Legislative Update, March 2021
Sen. Ed McBroom
Senator Ed McBroom
Sen. McBroom has introduced 23 pieces of legislation in March, although many have not received a vote.
On March 4, he introduced a bill to mandate certain nurse-patient ratios. This has been referred to committee.
On March 9, he introduced a series of bills. Two were to exempt a person from needing to wear a helmet when riding an ORV or snowmobile if they have a note from their doctor that they can’t wear a helmet. Both passed out of the Senate to the house on March 17. Paired with that legislation was also a bill to hold a physician exempt from liability for civil damages that result from not writing such a note. It also passed.
McBroom also introduced a pair of resolutions on March 9. One to urge the creation of wolf hunting and trapping programs, and the other to end a study on the effectiveness of antler point restrictions in Chronic Wasting Disease management. Both resolutions were immediately passed on a voice vote and sent to the House, where they have been referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation.
On March 11, McBroom introduced bills to make county commissioner terms four years instead of two, to expand open records laws to the legislature and governor’s office, and to waive liquor license fees during the epidemic. None of these has received a vote. He also introduced a resolution to require that meetings of university boards be open to the public, which also has not emerged from committee.
On March 17, he introduced a revision to commercial fishing law. This would redefine the rulemaking authority of the Department of Natural Resources, and require a trawling license to be provided to any commercial fisher who was granted one before 1970. This bill has been referred to the committee on natural resources, which Sen. McBroom chairs.
On March 23, McBroom introduced a bill to provide discounts on hunting and fishing licenses for certain 'qualified nonresidents’.
On March 24, McBroom introduced a series of bills about elections and canvassing. I recommend reading the Associated Press’s story, by David Eggert. From Eggert:
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Republicans on Wednesday proposed a slew of election bills that would require voters to submit a photo ID, prohibit the unsolicited mass mailing of absentee ballot applications, and restrict the hours in which people could drop their ballot in curbside boxes.
Chair of the state Republican Party Ron Weiser has said the party will spearhead a ballot initiative to avoid a veto from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. You can read the series of four bills for yourself here; SB 0298, SB 0297, SB 0296, and SB 0286. They have all been referred to committee.
On March 25, Sen. McBroom introduced a bill to require state agencies to publish all records related to COVID-19 to a website. This bill is now in committee. He also introduced a bill that would require the Department of Corrections to produce a report balancing the savings of the state against the impact to the local economy before closing a correctional facility. This has been referred to the committee on local government.
Sen. Ed McBroom:
Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov
Phone: 866-305-2038
Rep. Greg Markkanen has introduced no bills in March.
Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0850
Rep. Greg Markkanen
Key Votes
Many of the votes in March had to do with limiting Gov. Whitmer’s powers, or appropriating federal coronavirus aid money.
On March 23, Sen. McBroom voted in favor of prohibiting epidemic emergency orders from limiting members of a family or household gathering together in public, specifically at restaurants and sporting events. He also supported prescribed thresholds for lockdown restrictions.
On March 3, Rep. Markkanen voted in favor of limiting the use of the “Integrated Public Alert Warning System” strictly to emergencies involving imminent loss of life or property.
Markkanen and McBroom both supported the exemption of some developer’s broadband equipment from personal property tax on March 25.
Markkanen also supported a telehealth bill that narrowly passed the House on March 24. The bill establishes that medical service professionals in another state do not need to be licensed in Michigan to provide Michigan patients with service.
Markkanen has voted in favor of two House bills that would expand open records laws to the governor’s office and legislators. The votes took place on March 18, during Sunshine Week.
Sen. McBroom supported Senate Resolution 31, denouncing the Attorney General’s refusal to investigate nursing home deaths. Attorney General Dana Nessel has said she has found no cause for an investigation.
This is not an exhaustive list of bills currently in the legislature, or votes by our local representatives. For more information, you can search bills on the Michigan Legislature website by category, sponsor, committee, year, keyword and more.
Ontonagon Village Council increases millage rate to 15
The Ontonagon Village Council met, via telecom, on March 22. Under unfinished business on the agenda was the matter of the Municipal Employees Retirement System (MERS) obligation. It was reported that the village made a payment of $21,441.31 on March 16 which covered the payment that was due on Oct. 20, 2020. The total amount past due is $104,308.23, and the intention is to continue “chipping away” at this past due amount. The past due amounts break down as follows: Nov. 2020, $32,350.08; Dec. 2020, $36,541.12; and Jan. 2021, $35,417.03.
The village was advised that this matter is now being referred to the MERS Legal Department for legal action, and late fees will be applied. Interim Manager William DuPont had a meeting on March 10 with the MERS representative to discuss options to reduce the payments. These could include freezing the current plan and negotiating different retirement options as well as possible buy-outs.
