Council member petitions for services
Published 9:04 am Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Niles City Council member Georgia Boggs is spearheading an effort to bring more services back to the South Berrien County area.
Georgia Boggs
At Monday’s Niles City Council meeting, Boggs said she has talked to numerous residents who are unhappy that they have to travel more than 20 minutes to Benton Harbor to access programs through the county’s Department of Human Services.
“That’s a long way to go for some people,” Bogg said. “It is an inconvenience.”
To address this issue, Boggs has started a petition asking the county to reinstate Department of Human Services programs at the South County Building in Niles.
The majority of the services were moved to Benton Harbor in 2012.
“We are asking all citizens to participate by signing the petition and we welcome volunteer assistance in completing this task,” she said. “If you want to be part of making changes, let’s get together and do this.”
The language on the petition reads:
“We the citizens of south Berrien County would like to express our interest to reinstate the South County Building for the Office of Berrien County Department of Human Services for the South County residents.”
Councilman Tim Skalla applauded Boggs’ endeavor. He said the council should make some type of official statement regarding the lack of services offered at the South County Building in Niles.
The comments from Boggs and Skalla both came during council members’ reports at the end of the meeting.
No action was taken.
For more information or to volunteer please call Boggs at (269) 683-3873.
