Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By PAMELA JANSSON
Bessemer — Gogebic County residents with limited income, including veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, are eligible for additional relief in relation to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known by its acronym of SNAP.
Paul Putnam, District 1 director of the Michigan State University Extension Office in Bessemer, shared the news with the county Board of Commissioners on June 26.
Putnam said that, as of March 1, most food assistance programs no longer use an asset limit as a contingency of receiving benefits. Up until then, the asset limit was $15,000.
The state defines an asset as “resources that could be accessible to purchase food, such as cash on hand, money in bank accounts (checking, savings, investments, some trusts) and property/real estate (excluding your first home).”
The state further claims, “Items not accessible, such as home, personal property and retirement savings, do not count. Most automobiles do not count.”
However, the new asset easing for SNAP does not apply to persons receiving other public assistance such as Supplemental Security Income, known as SSI, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
A related fact sheet distributed by Putnam breaks down benefit eligibility in accordance with income levels. It states that the average household receives about $245 per month in SNAP benefits, whereas the average received per person is about $125 per month.
“Benefit per month is calculated by multiplying your household’s net monthly income by 0.3 and subtracting the result from the maximum benefit per month for the household size.
Additional food benefits also exist in relation to other food insecurity programs.
“We’ve got a lot of veterans that are earning $800 to $1,200 a month, $1,500 to $1,800 a month,” said Putnam, adding that they did not have high-wage opportunities.
Putnam said those veterans are eligible for benefits, just as a single mom is.
Putnam also suggested that John Sullivan of the Houghton County Extension Office — who promotes benefits to veterans — provide the board with a presentation.
In other news, Ashley Dennis, 4-H program coordinator, also gave an update on 4-H activities, which have included an end-of-year elementary school field trip to a local farm, as well as a Cooking Wizards Camp at Gogebic Community College and the Curious Clover Club for younger kids. The Livestock Club and 4-H Council also meet on a regular basis.
Commissioners also:
—Approved Danny DeRizzo Jr. of Ironwood Township to drag the fairground track, with the contingency that the activity would be insured by the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority. Commissioner James Byrns said that DeRizzo will remove any metal refuse while also deterring grass growth.
—Authorized county administrator Julianne Giackino to execute change orders in relation to the replacement of windows and doors in the Gogebic County Courthouse, contingent upon the total amount of $83,500 being verified. The change orders were on behalf of U.P. Engineers and Architects in Houghton and Nasi Construction LLC of Hurley.
—Approved budget amendments of $96,167.94 at the recommendation of the board’s Finance Committee, which also met the same day.
—Learned from Giackino that Chris Patritto, the president of Gogebic Community College, requested to meet with county and city officials in relation to this year’s fair planned at Ironwood’s Pat O’Donnell Civic Center, which borders college property. Giackino said Patritto wants to ensure “that everyone is on the same page.”
The Economic Development and Capital Improvement Committee, which met just prior to the board session, recommended the votes on DeRizzo and the change orders.
A public hearing at the start of the meeting addressed the closeout of Gogebic County’s 2021 emergency repair program.
During the hearing, Gerry Pelissero of the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency said that a 2022 public hearing set guidelines for a program in relation to the rehabilitation of local homes.
Pelissero, who is GOCAA’s tax assistant and grant administrator, said the program resulted with 20 applicants and no foreclosures. He added that GOCAA spent $15,000 and $8,366.90 for respective repairs on two homes.
According to him, $8,849 of program funds had to be returned to the state because the targeted project could not be addressed in time by contractors that were “backed up” with other jobs.
Chairman James Lorenson and commissioners thanked Pelissero for the presentation.
The board’s next regular meeting will be on July 10 at 5 p.m. in the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer.
