By Douglas P. Marsh
dmarsh@cherryroad.com
The Ogemaw County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting June 27 to decide on several matters discussed at their prior meeting June 20, including a request from the building department to update permit fees, paying off the county’s negative cash balance, and to continue the discussion about county animal services.
Before the evening’s agenda could be approved, commissioner and budget committee representative Brenda Simmons moved to strike the resolution to pay the county’s negative cash balance with American Relief Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
“I’d like to remove 7(g), please,” said Simmons. “Because we don’t have a plan yet to balance the budget. You have to do both at the same time.”
“We’re living within a balanced budget right now,” said commissioner Craig Scott.
“I’m taking it off the agenda,” said Simmons.
“You’re asking to take it off the agenda,” said board chair Jenny David. “Is there support for that?”
“Yeah,” said commissioner Roger Mayhew.
Simmons’ fellow commissioner on the budget committee, Charles Wiltse, voted no with Scott but the motion to remove the agenda item and forestall payment of the negative balance passed with aye votes from Simmons, David and Mayhew. Simmons and Scott rehashed their debate toward the end of the meeting.
“Every year we’ve had a balanced budget. We are operating under a balanced budget right now,” he said. “You have to rob Peter to pay Paul to do that but to say that we don’t have a balanced budget is false.”
“Mr. Scott is correct,” replied Simmons. “But right now our budget is not balanced. What they do to balance that budget is they make journal entries and move money from some accounts to other accounts so our budget will be balanced. But we don’t have a balanced budget. We’re paying Peter to pay Paul. And then the next day, they transfer all those journal entries back, and then we’re not in balance anymore. So saying we’re on a balanced budget is nonsense.”
“That’s cash flow,” corrected treasurer Caren Piglowski.
“There has been a recent budget meeting and there was some discussion,” said David. “I would like to hear more about that budget meeting and possibly a plan moving forward before I make the decision on that motion.”
Scott remained opposed to building department permit fee increases but found no support from other commissioners and cast the sole dissenting vote. The board was unanimous in support of several items, including a grant application for the County Veteran Service Fund, an Area Agency on Aging implementation plan, appointing a DHHS board member and a materials management plan designating agency, and designating a home improvement program certifying officer. They also approved a revised 911 service plan.
Sheriff Brian Gilbert provided a report on Scott Friesorger’s activities from January to May of this year. Gilbert said the following day was to be Friesorger’s last as the county’s animal control officer.
“The statistics speak for theirself how important that position is,” said Gilbert. “I want to publicly say that Scott did a wonderful job for us for the few years he was with us.”
Wiltse observed that the call volume was reported to be in the hundreds per month and Gilbert confirmed that in one month, more than 300 calls were logged.
“Last week we talked about how many dogs that we’d taken to the shelter,” said Scott. “According to this report here, none in January, two in February, none in March, none in April, none in May. So are we up to 50 already?”
“We’re up to 53?” said Gilbert.
“53,” confirmed undersheriff Paul Frechette, who had reported that same number at the June 20 board meeting.
A worker at Rea Family Animal Shelter, the facility that the county currently contracts with to receive animals, said that the animal control officer had dropped off 27 dogs at the shelter between Jan. 1 and June 28.
The Ogemaw County Board of Commissioners meets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays at the County Annex Building, 205 S. Eighth St. The meeting of Thursday, July 4, was rescheduled to July 2.
