County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Roscoming County Board of Commissioners meeting for April 8th, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one nation, indivisibley.

Roll call, please. Russo Mley here. Wolson here. Milbour here. Sensor here. Approval of the agenda move. Madam chair. Do we have a second? I'll second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Moy, yes. Wolfson, yes. Milbour, yes. Spencer, yes. Carried.

Approval of the consent agenda. Within the consent agenda, we have meeting minutes from March 25th, 2026 board meeting, class A's in the amount of 4,462,56.3 and claims and accounts in the amount of $178,635.30 correspondences A through D, which are a letter regarding ALS awareness awareness month. the county board of commissioners resolution, a letter from Alyssa Slackkins office and resolution opposing ballot proposals for for documentation of citizenship. Um the clerk register of deeds report. Do I have a motion to accept the consent agenda?

So move. Second. Second. Roll call, please. Moley, yes. Spencer, yes. Wolson, yes. Milbour, yes. Motion carry. Public comment on agenda items only. Is there any public comment on agenda items? Any visitors? Unfinished business. Acceptable use policy. Commissioner Wolson.

Yeah. Um, we thought we were going to revise what we had, just add a paragraph. As it turns out, it's a completely different policy. And the reason being is it's following the federal guidelines and the FBI is involved in stating what it needs to be too because we are tapped into other government agencies. So this is the reason it is what it is and this is from our IT department and I believe it's the same one that the sheriff's department has. Anybody have any questions regarding that?

Um chair. Yeah.

One I thought it was way more inclusive. And I like that it was all put together in one because they relate. I thought that was better than what we originally thought. Um there wasn't a lot of really big questions like why is it or shouldn't be. I do know that they talked about the management information systems department and I'm anticipating that's the two that's Andy and Pat's office. Okay. and that the other county policies and standards and procedures that department heads have that that doesn't conflict what they have. Does that it says that any potential violation to this or other policies do the other departments are they good with is does this change anything that they would need to do in their own specific policies? I think we need to make sure every department has a copy of this because this is a countywide one,

right? Okay. And this was my understanding is this was drafted by the company that Jod and I are having a meeting on Thursday with about hiring to do keep our policies updated and stuff. Exactly. I think that's good because I know um on page five there was some information about the software that gets installed. It has to be done by our personnel. But I understand with 911 what's going on with their renovations that there are people that they have to have that aren't our people to do that work. And I just I'm sure their department has to authorize it and that's okay. Right. Is that how that

flow? So 911 is actually extremely special. Um they actually have their own server system. Uh so they are not tapped into ours and can um can have a little bit of a difference. So we'll look at that and note that exception on there. So

this is this is um we also had in our policy book um policy for operating computer network in the courts. This will be removed from our policy book when we adopt this one. And then we had an acceptable use policy for information technology that'll be gone when we adopt this policy also. Okay. So, there's two others that might go away because it'll be included. Yeah. This will be encompass everything then and and the court systems will have their own criteria, right?

I I do notice uh that the security the training and awareness, you know, it even talked about that we any of us that are using these resources has to go through a training within 30 days. Is that something we're going to implement or have we been doing that? We did it once since I've been here. So, it's something that happened initially when we first rolled it out, but it is something that um we will have to start doing for all new hires. Okay. So, what about somebody like me who I don't think got a training? We're going to put you on the list. I should be put on the list. I don't want to be delinquent. All right. So, it's something we need to kind of restart back again and make sure.

And it sounds like this company that we talked about at the last meeting was able to maybe put this into a way where once you've done your training, you can check box and you guys have record that it has been completed so you don't have to chase people down. I like I really like that. So those are all my I think it looks good.

Thank you. Was that do we put that is that for will it be ready for final approval at the next meeting or do we vote on it? It's ready. It's you know as it is right here. Perfect. Okay. Y Okay. Strategic plan action review. Commissioner Mley, would you like to start that one?

Well, I yeah I can. And I know this is not really work session to go through that. I think at the last meeting we had talked about I had presented to all the commissioners some things for 2026. I will say that after some careful consideration I think we're only as good and um achieve what we're willing to put the time and effort into. And I would suggest that, and I'll send it out because I have a one page that kind of condenses this, that we narrow our focus. I think there's a lot on this list that is very difficult, especially going through everything we're going through and not being fully boarded as a as commissioners that we can truly accomplish. And you know, for my goal is at the end of our four-year term that this county can look back and say, look what they have done. They've accomplished these things. They may not like all of them, but that we have accomplished the things that we're trying to do to support this county. So, my recommendation on this is to potentially condense this at least for the first quarter, say, what is it that we can what is critical for us to accomplish? And what are we going to do? Put our money, our time, our resources, all of us into making sure that that happens. I will throw out right now, I think one of the very first things we need to do is we need to land on a lake level decision, especially for Higgins. I think that's critical for this month. Um, I'm willing to give up a county budget, you know, road show right now, although I think it's incredibly important for our community, but I don't know if we can pull all that off and get our facts and do what we need to do for that lake. Those are just my thoughts right now. So, there's really not a lot

unless we want to put this on a work session and dive in and we all agree. We're already through the first quarter. I think we need to land on where are we going to focus. That's my thoughts. And I know we have a motion today just to kind of adopt um our goals. I know we've talked about that and just kind of to adopt the four key goals in the vision. So saw that. I thought that was good that we make a record that those were there. So y madam chair. Yes. I agree. We're all busy and if it needs to be narrowed down. So

that I ask is this something that we would all say let's get a work session just dedicated to gota we got to land on this in my mind. We can't keep putting this off for several months. So is it a separate meeting or is it the very next one and we just dedicate the time to land on it and make a decision? I'm okay either way. I will do a special one or I will we can put it off there but I think we need to make the decision pretty quickly. Yep. I would agree. Um

it may also be handled by the chair polling individuals. Hey, that was mine. That one said, I think the discussion in public is important. That's my take. I think if we do it as a poll, then people don't get to hear our thoughts. They don't get to hear what's important to each of us and the townships that we represent. Um, I'd prefer to do it together, but what as Commissioner Mor pointed out, we're undermand.

So, what is your take on do we do this as a poll or do we do this at a work session where people can hear us discuss for transparency? Both. I don't care. Maybe what we need to do is each of us under each of these goals that we have, goal one through four, is decide what is what you believe should be a focus and bring it to our next work session and we'll have a discussion about it and then we'll narrow it down from there.

Put that on our next work session. Okay. Northern Michigan Children's Assessment Center millage proposal. We received this um new language. Um everybody got a copy of that. Um I know that they have talked about you know other counties lawyers have taken a look and things of that nature. I think when it comes to the proposal I am not against the millillage proposal. What I am against is going and having the millillage proposal on the ballot until all the agreements and everything can be worked out. First of all, we need to know if every other county is going to agree to to go for a millillage in in my opinion. And then we have to have this laid out prior to asking the public for that for them. That's just my take on it.

Use that verbiage, but it's overused, but every county has to be on board to pay their fair share. And I just I don't see how it's going to how we're going to be able to get through all of that all of those agreements for the August. Plus, we also have to think about what's already on the August ballot. It's already been proven the more millages that are on a single ballot. People have a tendency just to no, no, no, because that's just what it is. So, Madam Chair, yes, I totally support the child assessment center. I mean, they do a wonderful job. Yes.

And I'm not trying to diss on what they've done so far with this millage request, but I think we need an agreement with the all the other counties that are going to be involved in this because it's kind of hard to say. You know, right now it looks like ICO County and us are the only ones interested in a millillage. Well, you got other counties involved in it. How do you say this base salary was only paid for by these counties or these ones? You got to have an agreement with the other counties proposal language forward. However, like you said, that every county pays a fair share. That's that's the key,

Madam Chair.

Yes. I think we're all on the same page that we definitely support the Children's Assessment Center and what they're doing. Um I don't think that has been questioned at all from us. I do agree that the that this is a I don't think we know exactly how they're going to work this. We asked those questions at the last meeting. I have not heard this is how we're going to make sure if one county does not pass the millillage, whether we have an agreement or not, they may not pass a millillage. How is that going to work? Like there was talk about it. We think we can do that and we can keep your money separate, but I haven't seen any operation that says this is exactly what we're going to do to protect this county if our county so chooses. So that concerns me about trying to put this on a ballot this quick because we're just now hearing about this. We also have very critical infrastructure issues that have that we need those millages to be passed because they affect our 911, they affect our law enforcement that are critical to what I consider full county operations, what we're in charge of

and um ballot fatigue is awful. It's gonna it's a this is not going to be an easy election year.

And I think um I'm just I just think it's too premature for right now. I think the language is fine, but I'm I think it's too premature at this point. Um the proposed Prine and Newuhoff engineering service related to Higgins Lake. Um I talked about this at the last meeting. Um everybody has a copy and this is just if we were to ask Prime and Newuhoff basically questions or they were to help with something these would be their hourly rates based on because there's no set information that we're requesting from them right at the moment. So, this goes back to hourly rates and stuff. Um, so I think we need a motion, don't we, Jody, to approve that if from the board?

Yes, you would. Oh, does anybody have any questions on it? It is. This was presented to us back in February. So if we want to use pine and new hop for anything as of right now, we don't have anything with them. Are you suggesting, madam chair, that we wait? I would like to vote on it today if possible. Um just because it was brought up last week and this was given out to everybody and we've just kind of haven't. Madam Chair, yes. Um, these expenses are related to lake level structures. Is that correct? That would be correct.

Um, I'm good for a motion today and approve this, but it also like to state that the entire board is a delegated authority and before expenses are approved, the board has to approve it. So, I'll make a motion to accept these terms and conditions of their services. I'll support. Okay. So, we can add that on as a motion. Basically, probably just move to approve prine and newhoff service agreement for Higgins Lake as presented.

I would suggest putting whatever the hourly rate is into the actual motion itself so that the public has that clarity. More substance the better. Okay. Well, there's there's multitudes. There's multitudes. One, two, three, four, five, six. As attached. See attached. Let's include that. Yeah, absolutely. As presented and attached. I mentioned that the highest rate is $210 an hour. Yep. And the lowest is $84 an hour depending on the staff that's doing the work.

Okay. Okay. Um, next is new business. There's nothing there. So, we are on to motions and resolutions whenever other is ready. Motion to adopt the Roscoming County 2025 through 2028 strategic plan as presented below. Vision to be the county of choice, both united and trusted. Goal one, develop and sustain financial strength and stability. Goal two, increase levels of trust and unity with stakeholders. Goal three, finalize lake level management plans and processes. Goal four, advocate for social issues that impact Russ common county.

So move, madam chair. Second. Is there any discussion? Roll call, please. Sensor, yes. Mley, yes. Wolson, yes. Milbour, yes. Motion carried. Move to adopt the proposed professional service agreement service. Yeah, the professional services agreements for lake level services between Brandon Newhof and Ross common county as presented and attached.

So moved. Second. Any discussion? Madam Chair, just just for a process, should we ask the clerk to uh read the the whole entire to for the record? Read what? I'm sorry. Think that's really necessary? I don't think the question. Yeah, I don't think it's necessary. We kind of went over the billing rates. The highest is 210. The technician would be $84 an hourly rate. Um, we're going to have it attached. It'll be part of the public record so any public can get a copy of it and read it if they so choose. We will. Thank you, ma'am. Yep. Roll call, please. Milbour, yes. Mley, yes.

Wolson, yes. Sensor, yes. Motion carried. Committee reports. Commissioner Mley.

