County Commission

St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners last week approved a pair of out-of-state travel requests. Clerk Lindsay Oswald requested permission for deputy county clerk Catherine Rigby to attend OnBase computer training in Cleveland on two separate occasions. The first session is Aug. 17-21 and the second is Sept. 21-25. The other request was made by E-911 Central Dispatch Director Dennis …

More than two dozen homeowners in a southwest Michigan community are frustrated after county officials told them to remove their stone mailboxes. On July 14, letters from the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County were sent to 25 homeowners in a Texas Township subdivision, saying they must replace the stone and brick mailboxes by Aug. 14. The letters say the mailboxes …

Two items related to members of the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County Board were pulled from Tuesday’s county commission meeting. At the onset of the meeting, Commissioner Rick Shaffer requested the agenda be amended to not include potential action related to cause and removal of CMH board chair Barb Parker. Shaffer also requested that …

Several hundred people gathered Saturday for a massive farewell party to honor a county icon. On her 65th birthday, Pattie Bender was recognized for her 45 years of service as a St. Joseph County employee. She served 24 of her final years as county clerk. Staged at the Henningsen Show Arena at the county fairgrounds, the event drew friends, family, …

A legislative update from State Rep. Aaron Miller was the highlight of Tuesday’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting. Miller, a first-term legislature from Sherman Township, said the senate plan for road funding was the biggest bit of news he had to offer. He said $400 million in federal funds was allocated for the state’s transportation fund for the …

St. Joseph County commissioners recently gave their approval to a request made by circuit court judge Paul Stutesman regarding an out-of-state travel notice. In a memo to commissioners, Stutesman stated he would like court administrator Kathy Griffin to attend the National Association for Court Management’s annual conference in Louisville, Ky. Two nights of lodging during the weeklong conference later this …

St. Joseph County commissioners last week approved Schaffer Consulting of Bethesda, Md., to review the financial and operating procedures of the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County. Commissioners agreed to include the county health department in the study. County administrator Pat Yoder said Schaffer is expected to do a follow-up performance and look at opportunities …

A ceremonial ground breaking took place Tuesday for the South County Community Enrichment Center. County, municipal and commission on aging dignitaries gathered at the Sturgis site for a 20-minute program that included the ceremonial dirt-turning. Making comments to the crowd of about 30 people were Sturgis Mayor Ken Malone, Three Rivers City Manager Joe Bippus, St. Joseph County Commissioner Don …

St. Joseph County and its Commission on Aging will break ground at 9 a.m. Tuesday for the senior service agency’s new Sturgis facility. Lynn Coursey, COA executive director, said the amount of monthly rent her agency will pay for space in the new South County Community Enrichment Center still has not been set. Last week, however, Coursey told her board …

Two weeks after she was recognized for giving her final annual report as county clerk, Pattie Bender was once again the center of attention Tuesday. The 64-year-old Bender was saluted as Tuesday was the final county commission meeting before her June 30 retirement. The fanfare included a resolution in her honor, and gifts of a watch from the courthouse employees …