Cheboygan County's Attempt to Raise 911 Taxes

Cheboygan County Commissioners,

On Friday, May 25, 2018, an op-ed piece of mine was published in the Cheboygan Tribune. I endorsed the existing tri-county CCE 911 and closed the piece with a request to fund the 800 MHZ upgrades fairly."There is an estimate of a $10,283,167 cost. The three counties need to split that amount equitably and fairly, while recognizing this upgrade is a priority. You and I are the taxpayers served by these committed men and women who respond when we call 911. Cheboygan and the other counties will discuss the options available to fund these needed upgrades. Telephone surcharges on your monthly bills and pre-paid phones, or millages are two options. I trust our Cheboygan County Board will reach out to us. They need our input to get the needed question on the November ballot that we can answer with a “yes”."

As a Board, outside of a public meeting, or on a decision made solely by your Administrator Jeff Lawson, that plea for an open discussion has been ignored. 

On Sunday evening, May 28th, the Clerk Karen Brewster sent an email notice of a "Reconvened" County Board meeting scheduled to occur on May 31 at 9:30 AM. The only new business is "Truth in Taxation Resolution No. 18-07 to Establish Additional Millage Rate and Set Public Hearing". 

Please advise the method the Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners have used to determine the need, millage required, and who drafted a "Resolution" outside of the view and purview of the public. Was this "Resolution" created with a round-robin discussion, a closed door meeting, or is it another creation of Mr Lawson operating as a defacto County Controller, on his own prerogative, instead of County Administrator?  

The citizens of Cheboygan County who have some awareness of the CCE 911 situation and needed funding have questions on the fairness of the distribution of costs. At the County's annual planning meeting, there was some discussion of the issue and Cheboygan County seemed to think the consensus among the three counties would be a shared ballot question seeking a surcharge or millage. Charlevoix County exercised their independence and nixed that option.

The newly incorporated articles of incorporation, "CALM", have not yet been majority approved by Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners. The new document continues the same cost sharing. That 32.77%, 30.77%, and 36.46% split is based on a "formula requires that sixty percent of the Authority's expenditures be divided equally between the three participating counties. The remaining forty percent is divided based on telephone lines in each county. The agreement requires that this funding formula be reviewed every five years. The funding formula was last adjusted in 2005." (see below)

That 40% of the funding "based on telephone lines" in each county and last "adjusted" in 2005 cannot fairly represent current actual usage of 911 services. In 2005 about 90% of homes had landlines; now less than 50% of US homes have landlines. Many families and even individuals have multiple cellphones, smart devices, and other connected devices that also cannot be used as a measure of impact on 911 services.

I am sure CCE 911 can track and easily compile the geographic source of every 911 call that arrives at the call center. An annual record of calls received from each County, averaged over a rolling 5 year period, and updated annually would serve as a fairer and more equitable method to allocate that 40% of charges.     

I encourage the Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners to act more responsibly. The voters are watching.

Articles of Incorporation-(CALM) 5/17/2018

Each County shall have the responsibility to fund the Authority based on the following: Charlevoix County – 32.77%; Cheboygan County – 30.77%; and Emmet County – 36.46%, which allocation percentages are the same as existed at the time these Restated Articles of Incorporation were adopted by the Counties.

CCE 911 Contributions per County-Notes to December 31, 2016 Financial Statements

NOTE I - CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PARTICIPATING MUNICIPALITIES: Under the terms of the organizing agreement, each participating county is responsible for funding the developmental costs and operating expenditures of the Authority based on a formula. Currently the formula requires that sixty percent of the Authority's expenditures be divided equally between the three participating counties. The remaining forty percent is divided based on telephone lines in each county. The agreement requires that this funding formula be reviewed every five years. The funding formula was last adjusted in 2005. 