All right. Um March 25th, Central Michigan District Health Department, both um Commissioner um Milbour and I were there. The very first meeting was on their personnel committee, which I serve on. And they reviewed the audit for the year before it went to the regular meeting. It was unmodified, no findings. They actually are in better position than other health departments apparently from a financial standpoint. So it was good news to them. In the regular meeting, um Dr. Morris who's the physician does her report and this time it was another very interesting report that talked about the non-medical IV hydration vitamin drug treatments in the spas not medical facilities and it was apparently this came there was a situation that happened right in our in our area which was Claire that posed the question as to these people aren't regulated there's concerns she's She's just wanting people to be aware that if you go to a spa to have these type of treatments, make sure that their people who are doing your IVs and administering all this are qualified and that you're in a safe place. So, I thought that was interesting. March 31st, um I joined the emergency management director, Vanessa Varner, to kick off our community wildfire protection plan with um the consulting group that's helping with that to get that rolling and identify like what are our next steps, what are the groups that are going to need to be done and what do they need to get started. So that went well. April 3, I did meet with the constituent um a resident of Garish that regarding some homestead exemption questions that have been going on to try to explain what is that what are the facts, how does that process work. April 4th, I met with another two garish residents regarding um their concerns with Commissioner Russo and his role here. Um I do believe after that conversation,

they understood the role of the board, what we can and cannot do. They understand the recall process and seemed to be fine. They just didn't understand what was going on. April 6, the 911 authority board met. Um there is an atlarge appointment um that will be coming before us to approve. Um this person has been vetted by both lieutenants. They feel that that's good. The question came and and thank you controller for helping us figure that out that what is the background check policy for? And it's not a county decision because they're their separate entity. That's an authority board decision. So, it looks like we'll be bringing that forward. I'll I'll talk to the chair on that as well. I just found that out. So, um the other piece it brought up I would like to raise to see if there's any commissioner that could help with this. We're going to have that's we're talking about their millillage. We also talked about the road patrol millillage. So, at the RTA meeting on April 16th, um I'm actually Northern Lakes has a recipient rights training that I have to go through. So, I can't be at that one, but if somebody could be there to help un explain to the RTA about there are two of the millages we know are coming explain that Headley roll back that people might not understand. It's not an increase. It's keeping it where it's supposed to be. So, they asked to see if one of us could be there to help kind of start that message. So, there's anybody that could um I think other than that I'm good. Okay, Commissioner Melbourne,

as Commissioner Mory pointed out the non-medical hydration, vitamin drug treatment, that was an interesting disc discussion from Dr. Morris, uh animal control with with Madam Chair. That's all I have. That's all I have. Oh, I would like to touch base on the Roscom County Veterans will have their third annual Labor Day Meno Bridgewalk on Monday, September 7th at 2020 2026. It's really a good time. It's a lot of fun. There's a bus right now that Keith has got. Should be about 50 veterans out there. So, I madam chair. Thank you. Great. Madam Chair, could I ask a question? So, at the animal control meeting, is there situations going on? Are there struggles going on that they need help with? What's what was the context of that meeting?

I didn't see any struggles. Obviously, DD and Willie are here today and the chair will touch base on that, but I didn't see I don't think there's any struggles right now that they have. Okay. I know they're doing the HVAC system, but that's always kind of an ongoing concern that we've been working with over a year. Thank you. Thank you.

So, yes, the animal control, um, as far as the HVAC, I believe it's just they're moving their control panel from where it's at. They're going to move it upstairs. Um the spring is always a busy time for them. So um I know that they were full of with the dog section. The cat section was a little light, but that I'm sure is going to be changing. It usually does and usually they're usually full at that time. Um they had applied for a couple grants that were turned down. um but they had received them the years before. Um they're still going to try to find a way to do the vaccine clinics hopefully and things like that. And then there was something that um somebody had passed away and they had made quite the donation to the animal, but that's got to go through a process and that doesn't happen very quickly. So, um let's see. Um, I do have a workers compensation fund meeting today. Um, I did reach out um to Danbach um and had asked for some help, the attorney to help facilitate some conversations with Eagle regarding the 50 cubic feet per second on Higgins Lake. I have not heard back from him. Um, and There will be some more that I'll be reporting in the lake level meeting off of that. So, that's really all that I have currently.

Commissioner Wolson.

Yes. I'll not be able to attend the township meeting this next week. Um, good luck on trying to explain the Headley roll back with them. I've attempted that once. Um, for my assignment on the materials management, which is not a committee, um, I met with people at Lear to see if there's something we could do there. They're totally in tune with it already. They they're almost to the point of 100% recycling, so there's nothing we can do there. I stopped in at the village again and I found out that the village does have curbside pickup through the township of Higgins. So, we're at a dead end there. I'm going to try and set up a meeting with Nester Township to see if we can put a container there for recycling through this program. All they would have to do is pay for the pickup. Um, so that's my next move on that. Also, in this program, we had a meeting earlier this week. Nobody showed up from the committees that's formed for this. I mean, the state of Michigan said you got to have 13 people in this committee. Nobody ever shows up. Of course, you know, the 24 year old can say, "Hey, boss, I got a good idea." Doesn't mean it is. Um but what we did discuss was education is a huge part in recycling. If my feeling is if we want to really increase recycling because we we have a lot of opportunities in this in this

county to recycle but not everybody's attuned to where it is and how it works. And so I'm suggesting that we do a huge campaign. I mean like send a flyer to every property owner because people that don't live here but come up on weekends, they need to be informed of how can they recycle in this county because they may not be aware of it. So we're going to be looking at that end of the program. Um also in all this bure bureaucracy we have to do a sighting plan. In other words, if someone wants to come in and set up a recycling center, how much control do we want over it? Um, at this point, my opinion is it's up to zoning and so the minimum amount of impact that we at a county level has is the way we should be going. But before it's approved, I'll bring it to the board of how that looks. It's just one of them things the state of Michigan just said, "Oh, by the way, you got to do this, too." and and I I feel the county should be aware of any thing like that coming in, but I think it's kind of like the township's department, and I don't think we should stick our nose in there if we don't have to. Other than that, that's it.

Public comment. Do we have any public comment? Come on up. Uh Craig Conman, Holton Lake. Thanks, Jody. I got the foyer requests. Uh I still still waiting for uh the elevations on my property from Printer Newhof. Uh quite a bit of flooding going on at Holton Lake right now. I uh I took some pictures. I don't know if any of you would like me to send them to you or not. Uh I think I think Kim said uh last year I sent you some pictures and Darlene I I made sure I didn't get a a video cuz I can't I don't know how to send a video. on the phone. Uh we escaped any real ice damage when the ice come off this year. We ordered some sandbags uh yesterday and I think they're supposed to be here today or tomorrow. Uh again, extensive flooding over on Iraquoise. Uh the wind was out of the northwest or excuse me. Uh yeah, northwest northn northwest. Uh and uh on old trail we escaped most of the flooding. Uh winds are supposed to be out of the southeast today. Uh gust of 30 m an hour. Uh Long Point or uh or Northshore may get clobbered today. Uh again, you're looking at this S effectriven

tides. Uh the uh USGS gauge yesterday was I think at 91 92 1139.1 or two, which is a a foot over uh legal summer level. uh the East Bay gauge, the hi-fi gauge that was reading uh 94 95 uh which is about 16 17 in over uh summer level. Um again, a widescale flooding this year. Looks like it's going to be a flood event again this year. and uh last year you covered up the flooding that was at Holton Lake. Uh had uh had the hearing at Judge Bennett's and uh no one here brought forth the flooding that occurred on H Hotton Lake. Uh Bren Newhoff took the witness stand and said no, they didn't see any flooding. I don't know why you would want to build a dam. Don't know why you'd want to increase a lake level without addressing the flooding. Uh we have a 100red-year flood elevation. I'm sure you're all aware of it. I've given you copies. I gave uh Judge Bennett a copy. We have a 100red-year flood elevation of 1139.6. We're just about there right now. I got a copy of it here if you'd like to see it again. Uh you're damaging people's homes. You're damaging pe people's property.

Uh floods are the deadliest of all natural disasters. And uh our disasters are much worse because you're banking water. you banked water again this winter. Uh we had 150% snow pack this winter. We knew this was coming down the pike. I think you're deliberately putting me and my family in harm's way. You're not addressing the flooding issue. You can't address a flooding issue on H Hotton Lake by raising the lake level. And that's what you did with the operations manual. This operations manual is a joke. I got a copy of it here. Of course, you know what it looks like. You said it the lake's going to behave this way and it doesn't. I don't know why I have to sat in my house and fear people like you. I don't know why. You're not taking care of the problem. You're making it worse.

Thank you. Thank you. Any other public comment? Okay.

Board comment. Um, Commissioner Mley. Um just wanted to comment on the clerk's report that we got. Obviously the volume of activity that's gone on in that office through January and February has been pretty heavy. So I know they've been working hard. little thank you uh to them for the time that they're spending not only internally but with our other clerks in the county around election training because that con that's consistent and that is so important and I'm just glad that they are taking the time to really make sure that all of our townships and all the clerks um are trained properly on that. Um, I I thought it was important for as we look at the Michigan Association of Counties and their priorities, um, which I think could possibly help us as we think about do any of these align with what we want to stay focused on from a legislative perspective. Um, one of their top priorities is really making sure that the state's promise to do revenue sharing back to the county is done and that they properly fund that. They are really looking at the tax foreclosure proceeds and making sure that that gets done properly and doesn't harm the counties. Um there's things on increasing the funding to our county jails uh for services provided and continue to fund the public safety revenue sharing grant. So it sounds like there's quite a few of their legislative priorities that they will try to help counties on that we may want to keep in mind as we focus on hey let's stay on top of that. So if we need to advocate for something for us that that we do that. Um along with that um Representative Lightner did a was interviewed on one of their podcast and I thought it'd be interesting for people

not only our count our commissioners but people in the audience to hear. There's a few things that I think she has shared that are really important. She has served on appropriations for years in our house and is now serving on the policy side and in her mind if you don't understand appropriations you don't write good policy. So she feels it's a good switch although she loves appropriations and it that makes sense to me because sometimes we they write policies and they don't know how to fund them. So court funding is really important in her mind. Um especially with prosecutors and that there's a disparity when it comes to prosecutor funding and the the group that gets it from the state when they come in and she just believes that that should not be inequitable and to help our counties from a prosecutor perspective. What can we actually collect from defendants that gets held back sometimes that we can't do? She also believes speaking of at child's assessment center that those advocacy centers should be included in the essential court funding. That's something that she's been trying to work on and push. And um the other issue is property taxes. And it's pretty evident that the what's happening right now is people who are pushing for this task my tax or however they want to call it. it is get it on the ballot, get people to approve it, and let our legislators figure out how to backfill the money. My personal opinion, that is not how we should be handling a change in the law. That if you don't look at all the options of how to backfill that, that could be really harmful for our townships and our counties specifically. So, um, those just related to a lot of the things that I think we're doing and I just thought I'd share what her thoughts were on that. Um,

other than that, I'll Mr. Saxton, our road commissioner, did give some good input on how they're going to be handling the cleanup and the things that are not in that rideway that are in your own property or the ownership of the person who owns that property. So, I thought that was a really good message that he sent out to help us share within our townships as well. Um, that's that's all because we have lake level stuff coming up. So, I'll I'll leave those for that. Okay. Commissioner Milbour

stole my thunder. I this morning when I woke up about, you know, early this morning, I saw the road commission out there about 7 o'clock cleaning up the side of the road. Big shout out to the road commission for their due diligence. I know that I've had quite a few people knock on my door at home and ask me when it's going to happen. The road commission is out there actively doing that. So, like to publicly thank the road commission for their their hard work. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I was going through the MAC information as well. Um, I know that they were urging county commissioners to write um to request that their congressional representative um co-sponsor the bridges and safety infrastructure for community success basics act. Basically what that is is it's um a bipartisan legislation developed with strong input from counties and other local government groups to improve Michigan's access to federal formula funding for roads, bridges, multiod model projects within the community. I haven't read enough on it to know exactly if this is something, but I think it's something that we should at least be looking into. And if we need to write a letter, then we should. Um, there was also an article in there that talked about county officials were invited to the 2026 um, Michigan Environmental Compliance Conference. It was a two-day event, includes more than 70 sessions covering water, waste, air quality, emergency management, solid waste planning, and emerging issues with PAS and climate resilience. And all attendees will have the ability to meet directly with Eagle experts. I have no idea if that's something that anybody here plans on attending, but I wanted to make sure that

people were aware. Okay.

Um and then um one of the staff picks I actually because I actually was asking the same question. Should Michigan bury power lines after backtoback years of ice storms? The article is actually a really good read. So anybody that has the ability to read that, it was really interesting. Talks about the new infrastructure that that's would be very beneficial, but to go back and do the old unless they needed to for some reason, that's where a lot of the funding and money comes into play where it may not be quite as beneficial. But when they're repairing and stuff like that, they may want to start looking into that. So, it was kind of an interesting article. Commissioner Wolson.

Yeah, you lost me now. Well, um I'd like to make a comment about the road commission and clearing the debris from the rightway. They're doing as best as they can. They're doing a wonderful job. They are encountering a problem though. when they go clean up the debris, they now have to photograph and document because after they leave, people are throwing things out of their yard out in there and then demanding it be picked up. So, I want the public and everybody to be aware they're not picking up your debris. Oh, no.

