County Commission

Sixteen county employees, led by District Court Judge Jeff Middleton, were recognized for their milestone employment anniversaries Tuesday. The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners staged its annual Employee Service Awards program at the onset of its meeting. Rather than the board chairman read the names of recipients, a new twist saw department heads handle that duty. Ten-year employees recognized …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will have to include a major budget allocation for the parks and recreation department in 2017. Cost estimates for a sanitary sewer and water project for Cade Lake Park and Campground were revealed during Tuesday’s county commission meeting. Daniel Byam, project engineer from Jones Petrie Rafinski, told commissioners the bids range …

Six agenda items, including consideration of an annexation request by the village of Mendon, will be fielded by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this afternoon. Other matters before the board include an intergovernmental transfer of funds with the Workforce Development Board, the annual child care fund plan and budget, and employment agreements with Ann Happel and Brian McDaniel …

Three items of new business are included in what appears to be a short meeting this afternoon by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The five-member panel will discuss the potential renewal of a community-corrections grant, the possible renewal of a cooperative-reimbursement program for Friend of the Court and an agreement for law-enforcement coverage for the village of Centreville. …

An Emergency Management Grant Agreement was recently approved by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The $25,700 in federal dollars was provided through the Michigan State Police and its Emergency Management Homeland Security Division, which had a total of $9 million to allocate nationwide. County administrator Pat Yoder said the funds dedicated to St. Joseph County were renewed from …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this week approved accepting a grant on behalf of the sheriff’s department to fund secondary road patrol. County administrator Pat Yoder said the grant, in excess of $185,000, is awarded through the state police agency’s office of Highway Safety Planning. It covers the cost of two deputies dedicated to patrolling the county’s secondary roads …

Downtown-improvement projects in Constantine and Sturgis got a boost Tuesday, as both received $100,000 from the county’s board of commissioners. The two municipalities were issued the grants from a special DDA fund the county set up a few years ago to support local economic-development projects. County administrator Pat Yoder said the projects were scrutinized and deemed eligible for the funds. …

A short meeting appears to be on tap for the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this afternoon. Three items of new business will be handled by the board: downtown development authority grants will be considered for the village of Constantine and city of Sturgis, and renewal of a secondary-road-patrol grant is up for discussion. The meeting starts at 5 …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved budget amendments Tuesday to pay for enhanced courthouse security and other improvements. About two-thirds of the $300,000 in amendments will cover expenses related to heightened security through the end of the year. County finance director Joni Smith said the $204,000 cost reflects five-twelfths of the annual cost to implement a variety of security …

The budgeting process for St. Joseph County finance director Joni Smith became a little less complicated Tuesday. Members of the county’s board of commissioners agreed to change the fiscal year for Commission On Aging to the calendar year. The move makes the Jan. 1-Dec. 31 fiscal year consistent with the county’s and other agencies. Commission On Aging previously operated on …