The Cheboygan Courthouse Doors-The Tip of an Iceberg

Most of a Michigan County’s essential services, many mandated by our Michigan Constitution, are provided by offices or departments headed by elected officials. The voters elect Judges, the County Prosecutor and Sherriff, and the Clerk and Treasurer. There may be decisions made that do not satisfy everyone, but for a group of elected officials chosen by popular vote, they all serve Cheboygan County with a surprising amount of competence. The Cheboygan County Road Commission, a Board with five elected individuals and their own budget and building, manages to rebuild old roads and maintain newer roads while plowing snow for much of the year. The CCRC Board relies on the capable efforts of a management, engineering, and accounting staff that gets the job done while dealing with a legacy of pension costs and all of the complexities of State and Federal rules, mandates, and grants. 

Our elected Board of County Commissioners oversees the County Administrator and provides the few County services not directly controlled by the previously mentioned people.  The Administrator working with the Finance Department holds the purse strings and ultimately controls the budgets for all of the Cheboygan County departments except the independent CCRC. The County Commissioners come and go subject to the whims of the voters every two years. County Administrator Jeff Lawson, much like a corporate CEO, must work for this ever-changing Board. Mr Lawson recently disclosed his current salary of $100,928 per year. That does not include his benefit package; healthcare, defined pension, vacation and personal time, vehicle use, life insurance, and other perks that assuredly exceeds the County employee benefit average of 53%.  Mr Lawson seems well compensated to facilitate the needed communication and coordination to manage the day-to-day operation of the rest of the County Building and keep the doors open.

Did I say doors? Every week, one of Mr Lawson’s failures is on display as taxpayers and other visitors to the Cheboygan County Building attempt to gain entry through a single ill-conceived security door. That was Mr Lawson’s idea.  Mr Lawson sold the design and implementation of a very expensive and often out-of-service security system to a too trusting Board. In 2002, just after 911 and while Mr Lawson was still Village Manager at Mackinac City, the State of Michigan had published Michigan Court Security Guidelines. “Weapons screening is an essential part of court security. All persons entering the court facility should be subject to security screening. A proper weapon screening station has: Adequate room for people to congregate inside, out of the weather, without being so crowded as to present additional security problems.” Mr Lawson ignored those guidelines and best practices. The Board had placed their trust in him. Mr Lawson promised again in March 2017 to correct the door issues: “Staff has been in communication with Diebold and the door manufacture to receive estimates on door modifications to place employee at the door during peak use times or modify the existing remote system to provide additional scanning capability”. More than a year later, that never happened.  Meanwhile, hundreds of people, county staff and employees, lawyers, and even elected township officials, apparently more trustworthy than a Cheboygan County citizen or taxpayer just swipe one of the hundreds of cards issued and walk through any other door. Until everyone is subject to the same security screening, the County building will only have a false sense of safety.

If the front doors, a still unresolved embarrassing failure are the tip of the iceberg, what issues are floating just below the surface out of sight to all but the most diligent observers?  

A failed Zoning Ordinance with 147 amendments and much needed changes stalled, business openings and investments delayed, failed enforcement of both zoning and building safety violations, with the Planning & Zoning and Building Safety Departments under-staffed and over-stressed. The list continues with a failed attempt to reconstitute the Cheboygan Economic Development Corporation, a failed Cheboygan Marina Fuel Tank project budget, and a twenty-year-old Solid Waste Management Plan that needs revisions before a half-full garbage truck becomes your new neighbor.

If Cheboygan County Administrator Jeff Lawson, like a CEO, answers only to the County Board of Commissioners, when do the shareholders get their say? The County Commissioners will allow you three minutes to comment to their often-deaf ears. Every even numbered year, the taxpayers can exercise their right to vote and support or oust the Commissioner that does or does not represent their District.

April 24th-Final Day to File for 2018 Primary Election

If you are interested in serving and representing your fellow citizens in Cheboygan County there are a number of seats open for the 2018 election. Serving as an elected Commissioner is a challenging and a rewarding way to work toward the betterment of your community. At the local level, all seven Cheboygan County Commissioner positions, elected for two-year terms, and two County Road Commissioner seats, serving six-year terms, will be on the ballot this year. Each Cheboygan County Commissioner represents one of seven geographical districts. Although you make decisions and set policy for the entire county, you must reside in the District you represent.  Cheboygan County has seven Road Commissioners who each represent the entire county without any district representation.  There is also the judicial position of Cheboygan County Probate Judge and two State House Representatives who represent portions of Cheboygan County up for election. 

