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News
By: Allison Joy
CRYSTAL FALLS — The Iron County Board of Commissioners approved a contract for services with Dickinson County for the position of medical examiner at its Jan. 9 general meeting.
Civil Counsel Steve Tinti noted to the board that Danny Yarger, the current Iron County medical examiner, was planning to retire.
Current medical investigators for the county will continue performing their duties under the supervision of the Dickinson County medical examiner. Iron County will remain responsible for appointing and employing its own medical investigators.
Under the contract, services provided by Dickinson County include autopsies, radiological examination and toxicology, investigative reports and death certificate invoices.
While no outline of cost of services was made available, “The scale for services appeared to be financially responsible from some that we recently had to pay elsewhere,” Tinti said.
The Dickinson medical examiner will function as an independent contractor with the county. Dickinson County will cover the cost of wages, equipment and insurance related to the examiner position. Iron County will continue covering the costs of its own medical investigators. Dickinson will bill Iron County monthly for services.
“We’re going to get complete across-the-board services,” Tinti said. “They have a new facility that is out at Fort Airport [in Iron Mountain]; and they are required, if the medical examiner leaves, to obtain a replacement.”
Either party can terminate the agreement with 90 days notice. It is a one year contract with an automatic one year renewal.
The board of commissioners also addressed the following matters at its January meeting:
• Anne Kretschmann, the Iron County 4-H coordinator, reported to the board that there were currently 50 local youth participating in 4-H activities, facilitated by 25 volunteers across six different clubs.
Stauber pressed MSU Extension District Director Paul Putnam about the cost paid by Iron County to MSU for the 4-H coordinator position. The county pays $25,000 annually for Kretschmann to work 12 hours per week.
“I’m sure the board as a whole would like to know more of what is going on and if MSU is doing anything in the area for the youth, and for the county as a whole,” Stauber said, later adding: “You’re telling us that it costs $25,000 a year to have her there one day a week?”
• Treasurer Melanie Camps gave a report on interest accrued by the county for 2023.
“If you went to the bank to try to get a loan, you know how painful the interest rates are,” Camps said. “Well, in turn, that also was a better year for the county for interest rates.”
Camps said that the county gained $521,000 in interest, including $255,000 to the general fund and $92,000 to the medical care facility.
• Gerold Williams of the Veterans Services Office also gave a 2023 overview of services provided. According to Williams, the office served 988 veterans last year in some capacity, including help with compensation claims, pension claims and burial benefits.
Williams also noted that he had received no applicants for the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund. Launched in 1946, the program offers financial assistance and emergency grants to veterans experiencing hardship and in need of short-term aid.
“We’re going to try to push that a little bit more, see if we can get some money out of the door for our local veterans,” Williams said.
• The board voted unanimously to approve Dona Heikkinen to the Iron County Housing Commission for a five-year term. Seven committee vacancies went unfilled due to no applications being submitted: three vacancies for three-year terms on the Parks and Recreation Committee, and four vacancies for three-year terms on the Authority on Aging Board.
• The board voted unanimously to increase the Sheriff’s Office budget by $11,700, the amount earned after the sale of two squad cars, to facilitate the purchase of a replacement vehicle.
• The board voted unanimously to purchase a half-page ad in the 2024 Iron County Visitor Guide for $535.
• The board approved via voice vote posting to fill a position for accounting clerk in the treasurer’s office.
The board of commissioners meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. at the Iron County Courthouse in
Crystal Falls. More information is available at ironmi.org.
Quin Illi contributed to the reporting of this article.