IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County will seek aid under the Protecting MI Pension Grant Program, looking to take a small bite out of its long-term pension obligations.

Under a state budget bill passed last July, the county is eligible for aid to bring its Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of Michigan pension plan up to a pre-funded ratio of 60%. Pre-funding for Dickinson’s plan is now listed at 59.9%, according to data from the Michigan Department of Treasury.

With the application deadline for the program days away, the county board Monday adopted a resolution to participate. Although the county is just 0.1 percentage points within the guidelines, it make sense to apply, Controller Brian Bousley said.

The county’s unfunded accrued liabilities were estimated at $20.4 million in 2021.

Under the fiscal year 2022-23 budget, the treasury department was appropriated $750 million to establish and operate a grant program for qualified pension systems with a funded ratio below 60%. Local units of government that qualify for the aid can expect to learn their award amounts in August, with funds disbursed no later than Aug. 30, according to the grant timeline.

In other action, the county board:

— Made clear there are no plans to discontinue the use of voting equipment in future elections. Teresa Maycroft of Breitung Township has made repeated requests to conduct elections using only hand-counted paper ballots. The board, meanwhile, received an invitation from Maycroft to attend a June 22 event in Iron Mountain featuring Patrick J. Colbeck, a former Michigan state senator who is the author of “The 2020 Coup: What Happened. What We Can Do,” which maintains the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. Dominion Voting Systems, which earlier this year won a $787.5 million settlement from FOX News Media over defamation charges, has likewise accused Colbeck of making false claims.

— Approved a request from the Rotary Club of Iron Mountain-Kingsford to host the Pine Mountain 500 race Sunday, Aug. 6, at the Pine Mountain ski jump stairs. More event information is available at https://www.facebook.com/PineMountain500/.

— Scheduled a special session for 10 a.m. Thursday, June 22, to review Ford Airport hangar construction bids and discuss an updated lease agreement with the Kiwanis Ski Club for use of the ski jump property.

— Approved a request from the Dickinson Conservation District to host Nature in the Park at Lake Antoine Park on Saturday, July 8, and Thursday, July 20. These will be free educational/recreational events for campground guests and the public.

— Decided to no longer pay dues to the Michigan Township Association. The requested amount was $2,500 for a county membership. No MTA services have been accessed at the county level in recent years, Bousley said.