The council, among other business items, moved to the next needed step:
• Resolution 2021-09: Authorization of the 2021-22 Tax Levy: This item was considered absolutely necessary and is a first step in addressing the MERS obligation. After all available alternatives had been considered, the village council adopted the following resolution:
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 14(1) of Act 621 of the Public Acts of 1978, the Interim Village Manager, as the Chief Administrative Officer, has prepared and presented to the Village Council with a balanced budget; and
WHEREAS, on March 22, 2021, the Ontonagon Village Council approved a general appropriations act for Fiscal Year 2021-22 authorizing the expenditures of the Village funds; and
WHEREAS, the millage rate necessary to raise revenues for Village operating and debt retirement purposes:
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Village Treasurer is hereby authorized to levy and collect the following millage rates for the 2021-22 Fiscal Year:
GENERAL FUND OPERATION & DEBT: 15.00 Mills
TOTAL: 15.00 Mills
This is a tax increase from the current 11 Mills to the maximum millage allowed without a referendum vote. This resolution (tax increase) had to be passed by a two-thirds majority of the village council present and voting, which in this instance would require four out of the six council members present to vote for approval of the resolution.
It was moved by Trustee Sarah Hopper, supported by Trustee Mike Rebholz to adopt the resolution. The actual vote was unanimous in favor.
• Resolution 2021-10, Deficit Elimination Plan: This resolution was to address a deficit fund balance in the Marina Fund of $119,023. This deficit was reported in the recent auditors findings. The Michigan Department of the Treasury requires a deficit elimination plan to be in place and filed with the department.
The deficit was the result of a MDNR grant that was obtained to pay for the Marina Dredging project. Due to an oversight, the final grant report was not submitted on time, however, the MDNR agreed to extend the deadline and the grant funds recouped present a balance of $35,453 as of March 31, 2022. Simply put, completion of the grant “paperwork” resolves the cause of the deficit. The Deficit Elimination Plan will be submitted to the Michigan Department of the Treasury.
It was moved by Trustee Elmer Marks Jr, supported by Trustee Don Chastan to adopt the resolution and carried on a roll call vote.
• Resolution 2021-11, Authorization of General Appropriations for April 1, 2021-March 31, 2022: This is the budget authorization, based on a millage rate of 15 mills. Without listing each fund, the bottom line is a total of $3,422,321 in General Fund revenue with $3,248,650 in total expenditures.
It was moved by Hamm, supported by Chastan to approve the General Appropriations Resolution, and was carried....this constitutes the budget adoption for the forthcoming fiscal year.
The Council adopted a final resolution, designating March 31 as Jan Tucker Day in the village.
VILLAGE OF ONTONAGON
RESOLUTION NO. 2021 – 12
A RESOLUTION TO DESIGNATE MARCH 31, 2021 AS ‘JAN TUCKER DAY’ IN THE VILLAGE OF ONTONAGON.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has been a long-time resident of the Village of Ontonagon and has established herself to be a beloved local personality, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has served for 60 years as a local newspaper reporter, relating local news stories to the residents of the western end of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has worked diligently as part of the Labor Day Committee for over 57 years to ensure the success of the Labor Day celebration in Ontonagon, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has been an active member for over 50 years of the Ontonagon County Cancer Association that provides funding and support for local and Ontonagon County individuals and families living in Ontonagon County who have been afflicted with cancer, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has demonstrated her love and commitment to her community with her membership, in company with her friends, neighbors, leaders, and problem- solvers in the community who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has demonstrated her personal values by serving her faith community as a CCD instructor and as an Eucharistic Minister for Holy Family Catholic Church, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has enthusiastically been a part of the Ontonagon Area High School Scholarship Committee that provides support and educational opportunities to our community’s younger citizens, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker participated in many other community activities and organizations that included the Ontonagon Golf Club and the Women’s Club, and
WHEREAS, Jan Tucker has spent 57 years as a local radio personality providing recipes, commentary on local and national events, and personal insight on virtually every topic known to mankind, and is retiring from this unique service on March 31, 2021.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Village of Ontonagon Council of Trustees declares that March 31, 2021 shall be designated as ‘Jan Tucker Day’ in the Village of Ontonagon.
• At 6:43 pm Council went into a closed session to discuss client/attorney matters regarding former Village Manager Joseph Erickson. Council returned to the open session at 7:11 p.m..
President Tony Smydra called for a motion to rescind the council’s termination of Joseph Erickson and this was forthcoming and carried.
At this point, President Smydra, acting on his authority as Village President, suspended Joseph Erickson, with cause, with pay, and declared the intent of taking up the matter of providing Erickson with a hearing and to afford the council the opportunity to consider his employment status. The meeting was adjourned at this point. It was 7:13 p.m.
Ontonagon Village Council terminates manager’s employment, again
At a special meeting convened at the Ontonagon Fire Hall on April 7, the Ontonagon Village Council, after a contentious vote, ended the employment of Joseph Erickson, village manager. This firing had begun in February when the council voted to end Erickson’s tenure as village manager, however this action was deemed as illegal because Erickson had not been afforded the opportunity to state a defense at a formal hearing. Erickson had subsequently been reinstated and then put on suspension pending said hearing.
Erickson was represented at Wednesday’s hearing by his attorney, Adrian Wolfe of Marquette.