And then the comment about underground power lines. I think all new subdivisions, they do do that. Problem comes in the line has to be heavier gauge. Because it creates heat and so yeah, it's an issue. But I think all new new subdivision stuff they're doing underground, which is a good idea. And I think in last year, I think Aasco County, they were doing some of that because of the problems with the trees over there. But yeah, it's it's a big project on existing. Yep.

Okay. With no further board comment, this meeting is adjourned and our next meeting starts at 10 o'clock 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. First, we have the Freshwater Trail Maintenance Fund discussion of the whole. And I know that our controller handed us out a summary, so I will let her go over that. So, I did provide to each of you um just the current cash and investment balance for the two funds that hold the economic development um money. We have the economic development special project fund that has 59,43137 currently available and then the EDC revolving loan fund has 27,14928 available. Um, we have been looking at a total then of 8658065 that the county had put towards economic development and projects. Of that money, we do have promised um roughly $15,000 for the kiosks. They're estimating at about $3,000 each. Um, could be a little more or a little less. We don't have the exact specific drawings um with costs from the individual that is proposing to do that out of um St. Helen. There's a business over there that's working on finding some cost effective material with low maintenance costs to it. Um but 15,000 would be a good estimate of that. And then in addition to that 15,000, we do have the um three $500 scholarships for the high school seniors for one from each high school in our county. Um so we have that 1,500 as well. So, we do have 17,500 of that um that is spoken for and been promised out already. So, then looking forward um based on the

information that Brenda has been able to provide us, um each kiosk and fish with a total of five being finalized looks like it would only take about $500 a year to do your maintenance. Um, and that would be supplying because the townships have volunteered to take on the labor portion of that. Um, but that would allow us then to to keep that available and ready for them to utilize. Um, and obviously if for some reason they are they're unable to to do the maintenance themselves, we're always able to help out, I think. Um, so if you figure five fish at $500 is only 2500 a year that we would be looking for. Um, if the board uh my recommendation would be that the board could take probably 25,000 of what we have currently left in EDC and then put that into a specific fund for freshwater trail maintenance and that would give us enough to take care of that project to update that project um for the next decade.

Madam Chair, yes. Would the maintenance include like brochures being printed and stuffed and replenished? It will. Yes. Yep.

Okay. I think it's important that we continue on funding some maintenance on these because it's a countywide trail and the whole object of it was people go visit one fish. The brochure explains everything to lead them to another one and they in theory travel around our county. And I think it's important that, you know, not only is a fish hanging there, but we maintain the trail process for a while. It's imperative. Mhm.

I would be good with attaching that 25,000 for that purpose. I don't think we should put the expense of on the townships. Um although they're going to do the labor part, you know, which is an expense, but I think it's reasonable. And that would still leave us money like we talked about to possibly help future EDC or something like that. So you'd have roughly 44,000 left for that.

Yeah, I'm okay with that. I'm I'm okay with it. I think the project was incredibly important. It's a countywide project. I think they fought through that really well. Um I'm grateful that the townships would help with labor. I think that takes some ownership in it as well. Um I'm okay with the 25 and setting that aside um on a regular basis. I guess I don't know when these funds eventually go away. My only question then would be without economic development having their committee anymore. Who is the point person for saying all right here's the money here is the brochures we want because we we'll be paying for that not giving it to them to go pay right it'll come directly from us. So what's the process? How do we make sure that scholarships get done maintenance gets done? Who's going to own that? So, I think that um just a couple things as far as where we're at right now with the scholarships. I'm working with Brenda on that. Brenda is still willing to help with that. Um we are coordinating hopefully the first meeting in May for those students to come

so that those checks could be presented by the board on behalf of EDC to those students so you can meet where the money is going and the public can see. Um so that process is already underway. She is finishing up the kiosk. So, I'm working on the kiosks with her. As far as um coordinating with the brochures, Brenda and I had had the discussion that we do have um we do have our chambers that would be able to essentially the easiest thing for them to do is to email me and say, "Hey, we've got to print brochures. This is the cost of it." Because it's just another accounts payable at that point in time to come out of a fund to be managed. All right. Is there a set number? Like we've got a budget that's for maintenance is 500 per fish a year. Is that right?

Yes. Yeah. So if they want a ton and we don't have the money, we give them less numbers. Correct. Yeah. That would be and that Yeah. At that point in time, it just comes down to basic economics. And if there's something that happens and the board needs to put some more money into that fund in the next five to 10 years, then that's a decision for a board to make at that time. So, is that something that Brenda would be willing to say, "Okay, let me get with those with the chamber and say, she may have already done this. How many are they anticipating ordering?" Because she didn't have that answer the other day. She does not have a finalized figure on it yet. That might help us create that number and say, "All right, chamber, you get x number a year,

and if we need to reevaluate that later, I just to me it's about that willy-nilly." Do you like that word, controller? of just randomly, oh, you're paying for brochures. I want more. And they they got lost somewhere. They got destroyed. And I I don't know. Just if we're going to own it and we're sending it out, I'd like to see what that oversight might be. Madam Chair, yes, there is an option rather than don't painting it on an administrator for more work, a volunteer from the board to take care of it to take care of managing this project. Yeah. Would anybody like to raise their hand that was all for it?

Just throwing it out there. You brought it up. Okay. I don't have the time to do that. So, but if we want to accept it, then we either need to accept the roles or we don't. That's my take. If Brenda is working on this and she can pass it on, then I'm good. I just don't see the process. Don't want one group saying that's okay. I will meet with um or talk to Brenda in the next week or so and we'll just kind of say, okay, what does this streamline? If we have this bucket of money, what is the process going to be to utilize it, request it, and put it out for the different chambers? And do we definitely have their agreement?

And maybe that's this new group who's trying to reestablish. Maybe that's where they start to pick up and that we at least need to do that. Yes. And maybe they could help us because they've been pretty involved in this project as well. Yes. So they might they understand it and they might be the people who would say, "Hey, we're trying to reform. We'll make sure we bring this to you, especially if they want to continue to reform that group. Right. Okay, I'm good with that. I like the number. I think we can do it. I think it's just having a few more conversations and seeing how it's going to actually all

transpire. Okay. Um, next we have League of Women Voters presentation.

Come on up. Good morning.

Thank you. Good morning, Madame Chair, commissioners, and Ross Common County officials. Thank you for this opportunity to address you this morning. My name is Christina Schlit, president of the League of Women Voters of North Central Michigan. I'm here this morning to one introduce the League to you and then to ask that you support the resolution submitted to oppose Deepo petitions. Since 1920, the League of Women Voters has been an active grassroots organization whose leaders believe that people should play a critical role in democracy. Our organization was founded six months before the 19th amendment of the US Constitution was ratified, giving the women the right to vote. Our mission is empowering voters in defending democracy and we envision a pluristic multi-racial democracy where every person has the desire, the right and the knowledge and confidence to participate. There are two arms of the league. One is education which our voter service work is under. We provide information for voters to become informed on issues through forums. We provide voter guides such as our online voter guide vote411.org which by the way we should have for the May election. We also do voter registration drives in in high schools and for the public. We do candidate forms providing we have candidates who will participate from multiple parties. League has a proud reputation of being nonpartisan. That simply means we never support or oppose candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always work on vital

issues of concern to members of the public. We also advocate for or against issues but only if we have a position which is to do that we have studied it by e with experts and it has been vetted by the members throughout the nation. It's not just a knee-jerk reaction to a situation. We have de just developed a new league north central Michigan which covers Crawford County at Sego and Ross common particularly in our voter services work. We would like to invite all of you and the audience to join us and anyone 16 years of age men and women to join our efforts. Yes, men were part of the league since 1970. Today though, I am here speaking on behalf of the league in an advocacy effort. I would like to talk about the resolution that I submitted opposing the voter suppression petition circulated here in Michigan by a national organization called Americans for Citizen Voting. They have two petitions that are very similar. These ballot petitions being circulated would walk back the incredible strides our state has taken in making elections convenient for voters. These petitions are about far more than providing ID to vote. That is already the law. These deep documentary proof of citizenship petitions are a solution looking for a problem. Let's be clear. It is already illegal by federal and state law to vote if a person is not a citizen. The penalties are stiff,

including deportation. Why would a noncitizen want to face jail, fines, and deportation just to vote? Michigan earned an A+ grade for election security and integrity from the Institute of Responsive Government in 2023 and 24. Three 50 states have received this rating. In reviewing millions of votes cast, the Heritage Foundation identified just 10 cases involving in-person impersonation fraud at the polls, fewer than the numbers on the president's commission, anywhere near enough to change an election outcome. Heritage Fraud database and assessment confirms what numerous studies have consistently shown. Voter fraud is rare and impersonating a voter at the poll is less common of a phenomenon than being struck by lightning. A ballot initiative sponsored by Americans for Citizen Voting AC contains sweeping election proposals that would erect new barriers to the ballot for Michigan voters of all backgrounds and impose significant administrative burdens on state and election officials. When I talked about this with the um township clerks, they weren't happy. The harmful restrictions proposed under the initiative are stricter voter identification requirements and new requirements for proof of US citizenship. The ACV initiative would create cumbersome processes for verifying US citizenship that would likely require all voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship which would include certified birth

certificates, marriage licenses, divorce licenses to um support the name on the birth certificate to the current um ID. state or local government officials as well as require voter ID in all instances even though substantial percentages of Michigan voters lack a driver's license or similar voter ID under the AC whoops under the ACV initiative only a short list of qualify as proof of rel citizenship including a US passport and certificates of citizenship or natural ization. Now, many people are not in a position to have the resources to purchase um passports or the documents if they do not have them on hand. All of these requirements would place significant burden, financial burdens on voters and election officials. the number of non-citizens voting in Michigan along with the single case identified in October of 2024 a Chinese national who allegedly voted illegally represents 0.0028% of more than 5.7 million votes cast by Michiganers in the presidential election. 13 were referred to the attorney general for prosecution. That represents one out of every 360,000 voters in Michigan's general election. Yet tens of thousands of Michigan voters would be prevented from voting. the special interest group and it's a noncitizen-led petition, mind you, that are circulating

these petitions in Michigan to add the unnecessary red tape to Michigan's already secure voting laws. The initiatives are misleading voters with a name that implies protection. But if Deepo passed in Michigan, it would hurt election integrity by stopping thousands of eligible Michigan citizens from having their voices heard at the ballot box. When Kansas and Arizona implemented similar policies, they blocked tens of thousands of eligible American citizens of all parties from registering and voting. Recent studies show that around 10% of voting eligible Americans do not have the documents to prove citizenship. If people cannot vote unless they show hard to get expensive documents in order to register, it makes it harder for citizens to vote. Federal law and the law of every state prohibit noncitizens from registering to vote or voting in elections. Experts believe that the severity of the penalties for violating these laws serves as a significant deterrent, not to mention the added cost to state election officials with no funding supporting it. On behalf of the League of Women Voters, I urge you to vote yes on the Ross Common County resolution that I submitted to oppose the ballot proposals or legislative efforts to create unnecessary b barriers to democracy and to voter registration and participation. Thank you for your work on behalf of the Ross Common County. And I have included supporting materials when I submitted it. So I hope you had the opportunity to

read them. Particularly the demost single page where it identifies the cost and the time to obtain the documents necessary. Thank you. Are there any questions? Any questions, comments? Yes. How would somebody to see me. You could at this particular point in time, you can go to the website lwvgta.org. We were a county unit part of the Grand Travers area. We are in transition. We are now the North Central Michigan, but our administrative work hasn't caught up yet. We will be having a website where you can join. we will be having social media presence and in many cases if you read the avalanche or the potent resorter we um have been submitting letters to the editors. So we're around and we will be more visible and yes you're all welcome to join us. We would appreciate it

madam chair. Yes. Do you have an office or something in Michigan? No, we're all volunteers and our finances are usually generated by fundraisers or um membership dues and we don't use that money for overhead. We use it for the work that we do. Well, everything's done through your website then, website, through our homes. Just keep that computer going. Hope for no electrical outages. My my mother was a my mother was a member of the the League of Women Voters back in the 60s and my grandmother was in the women's tempers movement back in the 20s. Oh, good. So, you know,

grandfather was the the secretary. Join us. We could use We do have men in our league. Thank you. Yes. A couple other I'm sorry. Oh, that's just some clarity questions. You answered one of them is how do you get funded? So membership dues about what's the average what's a membership cost somebody? It the membership dues is recommended $75 but it goes to national, state and local and we get about of that probably a third. Okay. And fundraising would be our other source of income.

