By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS - A resolution adopted Thursday by the Cass County Board of Commissioners urges the Senate Appropriations Committee to reconsider chopping the MI CHOICE budget.
Commissioners said MI CHOICE, a program that enables some of the county's many elderly and disabled citizens to stay in their homes instead of being "confined" to nursing homes, saves Medicaid millions of dollars.
The Senate Appropriations Committee seeks to freeze MI CHOICE enrollment to save $8 million in the 2006 fiscal year.
MI CHOICE "has a waiting list of over 2,000 people and a freeze on enrollment will make the wait even longer, resulting in many being placed in nursing home facilities," states Resolution 127 of 2005, introduced by Commissioner Terri Kitchen, R-Silver Creek Township.
County closing
Christmas week
Commissioners approved Dixie Ann File's motion altering the 2005 holiday schedule to close county buildings the entire week of Dec. 25.
Affected employees will use earned time off, vacation or a day without pay on Dec. 28.
The Christmas holiday will be Dec. 26 and 27.
New Year's will be observed Dec. 29 and Dec. 30.
Undersheriff purchasing
MERS service credit
Commissioners allowed Undersheriff Richard J. Behnke to buy 3 1/2 years of service for $41,357 from MERS, the Municipal Employees Retirement System.
Behnke, 41, has more than 18 years of credited service.
He said this purchase will not give him enough time to retire, however.
Plat Board budget
increased by $120
The Cass County Plat Board, comprised of the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, the county treasurer and the clerk/register, reviews, gives preliminary approval and forwards plats to the state.
The panel only meets when a plat is submitted for review, so it has no idea how often it will be required to convene each year.
Its $388 budget was exhausted after six meetings.
Members are compensated $40 for a full day and $20 for a half day.
to Election Account
Commissioners approved Clerk-Register Barb Wilson's request to move $300 into the Election Account. The original budget allocated $1,406. Due to the new consolidated election law that took effect Jan. 1, Wilson now runs school elections.
There was a $40,000 transferred into the Election Account in April to allow for the additional balloting. The schools are then billed, with the money reimbursed to the county as revenue.
The last election this fiscal year occurred Aug. 2, when the account came up $300 short.