Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
The books look good.
Houghton County received an unmodified or clean audit report during Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
The report was presented by Debbie Bradford of Rukkila, Negro & Associates.
The board also received their annual report from Equalization Director John Partanen.
The assessed value of property within the county increased 1.025 percent and taxable value went up 1.021 percent, with only a 0.3 percent inflation rate.
Partanen said that was the lowest inflation rate it’s been since the current system was put in place in 1995.
Confusion still swirls around payments to dispersing agencies for substance abuse services.
There is an ongoing dispute involving the county, Western U.P. Substance Abuse Services and Northcare Network and how much money needs to be allocated and to which agency.
Commissioner Tim Palosaari says he will be participating in a meeting on April 20th, so he hopes to bring back more information to the board for their next meeting–or perhaps call a special meeting prior to then to make sure substances abuse services in the county continue to be funded.
Payments from the county to the Copper Country Humane Society will see their first increase in seven years.
The board approved to pay the rate of $22 a day for each stray animal collected from Houghton County and housed at the shelter with a cap of $20,000, effective in October.
The current rate is $19 with a cap of $17,000.
The last rate increase October 2009.
An end of an era? Due to lack of participation and difficulty in finding someone to run it, the Houghton County Fair Board is discontinuing the annual Houghton County Fair Queen Pageant held in August.
Commissioner Palosaari says the fair board will instead replace the pageant with a talent competition.
Houghton County’s new website is up and running, featuring the new county seal.
County Administrator Eric Forsberg said some corrections still need to be made but the public is invited to check it out.
