids have the actual support that they need for our small town,” Suvanto said.
Katie Nelson, Erwin Township, a former 4-H member, said Dennis is “very invested in this community and has strong ties.” Her family is renowned for devoting their personal time and attention to youth and community events.
Giackino said the budget approval will be followed by discussions with department heads. The finance, budget and auditing committees also reviewed the budget to discuss changes.
The biggest items in the budgets are appropriations and personnel. If the revenues don’t increase, then those positions get a harder look.
There were budget increases for the Buildings and Grounds budget, which encompasses the courthouse, the jail, the Natural Resource Center, all county buildings, including the fairgrounds and the animal shelter, she said.
“That budget has increased because we need to put in some new garage doors and we need to do waterproofing and tuck-pointing,” she said. “We’re also in the process of having a feasibility study done on our buildings.
In other business, the county board approved:
—A search for a new deputy for the Iron County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy would fill a position that was vacated by a sheriff’s deputy and former jailer.
—A $42,153 budget amendment that encompasses all uncommitted revenues to balance overdrawn expenditures of the various departments.
—A county employee counseling assistance program contract with Great Lakes Recovery. The county contracts with the organization to provide confidential counseling for employees.
—Signing the amended COVID-19 public assistance grant agreement of the county Emergency Management Department. The agreement now reflects the federal cost share change from 75% to 100%, according Heidi DeRosso, emergency management and 911 coordinator.
—A digital contract amendment of the Michigan Department of Transportation contract to upgrade the terminal badging system for the Gogebic-Iron County Airport.