Partisan and nonpartisan candidates must file nominating petitions (or fees if applicable) and an Affidavit of Identity for the August primary by April 24, 2018. Individuals seeking office as an independent candidate, with no political party affiliation may file as late as July 19, 2018 for the November General Election. All filing dates have a 4 PM cut-off. Judicial and candidates for House Representatives have some different filing requirements and file via Lansing. 

Cheboygan County District 1 encompasses Mackinaw, Hebron, Beaugrand, Munro, and Burt Townships. Chris Brown resigned to move out of Cheboygan County in 2017 and the Board of Commissioners appointed Incumbent Karen Johnson-Republican to complete his term. Ms Johnson had not filed as of April 12^th. A challenger, Vincent J Lumetta has filed as a Democat. District 2, the City of Cheboygan and the existing 425 Agreement area in Inverness Township including Huron Estates, is represented by Rich Sangster-Republican, who had not filed as of last week. David W Martin, a Democratic challenger filed on 3/16/18. District 3 includes Benton and Aloha Townships. Incumbent Mike Newman-Republican filed on 1/26/2018. Mr Newman is facing two challengers. Rob Ross, a Democrat, and Andy Evans, a Libertarian candidate, has also filed.

District 4 includes Inverness and Mullett Townships. Incumbent Cal Gouine-Republican filed for re-election on 2/8/2018 and has no declared challengers. District 5 includes Grant, Koehler, and Waverly Townships. Incumbent Roberta Matelski-Republican was appointed to serve the district after her husband Commissioner Tony Matelski passed in 2017. Commissioner Roberta Matelski has filed for 2018 and there are no declared challengers. District 5 includes Tuscarora and Mentor Townships. John Wallace, a Republican who has filed for another term, had no challengers as of last week. District 7 includes Wilmot, Ellis, Nunda, Walker, and Forest Townships. Robert Bolinger-Republican is the incumbent and faces another Republican candidate, Steve Warfield, on the primary ballot  

Road Commission Board members Ken Paquet who lives in Aloha Township and Clarence O’Connor who resides in Benton Township have terms expiring in 2018. Neither had filed to run as of last week. No challengers have filed at this time for the two seats that have a six-year term. The two candidates with the two highest vote tallies will fill those countywide positions. The other incumbent Road Commission Board members not up for election reside in Benton, Benton, and Inverness Township.

Cheboygan County Probate Judge Robert J Butts is retiring. Current Cheboygan County Prosecuting Attorney Daryl Vizina has filed to run as a Democrat.

Many House Representatives for the State of Michigan serve multi-county geographical districts. Incumbent House Representatives Sue Allor and Lee Chatfield, serving two different areas of Cheboygan County, have each filed for re-election.  In the 106^th District, Republican Sue Allor faces two Democratic challengers, Lora Green and John E Norton III, both from Alpena. The 107^th District Republican Lee Chatfield to this date faces a single Democrat, Kurt Perron from Brimley.

Candidates for the judicial position and House Representatives must file documents in Lansing.

For those seeking local seats, be sure to file your nominating Petition and required Affidavit of Identification with Cheboygan County Clerk Karen Brewster, 870 S Main St, Cheboygan, MI. before 4 PM on April 24, 2018. County Clerk Brewster is also your best local source for election information. Thanks go out to her for contributing up to date information and knowledge. A complete source of candidate information for anyone contemplating throwing his or her hat in the ring is available at this link.

Secretary of State-Election Information

Illuminating Lawson's Contract Renewal and Pay Increase

I had an illuminating moment this week. It was not one of those cartoonish idea bulbs flashing above my head. It was the single 60-watt incandescent ceiling bulb in one bathroom. After years of selfless service, on and off, day or night, that bulb decided to go out with a bang and a flash in a true Kodak moment. Thinking a 100-watt bulb might cast a little more light on the mirror and facilitate shaving; I removed the fixture globe, screwed in the bulb, reinstalled the globe and flipped the switch. None of that 38-watt CFL pretender stuff that passes now as electric light. Twice as many lumens do not flatter a bachelor’s bathroom. Dirt now has nowhere to hide and it is very hard to overlook.