Okay. So if somebody doesn't have the money just like they may not have money to go get a document. So they're they can't really join you or can they join you for free because they don't have the money? No, you can. $20 is the minimum. The minimum of 20. Okay. 75 is recommended and of course they always say you can pay whatever you want more than that but 20 is the minimum.

All right. You had mentioned that the ID is already a law. Illegal citizens can't already a law. But yet this act that you're opposing is keeping people from voting. But if it's already a law, it's already illegal, but yet you don't want to show ID, how I don't I don't see how that works. Well, you're already saying that people can't vote because of this new law that they want to pass and you're inhibiting people. But yet, if it's already a law and they're already, if they're illegal, they can't, you're prohibiting them from voting anyway. Is that true?

No. The law would it would require um that you provide documentation that you're a citizen and this particular one requires that all citizens re-register and you'd have to show it. Now, I'll be honest with you. When I um tried to get an enhanced license when I lived down state, I had a certificate of live birth, which is not a birth certificate. So, I had to go through the process, pay the money, and I did it before we moved up here. I thought, well, let's just take care of it. My husband didn't do that. He had he did it recently. cost him $57 to have his certificate of live birth be a birth certificate and four months waiting for it and we've been voting for 50 years.

Did you show any ID when you voted at that point? My driver's license. Okay. So, driver's license works? Yes. No, not under this driver's license. I'm just saying today. I'm just clarifying you were able to vote. Gotcha. All right. I'm good. what you need.

So my last question really is around, you know, one I I applaud the fact that you have always been nonpartisan. You hold your, you know, when candidates are coming their forums, you don't do it if you don't have equal representation from all sides. Kudos to that because I think that's very important as people are trying to make their decision. So thank you for that. Um I think the no funding to support anything is nothing new. They have things that they have to do today with no funding. It's just the way our state and federal government work. So I don't think that that to me in my brain is oh the ultimate there's no funding. There's no funding for half of what we're supposed to do today. So until we can have our legislators change that, then that's probably not it. But I think this helps gives me a little bit better idea about how you get your dues and how money is very important for people that you don't want to hold them back from doing stuff because they have to go get the documentation. Oh, thank you.

Hey, thank you. Thank you all. We appreciate it. And join us. lwvgta.org says join. E911 Central Dispatch Operations Mill. Jessica Gilbert, director of E911.

Good morning.

Good morning. Jessica Gilbert, director, central dispatch. I'm here this morning in hopes to earn your support in the um sorry the 911 operations mill at hopefully will go on the August ballot to ensure the continued safety of our residents. Thus common county central dispatch is requesting millillage restoration on the August ballot. This initiative would restore our operating millillage to its original 1 mill correcting for the headley roll back. Our department serves as the critical connection between citizens and emergency services. In 2025 alone, we managed over 38,000 total calls. With the recent emergency responses across the county, they have highlighted just how indispensable these dispatch services are to our community's well-being. With the everchanging technology and the requirements of a dispatch center, I think it's very important that we go for the restoration of our millillage back to the 1 mill. Any questions or comments? Jessica,

have we already approved this to go on the ballot or we got to do that yet? We had we'd have to do that yet, but that's what she's basically asking us. And is the next meeting the timeline of Mhm. It's already been approved by the authority board Monday. So, it's passed through the authority board. I would recommend we move forward with this to improvement at the next meeting. Okay. I'll support that. See you in two weeks. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. lake level control structure funds our administrator controller.

Let's start with the simple one. You want me to go to the simple? Are any of them? You want me to start with St. Helen then? Yes. Okay. So,

um I just went through and did a little bit of finalization for you because we're we're coming to what I'm going to call the end of the buckets. um for the initial SAD assessments um that were put forward. And in order to make sure that you guys um are are able to create that strategic plan in those areas, you need to know what you're looking at. Um how much you have left to to process. Um and I'd prefer to have you know it now before I email you and say, "I'm sorry, we're out of money. You can't do that." So, um, then you have to take money from the general fund. So, in that being said, what I would like to do is we'll start with Lake St. Helen. Um, our chairperson said lakes, let's start with the easy one. Um, Lake St. Helen by far has been um, our smallest, but it has also been the most can't think of the best way to say this. They have been the least contentious. Um, I I think the the most contention has come from our DOT club members, but I do believe that they feel well heard and wellversed. They just um like many people don't want to see an increase in a lake level or or things done naturally, but very supportive in Lake St. Helen of the projects. Um, so we started off with a uh total assessment of $350,000 that was put forth. Um, we of course have compounding interest on all of the collections as they've come through. So we have a total collected plus interest of 3241902. Um the total bond that we received which was the portion of the assessment that was not put off onto taxes was 151,000. Um we have DNR payments still due of 64327. Couple other facts for you. The county did allocate their 30,000 forward to the

Lake St. Helen SAD. The tax payment fund loan initially to start the processes was 70,000. Um and then we have acred interest on these funds of 9,59810 that are applied and kept within the same SAD fund. And that's that's true for each of these individual funds. The money that's there, the interest recruits and goes directly back to the fund. It's not like it's swept into the general fund or the sheriff's road patrol fund or something of that nature. Um we do we have made one bond payment um to date and when you forward through the Huntington National Bank is who holds the bond for us currently. So that payment of 87095 is on there. We still do owe 88605 and that will come due this year. Um so when you take out the total amount that we have um the total revenues to date that have been collected are 580 37385. Of course your expenses to date and this is the continuation of from the beginning of the creation of fund 841 back in 2023 to now. Um this is just the general layout of your expenses to date. So our total accounts payable expenses to date have been 28646284. Um of course that includes everything from the bond attorneys from Fehee Schultz's pay payments that have been made out of this fund um payments for Spicer Groups for um all of the the different we have three different um three different engineering firms that have have things that have been in there. um USGS 15,000 is for a three-year monitoring contract that has been um and it even includes just like the postage from the mailings that we did for the special assessments. We did reimburse the tax payment fund um as the board set into motion when you

made that initial decision. Um so that has been reimbursed for 70,000. Obviously, we have a total expenses to date of 36787504, which leaves you with total funds available once you subtract out that bond. We still have to pay 13163876 is what's still available to spend um in the link St. Helen SAD fund. Madam Chair, yes. Inexpensive. You have listed the state of Michigan 5656.

That is Yep. That was the initial so the state of Michigan the 5656 was actually the 2023 monitoring that we still did before we went to hi-fi um for two years and now we have the 15,000 which actually will carry us through to that that's a bill that came through a couple months ago that was confusing.

Yes. Yep. Um one of the things that I will have you note as I also passed out a separate sheet of paper and I apologize because I just got this breakdown this morning. um our total cost today on Lake St. Helen for the lake level um legal because that's always what everybody wants to know and likes to talk about. Um so the total costs for that are 65 94884. What is important to note is not all of the legal bills have been paid through the special assessment district fund. Many of these on on all three were paid through the general fund for the set setups. So that's something that through the last year or so we've heard people say that there's been no money put into creating the SADs and it's all on the backs of the people. Um what I would say is those those differences between what you've seen paid to Fehees Schultz that's where that came from. Those are those are general fund expenses that have been taken on throughout the course of the last three or four years in regards to setting that up. So now let's move on to

I'm sorry. Oh, go ahead. Great question. So if I understood that correctly that's that's an important point because we have heard that. So this amount 65948 yes legal expenses but not all of that was done through general fund or sad. There was a breakdown of that.

Yep. So we have I mean obviously as you're looking um you can find the fee Schultz Burich Rose was 3118809 that has been expended to date from the SAD itself. um in versus what was taken out prior to the setup. One thing that I will I will add is um your legal fees that you see will include not only from the start of creation of creating the special assessment district, the whole kabubble of the processes. Um you will also see that it includes any of the work that has been done as you've moved forward um with trying to navigate looking at what do you do in regards to St. Helen? Can we have one lake level? Um those types of things are as well are included in there. So it is a totality from the beginning. Um

but of the 65 Yep. only 31 something went back to the people. We pay for the rest out of general fund. Correct. Okay, got it.

Um, the other thing to note that's important for Lake St. Helen is Lake St. Helen, of course, they have a very, very smaller amount of parcels, so it was a little less work in setting that up, but they also are have no lawsuits. So, there's not a breakdown on your sheet for a lawsuit because there are no legal matters that extend past the creation of that. um the hi-fi level expenses and know this is year-to- date but that if I'm not mistaken if we're not using those will eventually not be a part of ongoing expenses if we're using USGS. Is that correct? Correct. We we do we do not have hi-fi any longer. So if they send us a bill then I'm going to send it back and have Commissioner Wolson call them.

And Chase did pack up all this stuff and send it back. Yep. Send them packing. Yep. Wonderful. That's all. We heard comment earlier about the hi-fi reading on East Bay was I don't know if the monitor was even there. Enough said.

So, I am now going to move on to Higgins Lake um because that's kind of our medium special assessment district. So, on Higgins Lake, we have a total special assessment collection that was $400,000. Um, this was a one-year collection. So, um, of all of that, um, we have a total collected of 30412833. Important to note that there is no interest. There was no interest charged on Higgins Lake. Um, there's no bond to pay off. So, the interest charge and it didn't acrue over several years. It was only a one-year assessment. Um, the difference between the two is 9587167. So, the question is, where is the 9587167? Well, that rests with the DNR. Um, so we are working to get our money from the DNR from that. That is something we um that myself and our chairperson have been have been working forward on moving forward. Their outstanding payment to us is 90,53240. So that is important to notice. Um, we also have the Crawford County payments, the Beaver Creek Township at large payment and then the Camp Cornelia Beaver Creek. um that still need to be paid as well. And then we have had several corrections and adjustments um as this came out. And corrections and adjustments being people have that have come forward and had those uh parcels that were joined that should have only received one assessment um that have been adjusted. Um so we have a total outstanding of the 9587167 that we will work to collect. You have the county allocation that was put in as revenue for 30,000. the tax payment fund loan of 54,000. So the total other revenue um 84,000. So that makes your total revenues to date 38812833. Expenses are broken down on the right hand side of your sheet. Um you'll see the same trend. Um and obviously you've

got um somebody will always ask me what was the Ross common area public schools at $639. That's that was rental to use such a have to use to rent a large auditorium and to utilize their um sound personnel as well to manage that for us. Um we've got basic charges like Gilroy 7875. That's little things like just paint or a lock um that come through. You'll see those. You also have another state of Michigan 5656 um USGA USGS gauging putting back into place for that as well. Um, we do have your fee Schultz, Barrett Roads, and we might as well throw this one out. Um, so the total amount so far charged to the SAD fund, $158, $20.19. Total spent, um, I'll break it down the best I can for you. So, we do have just the Higgins Lake level was 1861490. And that actually includes both the um court of appeals and supreme courts for the appeals on the actual creation of the district itself. So that's not that's not broken down um by a specific category when they do the billings to us. Then we have the Higgins Lake Garish Township appeal which to date there is 5,51858 in expenses for. We have the Higgins Lake Denver lawsuit. Um to date that is 2531824. And then the Higgins Lake uh assessment appeal which is different than the actual appeal of creation of a district that is appealing the actual assessments 19,41378. So those are those portions in there for you as well. Um we did reimburse the tax payment fund the $54,000. So that money has been placed back where it started to. Um and on St. Helen as well on the backside there was a lake manager's payroll expenses to date um but that is in there as well so the

breakdown of that um again this covers that whole almost three-year period now so we have total expenses to date on the Higgins Lake SAD 378 for 0667 out of that fund um this is the one that I was most quickly wanted to call to your attention the current total funds that we have available is $9,72166 6. Um, so as you're moving forward, um, that's it. That's all. Unless there is, um, some collections that come from the DNR rather quickly or we are able to, um, ascertain additional funds from another source. So that would be Higgins Lake. Madam Chair,

yes. How current are these expenses? Um, they are as of yesterday. Thank you. pretty current.

