County Commission

Appointments made to SJC boards

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners made appointments and a re-appointment during their meeting this week. The board re-appointed commissioners Ken Malone and Rick Shaffer, and appointed John Kroggel, to the county’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Meanwhile, Ivin Riddle was re-appointed to the Department of Health and Human Services board. Also, Amanda Miller was appointed to the Pivotal Board. Pivotal …

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County union leader questions county commissioners

A union leader representing several St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department employees questioned the county board about not sharing a portion of federal funds the county received last year. Greg Algier, representing Police Officers Association of Michigan and Command Officers Association of Michigan, told commissioners Tuesday he is hopeful consideration will still be given to financially rewarding the union employees. Algier …

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Proposed public defender roster

St. Joseph County’s roster of public defender attorneys appears to be set for the 2022-23 state fiscal year, as the matter was discussed during last week’s board of commissioners’ executive committee meeting. Chief Public Defender Keith Stickley said the proposed eight-person roster is comprised of: Laurie Hines, John Bush, Rhonda Ives, Luke Nofsinger, Tim George, Paul Gipson, Melissa Hallack and …

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SJC Board of Commissioners race

Republican Rick Shaffer will return to serve two years as a member of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. In the only contested race to the seven-member board, Shaffer fended off Democrat Erin Schultes for the newly created Precinct 1, which comprises Lockport and Florence townships, and the city of Three Rivers.

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Discussion continues – American Rescue Plan funds for SJC

The process of how St. Joseph County will administer $1 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funds was discussed during the county commission’s executive committee meeting last week. Commissioners entertained a number of options regarding the money and its recipients. In the end, it was decided the five county board members will individually review the 28 different requests submitted …

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Shaffer announces candidacy

Lockport Township resident Rick Shaffer has announced his candidacy for Second District St. Joseph County Commissioner. Shaffer has served as a county commissioner on two previous occasions. On the ballot during the Aug. 4 primary election, the second district seat will represent Florence and Lockport townships, part of Fabius Township, and part of the city of Three Rivers. It is …

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Report from SJC commissioners

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners discussed a few matters of note Tuesday. Chairman Dennis Allen said the county’s Commission on Aging is hosting karaoke at its Sturgis location 5 to 8 p.m. Monday. The Three Rivers site will host karaoke from 5 to 8 p.m. June 29. In addition, commissioner Ken Malone said the county’s parks …

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County commission makes hiring freeze exceptions

Four exceptions were made to the county’s hiring freeze Dec. 15. St. Joseph County commissioners granted permission for District Court to fill two deputy clerk positions, Juvenile Court to fill its director/referee position and treasurer’s office to hire a deputy treasurer. In a separate matter, the board heard from emergency services director Erin Goff regarding an update on the 2020 …

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County commissioner recognized after 10 years on board

St. Joseph County officials said goodbye to the dean of the five-member county commission board Tuesday. Allen Balog is wrapping up his 10th year on the panel. That follows a four-year tenure as mayor of the Three Rivers City Commission. A resolution recognizing Balog and his contributions to the county board was approved by commissioners. Balog, a 64-year-old Three Rivers …

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Executive committee recommends several appointments

St. Joseph County commissioners recommended appointing Sarah Apwisch to the county’s Transportation Authority Board. The matter was brought up at Wednesday’s executive committee meeting. Other loose ends addressed at the meeting include the recommended re-appointments of Rick Shaffer, Dan Czajkowski and Ken Malone to the county’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Commissioners also agreed to continue meeting via Zoom as long …

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