A county government is much like this single guy’s bathroom. I am happy that it functions when I need it. A closer look with a brighter bulb, like the new brighter orb shining in my bathroom, may uncover more dirt than I really want to see. Cheboygan County government is no better or worse than many other counties. That is not saying a lot. Cheboygan has avoided the trap of Grand Traverse’s underfunded pensions or Emmet County’s millions of dollars of bond debt funding Emmet County EMS and Headland’s Park. Several northern Michigan counties have also had tumultuous personnel issues.

I will not excuse faults that have occurred with our prior Board of Commissioners or the current Board. Those seven Commissioners, a changing group over the past few years, are always answerable to the people who elected them. The twice-monthly Board of Commissioners meetings are open to the public. The county conducts business before the Board in an open and relatively formal manner following a published and approved agenda. The Board hired the current County Administrator Jeff Lawson in 2011. His job is to implement Board policies, to supervise all functions that report to the Board of Commissioners, and to oversee the daily activities of the County. The County Administrator and support staff provide professional support, project management, and policy recommendations for the Board of Commissioners. Mr Lawson had his last 3-year term of employment approved July of 2014 and that contract expired last year on July 10, 2017. It is a very typical government contract with some nice perks and benefits. The news at the time reported Mr Lawson’s base salary as $97,000 and the benefits’ cost add about 27% to the total compensation. 

The Board evaluates Mr Lawson’s performance as a professional on an annual basis. His 2017 evaluation, compiled to protect the anonymity of the Board member’s comments was generally favorable. Mr Lawson exercised his right under the Open Meeting Act to request a closed session for his evaluation on March 14, 2017. When the Board of Commissioners exited that closed session, the Board took advantage of a rare situation when the public was not watching. On a motion by Chris Brown, and with support by Bob Bolinger, the full Board voted to extend Mr Lawson’s contract by one (1) year and to destroy the copies of the evaluation. None of this conduct after the closed session seemed pre-planned or on any approved agenda.

Apparently, and perhaps taking advantage of a rare time when the public and other Board members were not watching, Commissioner Chris Brown as Vice-Chair signed a new contract with Jeff Lawson the next day. This was not the one (1) year contract extension approved and documented in the minutes for the Board of Commissioners. The contract signed on March 15, 2017 added two (2) years and four (4) months to the existing contract. It also added more money. Much of the fiscal responsibility exercised by Mr Lawson since 2011 has been a denial of raises for union employees. Meanwhile, Mr Lawson lobbied the Board of Commissioners and gained thousands of dollars in “retention” raises to keep salaried staff. Both of those salaried staff has since left. Raises for salaried employees and denials for the hourly employees has been a contentious subject in the county building. I suspect an annual evaluation by many employees in the building would not be generally favorable to Mr Lawson.     

You already know the one (1) year contract extension approved on March 14, 2017 grew overnight to a secretively signed two year and four-month contract. That new contract increased the annual base salary to $99,929.40 plus benefits. I have not seen and Mr Lawson offered no explanation where or when the Board of Commissioners approved this contract in an open public meeting. The bright light is shining on Mr Lawson and the public deserve some answers. 

The information contained in this post is believed accurate at date of publication. Monetary amounts and actions reported are based solely on documents supplied by Cheboygan County Administrator Jeff Lawson in a March 6, 2018 FOIA response seeking documentation of his current Cheboygan County employment contract.   

You Have Power- Change The Inverness Township Board

Howard Beale was the news anchor in the 70’s movie Network who ranted and raved. His ravings, “I’m mad as hell” gained viewers and some think little else. Spoiler alert, if you have never viewed the movie, news anchor Beale directs his viewers to open their windows and call out, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”. The ensuing call of frustration voiced by thousands is a memorable movie moment because it embodies the daily and varied frustrations we all deal with.   

