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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Dickinson County Board will have some of its meetings in a new conference room at Ford Airport, providing minimal notification at the start.
The board will have a parks meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday in Hangar 2301 in the southwest corner of the airport, followed by a finance meeting at 10 a.m.
The first meeting at the new location was at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 17, announced by a posting in the courthouse lobby of a special meeting at the airport, 2301 Woodward Ave., Kingsford. At Monday's regular board meeting at the courthouse in Iron Mountain, Teresa Maycroft of Breitung Township asked if there's a better way of notifying the public.
Controller Brian Bousley said notices are posted in the courthouse lobby, as well as on the county's website. The latter notifications, however, have been inconsistent.
Maycroft suggested an online email registry, and offered to volunteer to help, but no immediate plan was discussed.
In the past, committee and special meetings have taken place mostly in the conference room of the correctional center in Iron Mountain or in the board's small conference room in the courthouse annex.
The board on Monday approved minutes from the special meeting a week earlier in the hangar. According to the minutes, the board:
-- Endorsed SkyWest Airlines' bid to continue Essential Air Service. SkyWest's proposal for Delta Connection flights covers five airports, with a total annual federal subsidy in the first year of up to $32.36 million, including $7.07 million for Ford Airport. A proposal was also submitted by Boutique Air of San Francisco, Calif., calling for turbo-props seating only eight or nine passengers.The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking community input through Oct. 27 on EAS proposals for a new contract term that starts Feb. 1.
-- Agreed to move forward with efforts to site a veterans cemetery in the county. Michigan has two federal cemeteries, near Holly and Battle Creek, while the first state-owned veterans cemetery is planned in either Crawford or Presque Isle counties.
-- Authorized Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Richards to make an offer to a candidate for assistant prosecutor as soon as possible. There is a $20 per hour salary while a student, upped to $30 per hour once graduated, and $80,000 annually upon passing the bar exam. Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. voted no.
-- Amended its committee appointments policy to add a monthly announcement of vacancies to its regular board agenda. Degenaer, who has in the past questioned the timing of postings and appointments, voted no.
During the special meeting, the board also discussed the legality of a proposed "Second Amendment Sanctuary" declaration, having received an opinion from its legal counsel. In lieu of the resolution proposed by the Dickinson County Republican Committee, the board Monday adopted a more general resolution in support of the people's right to keep and bear arms and opposing laws that "unconstitutionally" infringe upon that right.