County Commission

The job of St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner is now a 40-hour-a-week position. Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the increase from 28 hours weekly. Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel, who is being contested for the post in the November election, will see no pay raise, as his salary will remain $33,000 a year. Wenzel, …

A number of seasonal positions were filled Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The St. Joseph County Sheriff Department’s marine patrol unit will have a roster of seven part-time employees, headed by Sgt. Jeff Terpenning. A Centreville High School teacher, Terpenning will be paid $17 an hour. Joining him as marine patrol officers will be Jaymes MacDonald, …

            St. Joseph County’s new MSU Extension agriculture agent was introduced Tuesday to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.             John Zirkle, an Indiana native, recently graduated from the University of Vermont with a master’s degree in plant soil science. Zirkle’s work will cover a variety of issues, including helping with field trials, pest-management testing and lending a hand …

St. Joseph County plans to levy 4.5482 percent of taxable value in excess of $1.8 billion, following a vote taken by the board of commissioners Tuesday. Money generated from the levy, which is applied to county property owners, accounts for almost two-thirds of the tax dollars the county collects annually, according to county administrator Judy West-Wing. She said money generated …

The St. Joseph County E-911 Central Dispatch in 2011 fielded nearly 84,000 telephone calls for police, fire and emergency medical services. During the department’s annual report last month to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, director Jon Uribe noted the Centreville-based agency for the first time in its history fielded more calls from people using cellular phones than landline …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners recently made clear their support for House Bill 5223, which establishes a program of substance-abuse testing as a condition of eligibility for Family Independence program assistance. The measure prohibits recipients of such aid from continuing if they test positive for substance abuse or refuse to comply to the test. Copies of …

A media release issued Thursday by the St. Joseph County Road Commission indicates a roadway in Fawn River Township, closed since December, is now open. Department officials said Kime Road was slated to open at 6 a.m. today, as crews have finished work on a bridge spanning the Fawn River. The bridge is between Fawn River Road and Stoney Road.

St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel was appointed this week to serve as the administrator of soil-erosion permits. The move taken by St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners Tuesday means the permits will no longer be the responsibility of the county’s conservation district. In addition, commissioners accepted Wenzel’s recommended revised fee for soil-erosion permits. The conservation district in November …

The filing deadline for county offices was Tuesday, and voters in St. Joseph County in August will have choices to make in at least three contests. Five candidates are vying for the post of probate judge, a position currently held by the retiring Tom Shumaker. The contestants are John Barnes, Tom Robertson, David Tomlinson, Christine Yancey and Robert Dutka. Three …

Urged by a capacity crowd, St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners Tuesday agreed to place a millage renewal request before voters regarding the county’s Commission on Aging. Fifteen people addressed commissioners, asking that they consider placing a six-year renewal of three-quarters of a mill before voters in the Aug. 7 primary election. Commissioners had previously debated whether to ask for …