So then the largest of our special assessment districts um is obviously the Holton Lake special assessment district um parcel wise just humongous for us because of the space and the size of H Hotton Lake and the population around it. Um the total assessment that was approved by the board was $1,275,000. Um we have collected plus interest 8614107 and the total bond that we ascertained was5 $552,000. Um the only outstanding payment that we have is from the DNR which is $8,7125. other revenues that have been placed in there. We did have the county allocated of $30,000, the tax payment fund loan for $190,000. Interest to date, $27,1182. Um, bringing your total other revenue that's been that's been put into this fund, $247,1182. We do have a bond payment that will be outstanding of 38942220. um that will be taken into consideration, but the total revenues is 1,651,71064. Obviously, um not only is Holton Lake our largest, they were the first and I think just like any first child, sometimes you spend more than you do um as you so there was a lot of learning processes um as we've gone through. Um your total Fahhe Schultz bill was 1968 that is what was has been expended from fund 840 the Holton Lake SAD. Um we do have a total for Holton Lake of 286

62214 and that um does include the appeal on the assessment itself or not in the assessment the appeal on the district itself is included in there as well and was not broken off separately. Um so you'll see that difference again between what has been expended from an SAD versus what has not been expended from the actual SAD monies. So, um, same thing as you go through, you'll see that there's the $15,000 USGS. That is a, um, three-year contract that we paid up front. That's directly to USGS. Um, just as a reminder and so the audience knows, we've cut the state of Michigan out of that process now and we're contracting directly through USGS. Um, so that we have a direct relationship with them versus trying to navigate through the state system as well. Um, so there is that three-year agreement on that, too. Um we also have payments that have gone for mapping splits combinations um that will through uh to date for prime and new and obviously a majority of this is for the engineering process to to decide what does that look like for for building a new structure um 23260723. We did reimburse the 190,000 to the tax payment fund. Um, and then we have total payroll expenses that include both Lake Lakes's manager payroll and then the treasurer's office administration payroll for for administering collections for the role. Um, total payroll expenses to date of 17,38377. Um, we have expended slightly over a million dollars on Hotton Lake 1,33,40.90. Your total funds available once you subtract what we owe to the bond from the total cash. 229,24754.

Madam chair. Yes. Is that in your report? That's everything, sir. Okay.

I think in light of this, it brings to our attention We as a board are the delegated authority and all expenses must be approved prior to being spent by the delegated authority in the future and that way we can keep an eye on things. So I know for um Holton Lake because H Hotton Lake is in the design phase, we we need to figure out out of that estimate that Pine New Huff gave us how much they have left for their billing portion, their ability to bill too. And then same with Spicer's group because each of them had through the Divi design phase, but they submit bills as they work,

right? So they're going to those were estimates. Yes. Is that correct? Yeah. So we need to kind of figure out where they're at. Yeah. On each of those two. Yeah. I know. um have a meeting tomorrow night for what the people want to see on the design and spicer is waiting for that report before they get too carried away in their design. Yep. So probably they can upgrade their estimate last I knew. Nothing shocking coming from that one. But you know after the meeting I'll contact them and

and I don't think there's anything on H Hotton Lake either. They're on SK schedule and task, but it would be nice to know where where they still think that they are knowing what we have left

in each of those funds. And it is a good point. It's, you know, we had committed the 30,000, but yet on top of that, you know, legal fees, it looks like roughly, these are rough estimates, but out of our general fund for Lake St. Helen, a little over 31,000. Higgins almost 73,000 and Holton Lake over 90,000 all came from our general fund on each of those as well. Oh yeah. So when someone says everybody in the county should pay, everybody is does pay. Madam Chair, I

Yeah, controller. This is great. I mean, this really helps me wrap my arms around what's been spent, where did it go, which is our, you're right, we're delegated authority. It's our due diligence to make that um kind of like we were talking about with economic development and all those what's left. I think that would be important knowing what funds we have available. What's going to trickle in that we're going to have to pay regardless of a decision now where we're at so that any future decisions we go how you going to pay for it?

I think adding to this, do you know what I mean? Like keep this and then we'll maybe just add to it once we know we're still going to have to pay for this. It's coming in. It's just a little late. Committed now. Where's our number of available funds? So, as we discuss the futures of each of those lakes, we know that's we don't have the money in the funds or we do to make that decision. I think that would be important. Absolutely. Yes. Would it be too much to ask of our administrator to give us a monthly update on this? No, I can keep I can keep this and I'll just update it as I go along. Thank you.

You're welcome. because it looks like on the Higgins Lake we're going to run out of money real quick here. Well, and you will I mean just to keep in mind having been stuck doing that for a little while um you will see especially on Higgins Lake I think that you will see your lakes manager has to respond more quickly um as the months come down to closing opening closing opening. Um so that's going to be just an expense of having your lakes manager perform the job you've asked them to do as well. So, keeping that on all three legs um as it moves forward. So, yeah, this spring he's been kind of busy on. Yes.

Thank you, Joey. This is very very helpful with your consideration. It's been a while since the board is has gone to the lake level control structures. Would it be something in the future that we should consider looking at maybe going as a board going to the lake level control structures as a group? Um possibly, but I think on some of I think we need to wait a little bit as far as one weather, two um

talking today. I think once we have more to show as far as designing and things like that that it might be a little bit beneficial to explain and then on Higgins Lake, although we're not in a design phase, some things have been done and those things can be pointed out and then we can point out why we think certain things may or may not work. The lake manager can on that. Sounds good, Madam Chair. Yes. Once once we have a design like on Hotton Lake, then it may be helpful to have it on site and so we can put it in context, right? So people can understand.

Do want to be cautioned about the added expense of having the engineer show up. I'm talking I'm talking like August or September. I'm not talking like but it may give us a visual.

Yep. I think it's important for the public and for the commissioners to get out there and do visual August or September whenever would be convenient for the board, for the public and for Brian Newoff and other folks. Okay, any other questions or comments? Okay, with no further questions or comments, this meeting is adjourned and our next one starts at 11 o'clock. Yeah.

Stand for the pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Roll call, please. Russo Mley here. Wolson here. Milbour here. Sensor here. Approval of the agenda. Madam chair.

Any discussion? Roll call. Moley. Yes. Spencer. Yes. Woopson. Yes. No. Yes. Motion carried. Public comment on agenda items only. Is there any public comment for agenda items? Holton Lake delegated authority update. That's us, but come on up because lake manager update's going to be after or before

uh H Hotton Lake. We are currently about 14 inches over our summer legal lake level and uh seems to keep going up. Everything's been out since January. More really we can we can do. So guys have any questions? Any questions for Chase on that? Yes, we opened all the gates in January, correct?

Correct. Yeah, middle of January and the 15th and the 20th January. But don't quote me on those dates. What was the lake level at that point? Um, want to say we were three in below. Okay. Summer lake. Close to winter level now. Yeah. So, it's come up 17 inches since then. What's up?

Any other questions? That um I do want to mention that we have reached out to our state representative, Mr. Borton and have forward a bunch of his information that Chase has given me to just kind of ask for some help in compliance and working together with Eagle and the DNR on Oton Lake. We have the flats project that the DNR is coming up on and I think that's important that we be working with one another on that. And then again with Reedsburg, we need to be able to work together.

Madam Chair, was he it sounded like that he was interested in helping us try to figure out how to balance that. Yes. All parties trying to be responsible of that court order level. Yep.

Yeah. The big the big concern is, you know, when I don't think the gates have opened that long in the spring ever before and I don't think it's come up this high that 20, 30 years, if if ever. I think this is only a few inches below the absolute max it's ever been and we've had everything open beginning of the year. So there's we got to start looking at other avenues so that homes aren't being damaged, people aren't being flooded to to take care of this lake level.

Question about that as well. So it sounds like at this point if we're still on Holton Lake, we've done everything. There's no way to keep that from being any different at this point with mother nature. Correct. But as we look at other options, that would be what we're looking at from a structure perspective down the road. Yeah. Yeah. So the other option would be coordination with the DNR on management down river. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes.

We have a representative of the DNR here and I see um an unfinished businesses Reedberg Dam operation. Could I suggest we allow him to speak now in case he has to go somewhere yet today? Yeah. All good. Okay. Yeah. If if he if he has to be someplace else then and he wants to do it now. I don't have a up now if you wish to talk. Dave all day. You want to say that? Okay.

We're on H Hotton Lake. So, yeah. Why don't you come on up and talk about Reedsburg, please?

She's You have two chairs.

Yeah, I need uh I need support. Um so, uh good morning, commissioners. Uh my name is Dave Lamine. I'm with the wildlife division um from the department of natural resources. I'm the regional manager for the northern Michigan region which consists of all the northern lower peninsula basically from the knuckles up and I also cover the entire upper peninsula as well. Um and so I I know high water's been an issue everywhere in the lower peninsula seems to be as well in the upper peninsula. Um, so we're dealing with with uh our high water levels at all of our department dams across the state. Um, and so I know Reedsburg is no different. Um, um, drain commissioner Chase has reached out to my staff over the last uh couple weeks um to to talk about high water issues. Um, I started pulling together information so I could uh provide accurate information and I stumbled upon your March 25th commissioner's meeting recording on YouTube which which I watched um and and then looking at your county web page saw that this meeting was scheduled. So, we thought this was a good opportunity to come and talk to to you folks, be in front of you to provide updated information, accurate information and and possible uh partnerships and solutions, you know, moving forward. Um, so Reedsburg itself, um, you know, that dam was constructed in 1940. Um, I think there was, uh, perception issues back then and on and when it was finalized in construction. um that it was impacting lake levels at at H Hotton Lake. Um the department um

did a study, hydraulic study in 1954 um to to look at that and at that time they they put in 12 gauges from the the dam all the way up to and into H Hotton Lake. Um over a three-day period, they removed all stop logs at Reedsburg, dropped the water level two and a half feet at Reedsburg. At the same time, the water control structure at H Hotton Lake, those gates were fully open. Um and then over a 108 hour period, they they took water level recordings at each one of those gauges every half hour. And so that was over 108 hours in total. Um and then they continued at a select like four gauges for another three months or so. So it it was determined through that study that um when we dropped water levels at Reedsburg by 2 and 1/2 ft um H Hotton Lake water levels actually rose. Um so the conclusion of that study was that Reedsburg Dam um does not have a direct impact um on on the ability of the water control structure at H Hotton Lake to to discharge water and to to lower lake levels of Holton Lake itself. Um they that study also identified a couple pinch points of the river channel upstream from our empoundment below stream from your water control structure that felt um the engineers felt that the there was just the rivered was too shallow. Um and it was a restriction and and that was causing um the inability for the water control structure of H Hotton Lake to discharge enough water to to lower H Hotton Lake water levels

efficiently. Um there was another study done that that was commissioned by Ross common county um in 2010 you know by Spicer Group um which that was to look at hydraulic capacity at water control structure your water control structure um but they did uh identify restrictions of of the river channel. They cited a 1969 study um which I have not been able to locate. U maybe the county still has that in in your archives to to look at but um but they Spicer Group's conclusion as well as the hydraulic capacity of your water control structure was uh was adequate. However, the restriction below stream of the river channel itself was was restricting the capability to to be able to reduce water levels of Holton Lake efficiently. Um, so just want to bring those two studies to to your attention. Um, I did email those two studies uh to three of you yesterday. One of them got kicked back to me and and I also sent it a copy to drain commissioner on that email as well. Um, so hopefully two of you received that and you can share those two studies amongst yourselves. Um, so going back to Reeseburg Dam, we did pull three stop logs on March 20th. Um, so just a over two weeks ago. Um, so three stop logs in each of the individual bays. Those stop logs are they're six by 6 by sixes. Um, so that's you. So we increased the water discharge capabilities by by another 18 in. at