Like Howard Beale’s viewers, many of us in Cheboygan County are mad, angry or simply frustrated beyond words. Many things frustrated Beale’s viewers and we all have daily frustrations in life. Pastor, theologian, and government critic Reinhold Niebuhr penned the oft-quoted Serenity Prayer. Said simply, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Most of us do not look to the government to solve all of our problems. As often as not, the government is the problem.  Politicians and the bureaucrats we employ to supply those government services society has determined are essential to our well being are our employees. We, the people they serve, pay their salaries, wages, and benefits.

The elected County Commissioners, Cheboygan City Council, and Township Boards work for each of us. It is not a simple job. We all have different needs, priorities, political positions, and we each place different demands on our local government bodies. Cheboygan County residents have a wide diversity of incomes, housing, education, and perceived needs. I know some young and even older people who struggle every day to keep a roof over their own or their family’s head. Retirees who have located here may have different needs but higher expectations. Some retirees look forward to a utopian and not utilitarian retirement. One group knows a pile of firewood or a few tires in the yard is an asset worth saving, while the other group sees anything except a neatly manicured lawn as blight requiring an ordinance. 

Many of our Cheboygan County wage earners now commute every day to Gaylord, Petoskey, or other communities that have experienced more growth in retail, healthcare, and the coveted manufacturing and industrial jobs that pay a living wage. Some of those driving a 60, 70, or 80-mile round-trip daily to that end of the rainbow job will eventually pull up roots and move closer to that place of employment.  I have lived in boom and bust one-industry towns where the inevitable downturn occurs and some pundit posts a roadside sign-Will the last person out please shut off the lights. Cheboygan County has too many natural assets to have the lights turned off. That does not mean we can continue to allow a regressive Inverness Township Board, to dim the lights, pull the shades, and hide from outside developers willing to invest millions of dollars here and create hundreds of new of jobs. 

Cheboygan County approved the Meijer site plan in February 2015. Inverness Township Supervisor Ron Neuman was then quoted, “The township wants the project to happen and was working diligently to get water to the site”. If three years of virtual inactivity is Mr Neuman’s definition of “working diligently”, what is his definition of a slacker? It only requires three board members to approve any motion before the board. Five apathetic people in Inverness Township have thwarted needed growth in this county for three years and they should equally share the blame.

Click on this link for the step-by-step procedure to implement a recall election. 

Recall the Inverness Five-NOW!

Meijers has since invested millions of dollars opening stores in Alpena, Sault Ste. Marie, Escanaba, Marquette, and other progressive communities offering new shopping and employment opportunities. The time for Inverness residents to accept apathy and practice serenity is over. Your fellow Cheboygan County residents cannot carry your water. As an Inverness resident, only you can exercise your right to recall the “Inverness Five” and elect some new and progressive board members. The law excludes the first and last year of a 4 year-term, allowing only calendar years 2018 and 2019 to exercise a recall election. Are there enough people in Inverness Township with the “wisdom to know the difference?” Exercising that wisdom to do something new will take courage. 

Inverness Voters Are Nailing Shut The Cheboygan Coffin

Almost two full years after Meijer received Cheboygan County site plan approval, by a 3-2 vote, the Inverness Township Board voted in February 2017 to approve moving forward with negotiations of a 425 agreement between the township and the City of Cheboygan for the Meijer property.

Crisman Jones, Properties and Real Estate Manager for Meijer, stated in an email it is Meijer’s preference to go with the 425 agreement.

Inverness Township Supervisor Ron Neuman, “With that being said, I would entertain a motion to go ahead and start negotiations with the city on a 425 agreement and move forward with this project.”

Another year has passed and the Meijer project has moved farther away. 

Five dysfunctional people, the Inverness Township Board, have by their actions created a defacto moratorium on a big box developer. The Inverness Five have prevented an investment of millions of dollars in Cheboygan County and the several hundred new jobs that a Meijer store would create.

Do the electors of Inverness Township have the courage to exercise their rights by recalling the entire township board, each equally guilty, and vote into office new officers who will act expediently to reach an agreement with the City of Cheboygan? 

