County Commission

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has set a time and date for a work session next week. Commissioners will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday at the county courthouse to discuss two matters. Chairman Rick Shaffer said time will be taken to discuss the impending vacancy of the county administrator’s position. Current administrator Judy West-Wing plans to retire in …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners followed through on their financial commitment toward an enhanced drug-enforcement unit that will focus on people behind methamphetamine production and sales. During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners agreed to their part of the three-way funding mechanism that includes partnerships with the cities of Sturgis and Three Rivers. Previously, the commission accepted the funding …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday recognized 30 people observing milestone anniversaries as county employees. Soon-to-be-retired county administrator Judy West-Wing led the way with 30 years of service. Honored for their silver anniversary as county employees were Larry Diekman, Terry Hammond, Bernice Metzger, Tab Wedge, Pat Kulikowski, Tom Miller and Dan Kennedy. Also singled out Tuesday were …

Members of the St. Joseph County Conservation District and a team of volunteers completed the final river cleanup of the season on the Portage River Sept. 29. More than a dozen people were on hand to clear a section of the river between Parkville Road and North Fisher Lake Road. Volunteers collected approximately 350 pounds of debris, which included a …

A twice-a-year collection of electronics and household hazardous waste items Saturday was declared a success by event organizers. Staged at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, the four-hour event netted about 7,000 pounds of hazardous waste, almost 24,000 pounds of electronics and 340 tires. The collection was sponsored by the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee, whose secretary, Pat Kulikowski, said …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough was given approval this week to hire a new assistant prosecuting attorney. Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed to modify the 2012 budget to accommodate the hiring of Natasha Pattanshetti. She will work part time for two months, then step in on a full-time basis after current assistant T.J. Reed …

Mike King, owner of the Weenie Kings push-cart hot dog stand, was given approval to serve as a vendor at two upcoming events on county property. King, a Three Rivers businessman, will be at Cade Lake for this weekend’s Halloween-theme activities, and at Meyer Broadway Park Oct. 14 for the Three Rivers Fall Color Tour. Approval for King’s concessions was …

Discussions regarding budget requests from various county departments started Tuesday, when members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners staged the first of what could be a number of workshops related to the county’s 2013 fiscal-year budget. The three-hour special session featured a thorough review of requests from various departments. Though no concrete decisions were made, recommendations were tentatively …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners have agreed to increase the fee for a marriage waiver. During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners acted on Clerk Pattie Bender’s request to raise the fee from $5 to $25. In a memo to commissioners, Bender explained that when a couple applies for a marriage license, the law requires a three-day waiting period …

The millage amount to be levied for St. Joseph County’s 911 Central Dispatch service in 2013 will be half a mill, one-quarter of a mill less than what voters authorized in August. Millage amounts to levy next year for four county agencies were set Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. While the county’s roads, transportation and commission …