CRYSTAL FALLS — The Iron County Board has appointed Ashley Schmidt as the new director of Iron County Central Dispatch.

Schmidt has been a 911 dispatcher for 10 years, the past five as lead dispatcher. She succeeds Vernon Jones, who will serve as part-time emergency manager starting Friday.

At the board meeting Tuesday, Jones said he became convinced Schmidt could assume the responsibilities of the job while working alongside her.

“I think that Ashley is going to have to learn — she knows the 911 side of the job — but she’s going to have to learn the administrative side,” Jones said. “I think she’ll take that on and conquer it.”

Echoing Jones’ comment, Iron County Sheriff Mark Valesano said Schmidt had “a skill set that will help her to be successful in the position.”

“I think she’s a person willing to take on the challenge and do what needs to be done,” Board Commissioner Mark Stauber said.

“She seems to be the very appropriate and perfect fit,” Board Commissioner Mike Stafford said.

After some discussion, the board set Schmidt’s annual salary at $48,000 with an additional $2,000 a year for two years pending an annual review by the Iron County 911 Advisory Board.

Board Commissioner Jacob Conery voted against the motion on salary, saying the merit increases could “open up a can of worms.”

“Every employee is going to ask for step raises,” Conery said.

Conery stressed he had “nothing against” Schmidt but wondered if the motion was a “slap in the face” for county employees looking for better wages.

“Well, this is a position we’re replacing at a lower salary, so we’re saving,” Stafford said. “This is well within the current budget; we’re not changing anything. We’re at a lower overall reduction.”

“We can take it as a case-by-case basis,” Board Commissioner Patti Peretto said. “I think this is a good move for 911.”

In other business, the board:

— Appointed Crystal Falls Mayor Michael McCarthy as an at-large member on the 911 Advisory Board for a term expiring Dec. 31.

— Appointed Tim Aho to the U.P. State Fair Board for a two-year term expiring Dec. 31, 2022.

— Re-established the camping rates for Pentoga Park in Crystal Falls. The 2021 rates will remain at $21 a day, $495 a month and $1,425 a season for Iron County residents; and $24 a day, $520 a month and $1,500 a season for non-residents. Vehicle park passes will cost $3 a day and $10 a season.

— Approved three indigent defense contracts to ensure compliance with minimum standards set by the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for the training and education of counsel, use of investigation and experts, and independence from the judiciary, among other things.

— Authorized advertising for a juvenile register/deputy district court clerk and chief juvenile officer within Iron County Trial Court. There are 19 hours available weekly for the juvenile register/deputy district court clerk and 18.75 hours available for the chief juvenile officer.

— Adopted a resolution asking the Federal Communications Commission to broaden its interpretation of the allowable use of 911 fees and support state and local jurisdictions in their utilization of such fees. According to the resolution, the FCC’s proposed rules would eliminate the use of funds for such things as radio infrastructure, mobile radios, pagers, automatic vehicle location systems and mobile data computers.

— Solicited proposals through 3 p.m. April 7 for the preparation, publication and production of the 2021 edition of the Iron County Plat Book. Bid specifications can be found at www.ironcountymi.org or the Iron County Administration Office. The plat book fund was amended to move $5,000 to phone system expenses.

— Approved the Northstar Employee Assistance Program services agreement. Northstar provides professional assistance such as assessments, short-term counseling and related services to Iron County employees, their spouses or legal partners, and dependents.

— Amended the budget to reflect a $15,000 pass-through from Lac Vieux Desert Public Enterprise to the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team.

— Gave permission to the Iron Baraga Conservation District to revise gravel permits to comply with contemporary Michigan requirements. Among other things, the current sand and gravel fee schedule allows for 99-year permits. According to statute, permits should be no more than five years. Older permits cannot be grandfathered into exemption.

— Implemented a ticket system in the Iron County Courthouse to allow better communication between department heads and maintenance staff on maintenance issues.