The decision is yours. The failure of this big box store development will negatively impact the future of Cheboygan County far into the future. It is another nail in the coffin. 

Inverness Township Five

Ronald Neuman

Supervisor

1473 Riggsville Rd.

Cheboygan MI 49721 Phone: (231) 627-3455

Jean Beethem

Clerk

5167 Riggsville Rd.

Cheboygan MI 497219038 Phone: (231) 627-3337

Kathy Spray

Treasurer

7990 South Extension Rd

PO Box 620

Cheboygan MI 49721 Phone: (231) 420-5518 FAX: (231) 627-5517

Tim Borowicz

Trustee

6760 Baier Rd.

Cheboygan MI 497219087 Phone: (231) 627-5925

Bernard Schramm

Trustee

2836 Indian Trail Rd.

Cheboygan MI 497219636 Phone: (231) 627-6977

Click on this link for the step-by-step procedure to implement a recall election. 

Recall the Inverness Five-NOW!

Are Your Tax Dollars Working For You Or Your Leaders?

I have been amused over the years as well compensated part-time elected officials make political hay and congratulate themselves on a few dollars saved while alternately wasting or socking away tens of thousands of dollars annually. Paying winter property taxes in Cheboygan County makes me nostalgic for places and times where a home, business, or property increased in value every year. 

The smallest local tax bite is about 17.5 mills and Tuscarora Township, trying hard to become a failing city, has the biggest bite with 24 mills (A mill is $1 tax per $1,000 taxable value). The Village residents of Wolverine, Mackinaw, and the City of Cheboygan all pay higher taxes with the City at just over 39 mills. Your house with a taxable value of $100,000 in most townships will see an annual tax bill around $2,000 and in the City of Cheboygan with all those city services about $3,900. If you own resort property here, enjoying that cottage a few months a year, you have the pleasure of paying 12 months of property taxes and an additional 18 mills to fund our local schools. No children enrolled and no right to vote. Our educators in Michigan love taxpayers who pay for schools and cannot exercise their right to say no more taxes.      

The City of Cheboygan, Cheboygan County, the County Road Commission, Tuscarora Township, and it seems every local government that has employee pension plans has substantial amounts of unfunded pensions. Some units may have more pensioners than active employees. The big three automotive manufacturers could not compete as fewer employees had to both earn a profit and pay for all those retirees already pensioned out. Government employees never earn a profit. As pension costs and the number of retirees increase, the funding crisis will grow. All of the existing retirees and many of the government employees counting the days to their retirement will enjoy the same defined benefit plans that bankrupted some private industry pension plans. 

While national and cable news fills our heads with allocations and budgets of millions, billions, and trillions; our local townships, villages, cities, and counties are sometimes scrounging now to maintain the status quo when deficits in the thousands create a crisis. Those legacy costs, neglected infrastructure including water, sewer, and roads coupled with inadequate funding to serve developments that could bring new jobs is bad. Mix in an aging population on fixed incomes, add singles and young families working seasonal or multiple part-time jobs and we go from bad to worse. Shrinking student populations, closed schools, and fewer local opportunities for grads will drive more out-migration.

It is a downhill slide and too many Cheboygan County leaders have sat on the speeding toboggan for the last decade as much of the country climbed back from a recession. Our neighbors, Emmet and Otsego County have climbed back up the hill with their February peak unemployment rates now about half of Cheboygan’s 18 to 19%. That is proof of a growing diversity in employment. Many Cheboygan County residents already commute to Gaylord or Petoskey to gain steady year-round work while others have just moved away. 

    

Our local governments have been content to continue that downhill ride.  Our elected leaders and their bureaucracy enjoy the area’s best pay and benefits serving a diminishing number of residents. Government employees starting compensation now exceeds the area’s median income. Elected Township Boards, putting in a few hours or less a month while accomplishing nothing, receive salaries that some residents work all year to earn.  Witness the failed Inverness Township Board that has cost the entire community hundreds of jobs.  These illustrious leaders need to become industrious and actually earn their pay.