IRON MOUNTAIN — Three new Dodge Durangos will be part of the Dickinson County sheriff’s patrol under a lease agreement approved Monday.

The county board is spending $45,000 for this year’s acquisitions, with the vehicles to come fully equipped except for decals. The annual lease cost for each is $14,992 for three years, with an option to purchase for $1 at the end of the lease.

This approach, handled through a state purchasing program, will allow the county to get new SUVs at a reasonable upfront price, Controller Brian Bousley said. They will be delivered at no cost to Iron Mountain’s Riverside Auto Sales, which will handle warranty servicing.

The current patrol vehicles are mainly Dodge Chargers.

In other action, the county board:

— Adopted a resolution in support of retaining the 95-A District Court judge position in Menominee County. With the upcoming retirement of Judge Jeffrey Barstow, eliminating the 95-A judgeship would leave just one resident judge in Menominee County to serve both the district and probate court. It also adds to the workload of circuit court judges Mary Barglind and Christopher Ninomiya, who serve Dickinson, Iron and Menominee counties.

— Voted 4-1 to table consideration of the nomination of Dr. John To fill a vacancy on the Dickinson County Healthcare System Board of Trustees. Commissioners said they would like to interview To, who was not present. Stevens, a liaison to the hospital board, voted no.

— Heard Bousley report the county’s veterans office has secured a $50,000 grant from the state’s County Veteran Service Fund, which was created last year to assist veterans in adjusting to civilian life. This is in addition to a $10,000 grant from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. The funding will mainly allow for more home visits by the county’s two part-time veterans service officers.

— Will support House Bill 4025, introduced by state Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain, to amend the Tax Tribunal Act of 1973. LaFave’s bill requires the Michigan Tax Tribunal to use specific criteria and weigh the use of deed restrictions in evaluating assessment appeals, thus curbing the use of “dark store” arguments. Commissioner Joe Stevens chastised the Michigan Chamber of Commerce for being “a real thorn in this” by supporting appeals that compare the value of fully functioning stores to sales of vacant structures. The board had earlier endorsed LaFave’s attempted fix, and a formal resolution adopted Monday will be forwarded to other counties across the state.

— Learned that a repair investigation continues at the Crystal Lake Senior Center in Iron Mountain, where a break in a sewage line has closed the kitchen. Senior meals for home delivery are being prepared in the meantime at the Breen Center in Kingsford.