Reedsburg on March 20th. Um and so we've been w um been monitoring the water levels there at Reedsburg. Um at that time on March 20th, our water sensor had a reading of 1136.5. Um which is right the right at the very top of what we call our concrete peers. Um, and so I I know you folks uh believe that the hi-fi water sensors aren't aren't reliable. Um, we feel I guess that that ours is because you know the top of the peers that's been surveyed in. So we know the elevation is 1136.5. Um and so we have a very good visual at the dam itself to to kind of gauge what the reading what the sensors reading versus what what um the water level actually is. So we've been able to compare observations with with the sensor reading and so we feel sensor that we have anyways is is giving us accurate information. But so after March 20th at um I should state that like I said our water level was 1136.5 at that time. H Hotton Lake you know your water sensor was reading 1138.11. So that's uh 1.7 ft of difference. You know Hotton Lake being above the water level at Reeseburg Dam by 1.7 feet. Um since we removed those stop logs um you know with all the rain events that took place um you know the the snow rain ice you freezing rain event on March 16th followed by additional rain rain events

um you know water levels at Reedsburg even though we removed three stop logs from each individual bay you know has you know did rise um we topped out at one 137 even um on on April 6 and it's been you know yesterday was again at 1137 and this morning um it was just a smidge below 1137. So we believe the water is level is crested at the dam and is beginning to to recede. Um but at the same time yesterday's reading at the water control that the Holden lake was 1138.72. Um so again that's that's you know you a little bit higher you know one point still 1.7 ft in in elevation difference. Um, so we are, you know, I I believe we took action appropriately. Um, you know, before really before water levels at Reeseburg Dam started rising, um, staff knew with all with with with the conditions, weather conditions, uh, snow melt conditions that that water level would would begin to rise. Um, and so our staff did take action by by removing stop logs at at Reedsburg Dam. and and we have continued to monitor the situation there. I know after we did remove stop logs, there was substantial flooding below our dam that that was uh was probably a result. Um I mean the waters the waters that was going to eventually flood down there anyways with these spring conditions that that we're experiencing. Um but it did probably removing those stop logs did contri contribute to uh flooding conditions below the dam as well. So we're we're

trying to walk a tight line um you know trying to work with H Hotton Lake Ross Common County um to do what good partners do um you know but we do have partners and and private land owners you know below the dam. Um so so it's kind of a tight line that that we are walking right there. So with that said, you know, moving forward, you know, we do the department does have aou in place, a memorandum of understanding with USGS that was entered in 1955. It was uh re-uped or renewed in 1985 and the department continues to operate under thatou regarding water levels at Reedsburg Dam. And thatou is with the department and USGS and thatou calls for the empowerment level to to be at 11 um 36.7. Um, yeah, there's different times of year where we're we're allowed to manipulate water at Reeseburg Dam to to help with spawning conditions of fish. Um, as well as spring uh breeding, bird breeding season, waterfall breeding season. Um and then you know also reaching in going into the fall months you know kind of bringing water level down so that you know one we don't have an ice issue at Reeseburg Dam um because ice ice dams could be even worse than um than than a regular dam. Um so so it does call for water manipulation levels um throughout the course course of the year but but thatou um does you know kind of uh have us uh in in a little bit

of a corner on on how far we can actually you are allowed to drop water levels at Reedsburg Dam. Um so moving forward that's one thing that wildlife division myself is going to look at um you know revisit with USGS on that see if there's anything um see if we can redo it um so it give us a little bit more flexibility um there at the dam. Um, also I would um like to continue conversations with your drain commissioner on and how we manage water levels in the fall, you know, heading into winter. Um, if we can if if we can get below that current to which, you know, may help, you know, you folks or the residents of of H Hotton Lake. Um I think that um would be a a good option as well to explore. And then lastly, you know, because we have two different engineering studies that reference the river channel itself as the restricting um entity in in this situation. Um I'd like to explore or throw off the idea with you um commissioners that we enter into a joint study um where we have the river channel engineered um to see exactly what the depths of the river is you know from you know right now I'm thinking big picture from your water control structure all the way down to to our empoundment um you know so look at depth of the river channel as well as width. Um, and see if they're, you know, if those pinch points or restrictions are still in place like the 1955 study referenced in and the the 2010 study.

So, um, so maybe there's something that can be done um, if if those areas are are identified, you know, as far as, you know, dredging. Um, I mean there's a lot will go into trying to pull that type of project off, you know, but I think I think it is in our best interest to explore at the very least, questions, comments, madam chair.

Yeah. Um, you have times of the year when the water level is important to you, spawning and and nesting. We have times of the year where it's important to us winter draw down. Does our winter draw down coincide with something that's not critical to you? Well, it it I guess short answer is is is is no because winter water levels are important to us, you know, because we have you know our all the frogs and turtles, herps and you know that are now you know burying themselves down in in the mud for basic you know hibernation over winter. So if they they start their hibernation process then the water level is drawn down below them you know then you know that's going to

affect them. Yes. But it's um but I believe there's probably some room though that that that we can explore um and continue that type of conversation with with the you commissioners and train commissioner. Thank you. Any other questions? Yes. Excellent overview. Thank you. Excellent. Very good report. Yeah. Yeah. Madam Chair. Yes,

it is. Thank you. because I think I'm the newest one on this group, but this issue has been going on for decades and I appreciate you guys coming and trying to come up with a happy medium. We have, as you know, a court order level that we are bound to which may not coincide with what you're bound to in yourou. So, I think um thank you for being willing. My my question is really about timing. That takes us getting together with you guys, our drain commissioner, understanding the facts. Where are we at? In your mind, how quickly could we come to some resolution on what we can do for both of us to meet our needs?

Yeah. Um, you know, as far as as uh exploring options on drawing down dam levels, you know, heading into into the fall. Um, you know, that type of of options I I think we could, you know, get through within a few months. Um, you know, we do need to explore ourou that is in place with USGS because that that's going to um kind of affect how much flexibility that that the department has. That makes I mean I understand that for sure. Yep.

Okay. Um so that that'd be shortterm. The long term is is possibility of of of a joint study. Um obviously that's going to take funding. um our our in-house um hydraulic engineer, you know, threw kind of a quick estimate at me what he thought, you know, might uh get that study completed and and which was off top of his head, so it has to get you bid out and whatnot, but he's he you had an estimate of $100,000,

um which um I think we're all strapped for for funding. Um, so you we it would take us some time to so if it was a, you know, true joint study 5050, you know, it would take us some time to to uh establish or identify and and you know, $50,000 for for that particular study. Okay. I think it's less of the money. I mean, don't let me rephrase that because I know somebody say that money.

But I think for us, or at least I can speak for myself, it is really about the partnership and getting it done. I don't believe we can drag this out for another quarter because we're getting the lawsuits every single time we turn around and we're not in a position to continue to do that. That's not fair to the county and the people who are having to pay for that. So, I'm I'm excited that you're sitting here because I think that this is a part of our solution. We have got to come together to say what is the optimal thing for both. And if we could get a commitment to say, okay, we're willing, you're willing, what is it going to take? Let's get a schedule together and a timeline to do it. Maybe we don't need more studies. I don't know. I'm not the engineer and I don't live by a study. I live by the fact that we've been doing this forever. There's a study that everybody I mean I don't know the pile that we've got. It's just massive. So my request would be could we do that? Are is that something you think from a time and an energy perspective that you guys would be willing to like let's jump in. Let's get a meeting. Let's get things going. Figure out the options.

Yeah, absolutely. That would be very very kind. I would I would personally really appreciate that because I think that goes along with our strategic planning conversations and trying to get some decisions made quickly. Sure. And this was really helpful. Very good. I think it's important we have a line of communications open. I agree. Constantly and you know that way we we know where each side is on an issue. Um, and that's how we come to resolutions on how to maybe help things. So, I think the most important thing is the lane of communication.

Well, I believe we have a kind of a channel of that already set up. I mean, the two of you are our lake committee as the board. We've got a lake level manager and a drain commissioner and you guys if that meeting gets set up and you collectively I think the piece where we miss is it sidebar conversations. Nobody really that message doesn't come out correctly every time. No fault. It's just the way communication goes. So open line of communication. Use the process we already have in place. Get some meetings on the schedule and then share that back with us on a regular basis. I I'm pleased that we can if if we can start that. Y thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Right. And then Brandy does have some information on the Hotton Lakes project or Hotton Lake Plats front. Okay. Yep.

So my name is Brandy Davis Burgger. Um I am a regional wetland infrastructure biologist in this position. Um my current role focuses on looking at wildlife divisions owned um wetland infrastructure at our floodings particularly um open projects um like the Holden link flats. So I just kind of wanted to give a little bit of an update. This project has been going on um since 2018. So what we've kind of done um in the in some of these projects we've kind of started with the study aspect of things and then proposed options. What can we do? What can we afford, right? So sometimes it takes a long time to get to that funding where we're able to get to a project. So we were fortunate that we created this um scope of work. We had a study done. Wade Trim um was the engineering firm that was hired to do that study um initial study and that was looking at our infrastructure. So our pump station, this is the south unit of the flats. So the pump station, the dyke system there and the sump ditches. They also evaluated our infrastructure on the north end as just like a complete phase one study. um looking at the amount of deficiencies and and other things um and looking at the cost estimates of making repairs to the entire project. It wasn't feasible to to do that. Um we continued um year after year adding money to this particular project hoping one day we'd be able to complete some of it. So we sort of landed on the south unit because it does have the pump station. It does have some needed infrastructure updates. So, we were able to bid that um project out and award a contract um for construction um to Greenscape General Contracting. So, they hold the the um general construction contracting agreement. Um we do this through a process um where I would be the project

manager. We also have Wade Trim as the project manager from the engineering side. And then we have a um another department um of DTMB te um department of technology management and budget that sort of oversee contractual language making sure that you know all of that is considered. So we also have partnership with Eagle um you know with our permitting side of things too. So, just kind of giving an update since it did take so long from the start of the initial project 2018 until now to fund the project, there's been maybe not as much communication because we we weren't doing anything and it was kind of just in limbo. So, taking this opportunity again to say, you know, this is what's happening and we want to maintain that open communication. I'm new in this position. So, I was like, "Wow, we need to re-engage and make sure that we're, you know, making all of those marks." So, for permitting, we had just had a progress meeting again, looking like we're going to start construction soon. So, with mother nature and all the weather and that sort of thing, it's kind of delayed some of that. Um, we're hoping, um, all of our permit and code inspections have been done. So, um, we have our soil erosion sedimentation control permits in place. We do have an eagle permit in place. We did have to get an extension on the on the ego permit. It was um originally issued in 2023. It expired in 2025. I filed for an extension last year when I first came on. So, we do have that extension that goes until 2027. Um we also have other permits um in house. Our state um and tribal historic preservation office does a section um 106 review under that National Historic Preservation Act. And that's just to protect natural resources and make or cultural resources and make sure that that none of that is affected um with this project. And we did receive a no

historic properties are affected response um in 2023 when we initiated you know the type of scope of work that we wanted to concentrate on the on the south unit. So all of our um permitting is placed. We also talked to um Roscom County Road Commission um to provide us some input on on road work and how we're going to manage that type of situation. So, we do have a plan in writing that was approved um by the road commission for how to per you know pursue that type of um con, you know, construction equipment on the side of the road. So, um that is on file, too. And all of those permits will be placed in the construction trailer on site which is in that parking area. So all of that will be visible. Um we'd also like to provide some other signage saying you know this is the you know our construction and what we expect to achieve out of this. maybe a little, you know, we do have safety, we also have a safety plan, but just to kind of make sure that we're indicating to the public, you know, the progress on our, you know, they'll probably be able to see most of that, but just kind of give them a timeline of construction. So, um, hopefully, you know, and we'll be able to just, you know, keep regular updates instead of, you know, waiting until we're about ready to to start that construction. But um as you well know, funding sometimes comes at very inopportune times and it's like, okay, we need to just move forward and I apologize for any confusion that that might have caused that you know whether or not we were moving along. So

Madam Chair, yes, the Eagle permit you said you had a renewal. Was that a permit for pumping? It's not going to de really dewater. They're going to set up a coffer dam which just surrounds that location where the pump station is going to be and most of the um the embankments will be able to happen without dewatering. So the main um like section where the pump station sits they'll have to create a dam like around it pump the water back into the empowerment so it will not affect any dewatering um significant dewatering. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. That was my question. Okay, thank you so much. Thank you.

Coming. Yes.

Thank you so much. You got one. Okay. Lake St. Helen. Get one from her. No. All right.

All right. Uh, Lake St. Helen, we are currently 7 and a half to eight inches over, but it's coming down pretty quickly now. The rain stops. St. Helen goes up and down pretty quick. Um, we have a meeting tonight, right, Rex? I don't know what you guys calling them now. Yeah, I give everybody a copy of the posting that was done for the meeting, the agenda for the meeting, and also I think I already gave you one, but I gave you another list of who the people are on the advisory committee. Um, the meeting's at 6:00 tonight.

