Tuesday afternoon was the final meeting for three members of the Sanilac County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Donald Hunt did not seek re-election, ending a 14 year stint on the board. Donald Redman capped his brief stay on the board filling in for James Ruby who passed away earlier this year and Justin Faber did not seek re-election, serving one four-year term. The trio are being replaced by Bob Conley, Gary Heberling and Paul Muxlow.
Hunt said he is proud to have been part of the board for so many years and has seen many good things happen. He lauded employees for their work ethic and said the county has worked hard to stay fiscally responsible. Redman also had high words of praise for employees and was thankful to have the opportunity to sit on the board for a few months. Faber, Board Chairman, said it was a learning experience and he was impressed how well everyone worked together.
After sitting idle for several years, there has been some movement on development of the County-owned Delaware Park in northeastern part of the county. Commissioner Dan Dean, a member of the Parks and Recreation committee reported to fellow Commissioners the beach area has been cleaned up and is considered to be useable. A presentation of a possible use for the 65 acres of county-owned property on the west side of M-25 has been made with possible considerations being given to a nature preserve, horseback riding trails and other possibilities. Commissioner Dean said after owning the property for 52 years, the county is beginning to see slow progress towards some development.
In other news from the Commissioner’s meeting, both Prosecutor James Young and Judge Greg Ross plead their case for reclassification of employees. The county recently enlisted the help of Michigan Municipal League to help them with the process and Commissioners explained to both men the board intends to stay with the new annual process. Both Young and Ross said they were disappointed there was no appeal process in the county policy. County Administrator Kathy Dorman said the new policy is a work in progress and she would speak with MML representatives to get their opinion of any appeal process.
