The Houghton County Board of Commissioners approved to fund the establishment of an app through the Sheriff’s Department which will service the citizens of Houghton County in a variety of ways. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

The Houghton County Board of Commissioners held its monthly regular meeting Tuesday. The board went over a variety of topics including the establishment of an app run through the Sheriff’s office along with new equipment for officers, positional appointments, approvals of multiple deficit elimination plan resolutions and the payment of bills.

This was all preceded by a hearing from Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) Executive Director Jeff Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe had shared the plans for a 22 residential unit taking the place on the site of the former mercantile building in Chassell. The $4.5 million project would be paid through grants and Brownfield tax increment finance. After the hearing the board approved the related Resolution 2024-26.

The board revisited old business from last month’s meeting regarding the Sheriff’s Department app which the board put on hold to learn more about it from the Sheriff’s Department. Two representatives of the department were present to provide more in depth information on the app that the board requested. The app will be free for mobile devices and share information regarding jail management with citizens.

Citizens will have the ability to see who county inmates are, what crimes they have committed and what their bond amount is. Information on the jail itself will be accessible including visiting hours and how to bond an individual out. The app will also have a tool that will allow citizens to provide law enforcement with tips that can help proceed criminal charges. The app will also allow access to information about the Sheriff’s Department and its workers, list sex offenders in the county and provide community notifications and emergency alerts such as traffic closures.

The board approved the package from OCV and the the LLC purchased for $16,189.50. The years moving forward in maintaining the app will be from $5,000 to $6,000. The board also approved the purchase of new tasers for the Sheriff’s Office amounting to $6,495.40 and equipment outfitting purchase for the department’s vehicles at $49,150. The purchase for the vehicles will be the final stage for readying newer vehicles for service.

The board then approved to award $10,000 in advance to WUPPDR and then discussed deficit elimination plan resolutions. When a local government has a deficit within a fiscal year, it is legally obligated to form a deficit elimination plan. These plans revolve around 2023 audits, with deficits found in solid waste transfer station, passenger facility charge, Twin Lakes, Michigan Indigent Defense and Jail Commissary. While all plans were approved, the passenger facility charge will always find itself in a deficit and it is believed that the state will accept the plan.

Tim Palosaari was then appointed to the U.P. State Fair Authority for two years and Commissioner Gretchen Janssen to the UPCAP Board of Commissioners. Mike Stafford was then approved for the WUPPDR Material Management Planning Committee and Linda Kelly for a three year term on the Copper Country Mental Health Services Board.

The board approved to pay bills amounting to $1,188,831.80 and there was an announcement near the end of the meeting from County Clerk Jennifer Kelly.

“By the end of this month, I have to remove all the items from the early voting center at the city center,” she said. “They’re going to be renting out that space. Now the city of Hancock has very graciously offered me the two rooms over at the Houghton County arena. So I think for the future of our early voting center, parking will be better. I have a huge room to store the equipment after the election, they’re not going to charge the cities and townships or us. So that’s wonderful.”