I guess I'm going to be taking minutes and the meeting. So, and Chase says he's going to volunteer to come, too. Yeah. So, uh, we'll be there for that. Uh, that'll be good. That's mainly to talk about, um, the two gate options we talked with Spicer Group on on that structure. um talk about schedule, but we thought the change from going from a fixed press we structure to similar to what we have now wouldn't Spicer talking to uh sorry Luke um that it wouldn't change our schedule or um leading Gner Eagle permit and bitten that out for construction next year.

Yes. And then on that note, um the things we're going to discuss is do we want public access the gates like Chase is mentioning, lighting on the dam or not. Um, increased capacity, which I think we all agreed on that before with Spicers that, yeah, it be like 25% more increased capacity. Um, we need to talk about do we want to incorporate a canoe or kayak bypass, a fish ladder, and if they have any other suggestions. Um the engineering firm is waiting to hear the answers on these to proceed and I'd like the delegated authorities approval just to have a conversation with them after the meeting.

Yeah, I'm fine with that. Incorporating what they need to incorporate in their design. Okay. I was I was hoping to ask for one more thing. What's that? that maybe we we throw a little money at figuring out who owns that bridge. I don't know if that's known.

So, for for the for you guys aren't familiar with St. Helen, there's a bridge um in front of the dam maybe about 400 ft that restricts flow. So, we can make the dam larger, but you're not going to get any more water through it unless something's done about that bridge. And that's the reason to increase the that's the reason to increase the capacity of the structure. Should something change there, it would give us the ability with increased um capacity to be able to manage the lake better, especially getting rid of high water. Um, we could even kick around the idea of putting a a tool bin under that road for additional capacity through that bridge. Um, but that would come in a later discussion with this board. Um, I think Jod said she knows who owns that road.

So, this is this has come up at some point in time before came up back early 2000s, I think. And I believe that the road commission might know. So, I don't know if you have talked to Roger. I have not. I will. I will email him and copy you on it. Okay, perfect. In the past, but I read through some old things, but it was never said who actually owned it. Apparently, when they redid that d that bridge, they didn't take into consideration restricting the flow. They did. Did you say? They didn't. Okay. But, you know, today's world's different. We we have to take more things into consideration on everything. So,

like Rex said, it would be an easy project to add a few culverts in the embankment and increase give quite a bit of additional flow and and we'll discuss that tonight and see how important it is to these people. I have a hunch the hunt club it's going to be very important to Yeah. um and probably a lot of citizens because when we when I did site visits when we're considering a fixed rear crest, you know, design and I seen people having flooding issues on their property and what Chase and I determined is this time of year the lake level on that lake spikes immediately and then we can't get rid of it fast enough.

Correct. Yeah. Because on St. Helen, we actually I actually went slightly below Winter Lake level. So, we were we were as low and then some and it still we're still 8 inches over. So, it came up and I think Chase did a site visit at the at this bridge and you could see that it was restricting. Yeah. So, the bridge is a big component. Yeah, it really is. It's to to be able to control that lake the way it should be. Yes. I think each of them have a big component to them of some sort.

Well, that's it for St. Helen. Any questions on St. Helen? Okay. Higgins Lake. Higgins Lake. There's also a bridge. Well, not a bridge. Culverts. Culverts.

But yeah, uh Higgins Lake has been open since March. Um, the people who have been asking me when the gates were open, I've been sending them the information. Um, pretty much soon as they ask it, uh, I think we're two and a half inches over summer lake level and there's still ice. So, and I know there's been some, um, ice damage and damage on the north side of the lake um, because of that. And with that, there's a restricting factor with the culverts across was that County Road 100

that restrict how much flow can go through. So essentially, you have three large flop gates. Once you open one and a half, that's about all the river can take because of those culverts. So you have one and a half flop gates that are not even being used. Same issue downstream instead of upstream. Same issue, but it's downstream instead of upstream. So when I open I can open one flap gate and you know the water comes up a little bit. Once you open the second flap gate within 5 minutes the river will be level with the lake

questions. Um I would I would like to I guess we're going to have to decide to do something on Higgins Lake sooner and later. I don't know what that is looking like for you guys or what you're thinking. There any thoughts? Not at this point. I think at some point we're going to have to have another advisory meeting. I would sooner and later. Well, the main reason why we haven't is I want to make sure more of them are back and able to actually attend in person.

Okay. Yep. And so once I know that people are back, I know Steve just got back Yep. the other day. I don't know if Greg is back yet. And so I think we need people back. Yeah. Hopefully early May. Yeah. Yep. Um end of this month, maybe possibly first part of May, maybe present. Maybe what I'll do is I'll send out a meeting or a memo to everybody asking when they're available. Yep. And maybe present options and I can recommend some options that based on the last meeting and what I've gathered some options and start throwing it around.

It's hard to have quality conversation by Zoom. Well, and if and if we're doing the open meetings act, it can't be done by Zoom. So, we're not doing those with Zoom. So, we'll have to have them in person if they want to attend and be a part of it. So, I think it's better to wait until sooner if we can get them back here, but I just don't know when everybody's back.

Yeah. and and um so like Higgins Lake is very large and that's another situation where um the dam doesn't react very well. we could provide more flow that's at that bridge, but we do know that bridge, but that might be worth incorporating something getting rid of those culverts and putting in like a single span bridge would I think for the flow and just getting those rusty culverts out of there.

That good thing to bring and talk to about. Mhm. And we still haven't heard back from Dan yet either on conversations that he was having regarding flows and stuff like that too. Yeah, I I there are some um as far as the flows I I think I have a solution.

Okay. Um, I talked to well Tom sent out the which all the advisory board should got was what if what if graph on what if we only let 14 CFS down pretty much 247 what that looked like. I sent that graph out to the advisory board think about a week ago maybe week and a half ago. I think it was right when all the power went out. whenever that was. Um yeah. Um and then um I think there's some between that and what was talked about with Eagle, I think there's a solution that will work.

Okay. I'd like to present to both you guys and do you know does Higgins Lake have a history of too much water not be able to get rid of it? Yes. So that was why the the two extra flop gates were installed installed when they redid that.

Yeah. So what's what I believe is those cverts were designed for all three bays and the flap gate being opened flow-wise. And the two flop gates were the extra flop gates were installed to allow for more flow, but they never looked at what the culverts down river were designed for. So they add two flop gates that really provide no additional flow because the culverts can't push any more water. Madam chair, yes. I think I was going to save this for some comments, but I think it's so relevant right now anyway because I agree that we need to come up with what those options are.

I mean, I think there's several that could happen to be honest depending on which way people want to go. Yep. from a structure perspective, but there's also if this continues and we can't come up to agreements on how to manage it and keep our court-ordered level, then maybe it needs to go away. I mean, that has been mentioned by many people in this community like if you guys keep this up and there's not a decision and you can't maintain the level, what are you going to do? What are your other what are your other options? So, I don't know if that's something that it sounds like maybe if you're having this meeting with the advisory group that that group creates those with the pros and the cons of each decision

and then presents them back to the board or is that something that we start working through? That would be a question. I don't know. I think when we do the agenda that we can decide, you know, different things that we can put on there, different discussions of what people want to see, discuss pros and cons, and in the agenda, I would like to include right off the bat, you know, week before the meeting happens. This these are the proposals like Yeah. So that people have time, you have time, they have time to digest it, think about it, sleep on it, and then come to the meeting. They're not seeing it for the first time. Yeah.

Do you think it's possible that depending on the timing of this meeting and we think about our strategic plan and when we need decisions made, is there a way to that that can be done by early May so that we have an answer and a decision and we move on? What do you mean an answer move on? Whatever option's picked, you can pick an option. I can pick an option today. I understand that. But you guys are having a meeting with the group.

I think what you're asking is so we're going to have a meeting. Their advisory group is going to basically give some directions and ideas. That's presented back to the board and the board can make a decision sometime by miday of this is where we're headed. That's our decision. Yeah, I mean you guys are deal you could make a decision today if you wanted to. I understand that completely. I have no problem with that if you want to force force it. You don't need to make a decision. But we made this commitment to those people. But what I don't want is this to continue to have this conversation when it's June and July. I don't just

I think I think it would look well I think it would look good to have a direction for when everyone is here over the summer. I would agree because regardless if it's a direction if people want at least people know where it's going instead of everything being up in the air. If you believe that's feasible, I feel really good with that. I think it's feasible. Yeah, I think it's feasible. It's just some hard conversations and decisions and has to be made conversations with their groups and how we I know Higgins wasn't a part of that conversation, but it kind of folds into what we need to do and what we're allowed to do and what not to do. So, Yep. Yeah, I'm good with that.

Okay. Um, unfinished business. I'm sorry, Madam Chair. No, you're good.

Because I did tell Mr. Springstead, who had sent us a message, he wanted some information clarified from some comments that were made at one of our last meetings. And this is very bullet point. I believe that he's going to he agreed to come in person back and share what he thought was said incorrectly. So that was nice that somebody was willing to come forward and and do it. But it talks about that original study that was done. Did the foundation pay? Who did it? It was all around part of that. Um and who from the fisheries wrote some of those statements and parameters. And so I don't have to read all those right now, but if if you guys want, I did tell him I would bring it up because he wasn't able to be here and I don't want to go back on my word of saying I'd at least mention that he had some things he wanted to say. Yeah, you might not have got that right. So up to you.

I mean, if you want to give a brief synopsis of what he said, that's I'm fine with that. Brief. I don't know if I can do brief on this one. I can I there's eight points that he wrote out. So he reached out to me um and I can I can talk to him too and I can do maybe a little if you want I can do a brief one and send it to you guys. Well I have this word for word verbiage. So huh just do it.

Okay. Number one, the and this is the order in which it came through on the text presented by the DNR as a hydraological study by the DNR was funded by consumers energy grant through the DNR with 10,000 from the Higgins Lake Foundation which is required by consumers because it was a match grant, right? But they definitely had say in putting money towards that basically a free study. He said m uh the Moskegan watershed assembly managed the funding. There was only one grad student involved. Andrew Layman from MSU. All the rest were professors with two department heads. Jeff Silgi, DNR person responsible for Higgins Lake picked 35 CFS requirement out of thin air. No science involved. Higgins Lake was treated different because Ed Nellis and his board requested two additional flop gates. per the request of Bob Fry, Herb Weatherly, and Ken Demings to get the water out of Higgins Lake quicker because of rain events and erosion. Number seven, Rich O'Neal DNR fisheries wrote and named the report without consultation. The hydraological impact of the removal of the Higgins Lake Dam 15 years ago, some people in the DNR wanted to remove the Reedsburg Dam. Just reading the what was sent to me. So, don't know right or wrong, but that was sent. I I'll put something Well, I can I'll put something together with a little more context because that was more that was very bolt and point.

That's all I got. It was a text. So, okay. Uh, anything else on on Higgins Lake? I hope not. I know. Nope. I will send out today a thing to find out when everybody's going to be back and some dates and see if we can get something scheduled. The only other thing I can never see popping up on Higgins Lake, you increase the flow down river is there is a little bridge. I don't even know if you call it a bridge. An embankment with a little culvert going through the CC bridge. Yeah, that is it's made of sandbags.

Can you get a boat through it? You can vote through it, but it's a sandbag bridge embankment that's probably been there for 80 70 years. Over 50.

Yeah, it's been there a while. That if we would we were to remove the culverts at Higgins, it would substantially increase the amount of water you could probably push down that river. There might be an impact on that one. Even though it's, you know, two, three, I don't know the exact mileage down river. there could be an impact because of the age of that little crossing there. That is the only other thing that I could ever think of having a problem that when we're making decisions about pushing more water down Higgins during these big rain events. We got to think, okay, we got to think all the way down the river. We can't just think 100 feet, 200 feet, how this is impact everything all the way down. That is the only one that could have a problem. on Lancing Road.

It's a little It's tiny. Anyway, uh that's it. That's where you get a ticket if you spear suckers beyond it be before a certain date. Do we know this for All right. I'm glad I didn't hear that over here. Okay. Okay.

All right. Unfinished business. We had a Reedsburg Dam operations. Um, we had the DNR here um to kind of give that. Is there any more that you want to discuss on that portion? I think he covered us pretty good. I do too. I do think that knowing these pinch points within that river and our ability to get rid of water, I think that's an important thing that we're going to have to look at. That's kind of what our lake manager said several months ago and we started the study to evaluate that and then we come to the conclusion that we probably can't dredge a river anyway.

Yeah. But maybe in conjunctions now with open communications we can come to something. we all have a better understanding of how it works now.

