The Oceana County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Oceana County Airport receiving funds from MDOT’s Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act Agreement to correct the easement of Runway 9 at its Jan. 22 meeting. Between federal and state funds, the project will total $365,338.
The board also approved expanded court recording duties for Circuit, District and Family Court employees alongside the requisite raise for those expanded responsibilities. The increase in pay is made available through funds retained through the reduction of the current court reporter’s contract, with an extra $18,000 in savings.
The county will also form a new Advisory Tax Limitation Committee for 2026, as required every 10 years, as Oceana residents vote in August to either increase or extend the tax limits. Committee members will include the county treasurer, the commissioner’s finance committee chair and township supervisors. The committee must have their recommendation submitted and adopted by the board by May 12.
Also at the meeting, County Administrator Tracy Byard was named an authorized electronic signatory for MDOT-related paperwork alongside Chairman Robert Walker in order to streamline and quicken the administrative process, particularly in the most recent MDOT grant for the Oceana County Council on Aging’s bus barn project. Said Walker, “it makes a lot of sense to have [a signatory] who's in the courthouse all the time… then I don’t have to drive back and forth to come up here and sign a paper.”
Finally, the board was informed that the District Court promoted a current employee to the role of Deputy Magistrate, which the commissioners requested they provide before they could hire another part-time clerk. When asked for his opinion of the promotion, Sheriff Craig Mast said, “This will be extremely helpful for several positions in my staff to help the process move along,” citing past delays that have affected arraignments and the signature of warrants while police wait for a judge.
Commissioner Tim Beggs thanked the District Court for fulfilling their request, “I hope now, with this position in place, that those concerns from our law enforcement will be relieved, and that there will be more flexibility and availability from the courts…we have a person in place now. I hope it's utilized well and alleviates [these] issues.”
The commissioners also received an update on the process of exploring and selecting a new GIS mapping provider for the county. The new system the county is exploring - Esri - was viewed by department heads to positive reception, with several highlighted features being the county’s ownership of the surveyed maps, adoption by other Michigan counties, and the user-friendly interface. Should the County’s BS&A cloud be compatible with the new system, the county could go forward with the provider.
At the end of the regular meeting, the board went into closed session to discuss the written opinion provided by the county attorney. Following the closed season, the board agreed to adopt the wages discussed in the meeting, specifically those of the police chief, deputy and county administrator.
