 Board Chair Patrick Gardner, Rocky McLeod, and Sheriff Pat Hedlund County Board Honors Rocky McLeod By N3 News Team At their regular meeting on August 24th the Newaygo County Board of Commissioners approved the Office of Highway Safety Traffic Enforcement Grant application with some discussion beforehand. Commissioner Phil Deur explained that the focus of the grant was to enforce drunk driving violations and seat belt enforcement and... ...Commissioner Chris Ortwein expressed a concern prior to the vote.
‘I’ve had constituents complain about feeling like they are being targeted,” said Mr. Ortwein. “Some restaurant owners have said deputies wait near the business and stop people who have left. I understand if someone is intoxicated and weaving on the road but people who have a couple of drinks are being stopped. Those are the complaints I’ve heard.” “I understand the concern but the locations are based on high crash data,” said Mr. Deur. “Officers need to be able to articulate why they’ve stopped someone, though there are many reasons someone can be pulled over that people might not be aware of.” “This grant mandates a certain number of contacts per hour,” he added. “I appreciate the safety concerns, I just want to make sure our citizens are not being targeted,” stated Mr. Ortwein. The Board recognized retiring corrections officer Rocky McLeod citing his positive outlook, great work ethic and service to the community since coming on board in 1993. Colleagues and family members were on hand to share in the ceremony for Mr. McLeod. Trial Court Director/FOC Ellsworth Stay used public comment time to share a proclamation by Governor Rick Snyder designating August as Child Support Month. After reading the proclamation acknowledging the many professionals throughout the state’s child support system Mr. Stay chose to single out the efforts put forth locally by the Newaygo County Friend of the Court staff. “The county’s population is 48,000 and we currently have over 3600 active cases,” he stated. “I want to recognize the 12 members of the FOC staff for their hard work in helping the children and families of Newaygo County as part of child support month. They are an integral part of enforcing child support obligations in the county.” Commissioners approved a Michigan Department of Transportation project that will bring several new replacement vehicles to the Commission on Aging over the next 2-3 years. The project accesses federal and state monies in the amount of $889,130 for the vehicles. The current vehicles in use may be part of efforts at creating a pilot program for bringing a public transportation system to the county, according to COA Director Joseph Fox. Commissioner Larry Lethorn questioned this federally funded pilot program. “I’m leery of these pilot programs because federal money can dry up quickly leaving the burden on the county,” said Mr. Lethorn. “We’re talking about a large county and very few people.” Commissioners also announced there are 3 vacancies on the COA board and encouraged interested candidates to apply through the County Clerk’s office. Comments are closed.
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October 2024
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