Yep. Um lake level control structure bidding process. So we got a legal opinion that we all got last time. Um, since then I have actually talked to Matt directly and I proposed everything in every way, shape and or form that I could think of to make sure that he understood. Lake manager, drain commissioner office, our resolution that we did, all of it. There is a gray area and it all falls more or less due to that drain commissioner office because that is an elected um office. Therefore, somebody within that office bidding on projects, it there's just too much gray area to be comfortable with. So, I think Rex did I think he's talked to Chase about some of that.

Yes, I explained it to Chase. Um, and it it it is a gray area. I noticed it on the first thing he sent out. But I don't think we need to be put in a position to test that gray area in the courts.

I would agree. Um, so an option for Chase to be able to bid these projects is to resign as drain commissioner. Then comes into question about lake manager and and why we' put him under drain commission office. There's a possibility we just put that under soil erosion, which he's already doing um at this point. It's in Chase's hands is what he's going to do before we do. My guess is he's going to resign from drain commissioner. I made a personal request to him that he gives us three weeks notice on that. This time of year being spring and drain commission office fields a lot of phone calls and I think the process I think we advertise it for two weeks. Is that not correct Jody?

Which one? Drain commissioner. So the drain commissioner actually goes to that committee that appoints the drain commissioner. Right. But don't we have to advertise two weeks? Yep. I believe that that is what they do. Um, you will have a timing with elections that will come back to the clerk's office to figure out whether that goes on the ballot or not. So, we should probably get the answer on how that timing flows. Correct. Was there two years left on that one?

Um, so, you know, that was only my personal request. You know, it was my thought that, you know, it it's probably a bad time of the year to be without a drain commissioner for a couple weeks, but you know, it's strictly up to him. Well, basically, he has all of his options out there and he has to make a decision and then inform the board what he's going to do. Correct. But I I would ask that if whatever decision is made that Chase does it in writing, definitely. It's just a verbal. Yes, it's got to be in writing.

I would believe he would do that. Yeah, believe it has to be in writing to resign, especially after resign. Sure.

Um I think this I probably went on record to saying this the last time as well. I I believe that Chase has a business of his own that he has every right to use that. That is his foundation. That is his family. A lot of whether he's a lake manager or a drain commissioner, that is not what provides his livelihood. And I would support whatever decision he believes is best for him. We will make it one way or the other if we have to fill a back backfill something. But I I do believe that he should have that opportunity. And I would support whichever option he picks wholeheartedly because I support the work that he has done so far.

Yep. And I think I don't think there's anybody on the board that doesn't. I think it was just more or less the matter of knowing the legal ramifications of allowing something without putting the county could wind up in a conflict of interest. The conflict of interest was always a concern. Yep. Okay. Any other comments? Yeah, we need to decide how we're going to do the bidding process on these because that's going to come up soon. When do you think the bidding is what? Probably a couple months. Okay. I was just going to explain to the board how it normally works. Okay. Yes. Help.

Normally, in a case like this, you have an engineering firm that designs the structure. That engineering firm also supplies a project manager, someone that's on site every day making sure things are being done and bought and used that meet the specifications of the contract. Also, the engineering firm handles the bidding process. In that bidding process, you can have invitational bids or it just goes out on the web. That's that's the choice of the buyer.

Is it one or the other or is it one or the other or can you do both to expend the the net further? No, it's one or the other. Either the engineering come you you know and that goes comes from the direction of in this case from this board. Do you want invitational bids, which would, you know, they would suggest X number of firms that they have good rapport with and have worked with in the past and they're invited to bid or they cast a net out statewide, open it up. Okay. And in and in this case, that's probably the way to go because

of the limited number of people that do these projects. Um, also in the bidding process, we retain the right to accept or reject any or all bids. Um, as far as project manager goes, we don't have to pay the engineering firm to be a project manager. We can hire a different one. We're going to opt to not have one at all, but I the best is to have the engineering firm there supplying it because daily records. Yeah, I would say so.

And there's always change orders and so forth that come up. Oh yeah. And you need someone to say, "Yeah, I'll sign off on that." You need a daily oversight on that for sure. Yeah. But you know, we do have the option of not doing that. I'm just explaining alert option. So is this I mean obviously that's going to be a cost incurred. So when you're thinking about your long-term pri planning with the money that you have left in your SAD funds, you should probably get a quote for both of these for St. Helen and H Hotton Lake too from whomever. I'm assuming it's in the engineering firm's design. Okay. Sure.

So your your inspection, material testing, all that. It can be done two ways. You can build it into the contract where the contractor it's like a pay item in the contractor for every time an inspector has to be on site or when a project goes a bid the engineering firm will provide at that time an oversight um saying this is what we're going to oversee this what we're going to do and this is the cost you know I with when you're dealing with water and a dam fulltime on-site person is the way to But you are talking, you know, let's be honest, probably $1,200 to $1,500 a day for that person to be out there. There is a price associated with that. And um I've seen them both ways. Sometimes they'll build it into the contract and there's a day and that way if the contractor takes too many days then they have to start paying that cost because you can't take on that C. There's there's a lot of different ways to do it, but you don't want to do anything more than them say, "Hey, something didn't work. We got to redesign something. These are our options. What do you want?" And you guys want to make that call. You don't want to do anything more than that. Because then if something goes wrong, it's on the engineering firm, not on you guys. If there's questions, hey, on this day, someone reported these things happened out there. There's a report what happened, pictures, what contractor was on site, what equipment was on site, where the lake level was, everything. It just covers you guys in general and it's built in and it adds extra cost, but you're going to want that because it it allows every every box to get checked

also in that a project when it starts like that, they can't wait for us to make a decision in two weeks. And we don't want to make that decision anyway because we're not qualified. And so therefore, you know, it's best to have the engineering firm pite per perform the oversight on that project. Cody had something that she was going to add. So the current contracts that you guys have with Prina and Newuhoff um would be Prina and Newuhoff for Holton Lake and then Spicer for Spicer for St. Helen. Do those contracts include the design, bid preparation, bidding proc bidding process includes all the way up to that. Correct. So whatever your remainder of that is will be out of that pot of money that

Yes. Okay. Yeah. Because then once it goes a bit then there'll be a new proposal with that to then complete those services.

Typically a lot of times the oversight by them is in the bid process. The contractor bids that in his figures that Bang Muhof is paid for X number of days, X number of dollars a day to oversee the project. It's it's been done both ways. I've been on projects done both ways like Spice Group has a project on Sugar Springs right now. It was built in. There's literally a line item days for inspector to be on site. There's a line item built into the contract and there's other projects where it's not built that way and they just say, you know what, this project's pre-cut and dry. It's going to take 60 days. We're going to plan something be out there 60 days. There's not a lot of wiggle room. There really can't be wiggle room. That's what it's going to be. In either case, we need the engineering firm. My opinion is we need the engineering firm to oversee the project that they designed.

Yeah. It just takes all liability off the count and that way we're not getting into an argument with a contractor or a subcontractor or a materials provider, you know, none of us have time to go do that anyway. maybe B from this. So I think you know at some point we have to settle on the bid the whole process so that when it comes time for bidding we know how to answer the questions and I I I left I would not do invitational bids. No,

that's what he said at state. each there's there's builders exchange quest CDN there's a whole bunch of building bid platforms across Michigan and the engineer will throw it to all of them and then you just sit back now in that process if someone bids it and is low bidder and the engineering firm knows of a bad reputation we expected to be informed of that yeah they they should also give a recommendation on who they I think would be best for the project. Good. Because we're not always in favor of what is the cheapest. We're in f in favor of what's best for the county.

And the people is as far as designing these. It's the board always has their option. Always. Anyway, that's kind of how it works. Thank you. So, what do you think our next step is, Rex? When it comes to this maybe have an outline of the bridge procedure we're gonna project procedure we're going to, you know, adhere to because I think we want to use this on all the same lakes. I mean, I would think so. All lakes and um I can draft an outline and bring it to the next board meeting if you want. Whatever you want to do. Okay, perfect.

Nice. I mean there'll be things in it like do we want to in the contract has to be done in x number of days and if so if it goes cost overrun then is there a fine I mean it's not on on typical to have in a contract that it's going to last a 100 days and it's $500 a day to the contractor for every day he goes over that. So, we're just basically getting the ide within a scope of what we're going to do. Okay. Okay. And then you can bring it back and then we can just double check and figure out if that's if we've

that works for us.

Yep. Okay. All right. Um, there's no new business, no motions. So, we are back to public comment. Any public comment? Come on up. I wasn't going to say anything. That would have made chairperson sensor happy. I know that. Uh Rexa Wolson, Commissioner Wolson, he said a history of too much water. Uh that was for Higgins Lake. Uh I find that odd. Uh, Potton Lake has a a history as well. Uh, we're constantly being flooded. Uh, the previous board always banked water. Uh, it was a boating issue. Uh, uh, Mr. Russo, Commissioner Russo wasn't here. Uh, he always banked water. Uh uh the board agreed that the previous board would bank 4 to 8 in of water. Of course, I I uh foyed the uh the dam uh the dam maintenance and uh quite common. There'd be a a foot over and you'd still have boards in the dam. At times you were a foot over and had all the boards in the dam. Uh I don't know how I can explain what type of environmental blunder we have here.

Uh the entire the entire lake is surrounded by flood walls. High water marks on the flood walls are at least a foot foot and a half above legal summer level. We have the USGS uh they have 42 years of uh data. If you look at springtime highs, uh, these are 11 11 and a half inches. The average is 11 and a half inches over over summer level. Uh, Chase said we're 14 in right now. And he says, "My god, it's the worst we've ever seen." Uh, it's only 3 in over uh over what's average for springtime highs. Uh I don't know why but this board fails to recognize that we have a a flood plane uh elevation. Uh it's a I always have a copy of it. This is from Susan Conradson. What was it? Uh March uh 2012. Uh flood plane elevation for H Hotton Lake 1139.6. I think Chase said we're by 1139.2 or three, maybe four, I don't know. I had two yesterday. Uh we're close to flood stage. Uh and from again the uh USGS, you would expect Holton Lake to be at flood stage every 3 to 5 years. Uh we have a history of floods. Commissioner Wolson last year with the flooding he said, "Oh, gez, it's a 25-y year flood. I believe you said that."

Uh, well, we had Anyway, my comment was, "Boy, I'd sure like to see the data on that one." And of course, I never did. Uh, you have an environmental blunder here and you're trying to repair it with a operations manual. It actually raised the lake the the winter level by 3 in. It raised the summer level by 5 in. I don't I don't understand why you would do this to the residents on H Hotton Lake. Uh again, people right now are flooded. Their crawl spaces are flooded. Uh if the wind changes and comes my way, I'll be flooded. I got sandbags. And uh you just can't realize the pain and suffering that you're putting on the people on Holton Lake. It doesn't happen all the way around the lake. Wherever the wind blows, Iricoys got flooded last year and they got again flooded last night. Again, uh the consequences of banking water, the consequences of a operations manual that raises a lake level on a front floodprone lake makes no sense. Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other public comment? Up Chase. Shepki live on West Shore. No, I won't be drain commissioner. I don't have to restrict myself. So, there is a difference when we're speaking elevations. There's NGV 2988. They're completely different. They're 4 in different. That doesn't change the elevation. It changes your reference point, people. Okay? It doesn't change the elevation. So, when you're saying things is this elevation, you could be speaking two different elevations. At what reference point are you picking? That's the frustrating thing. 10year storm is what we had last year, not a 25-year flood event. And I think that's it. That felt good. Thank you.

Any other public comment? Nope. Okay. Board comment. Commissioner Mley. I think we have said quite a bit today. I think I will uh I'll pass. Commissioner Melbourne. I'm good. Commissioner Wolfson.

Yeah, I'll take a run at it. Last year we were sent pictures and claimed people were flooding. Flooding on Iricqu and flooding on Old Trail Drive. That day I drove around the lake. There was no flooding. Also, the comment was made that one of the citizens his yard was flooded. the chairperson and I called that person and he says, "No, I'm not flooded." So, consider the source. I'm sure I do have a comment.

I I appreciate the DNR being here today and I was hoping their comments would would uh answer some of the public. Thanks. Thanks for being here today. Okay. I have lots of comments, but with everything that has been going going on the last couple weeks, I'm going to restrain myself and I will speak when I'm able to contain my thoughts and emotions a little better. With no further board comment, this meeting is adjourned.