Three individuals spoke during the period of public comment; Ted Baird, a local attorney praised Erickson by saying he was “extremely meticulous and hard-working.” Local contractor, Norman Pestka related that as a result of the manager’s “sitting on his hands,” his personal integrity had been called into question when he and the manager had worked together on a village project. Pestka had been accused of the theft of village property and it was only after Erickson had informed the council of the confidential arrangement, that had been undertaken without the village council’s knowledge, that Pestka was cleared. Pestka charged that Erickson had “thrown me under the bus.” Another damaging comment came from Don Kulis, who charged that inaction by Erickson had caused a 5-month delay in clearing the way for his home construction and he also charged that subsequent sewer connections to his home site were defective and he held the village and the manager responsible.
Erickson, who had the option of having the hearing conducted in a closed session or open to the public, had chosen the latter. Erickson, in his own defense, stated that his termination was a breach of contract and, after refuting several charges, added that he had no expectation that this hearing would result in his reinstatement. Erickson’s attorney now pointed out that the initial firing on Feb. 25 was illegal as a village ordinance requires that the manager can only be dismissed on at least 4 votes of the trustees. The Feb. 25 vote had been 3 to 2. Wolfe also stated that the reasons for Erickson’s termination did not, under Michigan law, constitute “just cause.”
Trustee Sarah Hopper stated that Erickson had done things without going through “proper channels.” At no time was Erickson charged with any wrongdoing to benefit himself.
Following this, Village President Tony Smydra made clear that at this point that Erickson was still a village employee and he called for a motion to either reinstate or end Erickson’s employment.
At this point, Erickson’s attorney interjected by stating that the council could choose to terminate Erickson “without cause.” Being dismissed without cause entitles the former manager to expanded severance benefits.
Hopper then made the motion to terminate Erickson’s employment, with cause, effective immediately. The vote was 4 to 3 with President Smydra voting in favor of termination.
Erickson’s attorney immediately challenged the vote stating that dismissal of the manager requires 4 votes by the trustees, and as President Smydra, by definition, is not a trustee, his vote didn’t count. Smydra then announced that the motion to fire Erickson had failed.
Immediately, Trustee Don Chastan offered a motion to terminate Erickson, but without cause. This motion carried with four trustees voting in favor and two voting against the motion.
The meeting, which had lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes was adjourned without further issues.
To make a (very) long story short
The story of Joe Enrietti, B-17 Liberator tail gunner
I met Joseph Enrietti while working on a different story, about an airplane made of rock. That story is also interesting but unrelated. In the course of our discussion of it, he let slip that he was a tail gunner during World War II. I say let slip, but he is proud of his service and I didn’t have to twist his arm much to get him to tell me more.
I wouldn’t call myself an aviation nerd, but I’ve always had an interest in WWII aviation, so I asked if he’d be willing to do an interview for an article.
When we sat down in November, despite the movies and documentaries I’ve watched, I found myself surprised at the experience Joe had, just between the ages of 18 and 20. He’s told me that looking back he can hardly believe it himself.
Our interviews totaled about 2.5 hours, and still hardly scratched the surface of his experience. What I’ve assembled below is an abridged version of those interviews, laid out in a way that I hope is both engaging and demonstrates the distance he traveled, mostly by train and bus, despite the straight lines on the map.
You can move through the different stops on his wartime travels by moving through the slides using the arrows on either side. Don’t forget to press play on the videos that are included on many of the slides.
The recordings of Joseph Enrietti’s story are being submitted to the Library of Congress’s Veteran’s History Project for preservation.
If you’d like to hear the unabridged interviews or read the transcriptions, they are available on Otter.ai at these links:
A playlist of the YouTube videos for one-click listening is available by clicking here.
Handling school outbreaks in Houghton County
Outbreak data from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, school enrollment data from individual school websites.
Above is the raw “school outbreak” data from Houghton County schools and universities, as reported to the state by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department, through mid-April. But the raw data leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
What is a ‘school outbreak’?
While each positive case of COVID-19 discovered is followed up on by the health department, not every positive case in a school is considered part of a school-based outbreak. WUPHD has been using guidelines from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
CSTE definition of a school outbreak
So a ‘school outbreak’ is when the available information points to transmission happening at the school. This definition was developed to try to exclude outbreaks in the greater community that might affect the school, but CSTE acknowledges that establishing that separation is still difficult.
George Stockero, Superintendent of the Copper Country Intermediate School district, is doubtful of transmission in area K-12 schools at all.
“We have struggled to have anyone… show us that there are outbreaks within the school,” he said.
He thinks more often it’s student activities outside of school that then impact the schools.
How are they detected?
Michigan Technological University’s onsite testing lab is a big part of the detection apparatus there, according to Ian Repp, the associate vice president for university marketing and communications. After the school-wide testing at the start of the fall semester, MTU instituted both randomized testing among the student body and targeting testing for those who have displayed symptoms or had close contact with known positive cases.
MTU also monitors the wastewater stream coming from their residence halls. This was shown to accurately predict outbreaks before students started showing symptoms, and was a way to anticipate needed testing and other supplies and safety measures.
“We were proud to be one of the first to sort of get it up and running,” Repp said. “It’s certainly a method that works.”
The wastewater testing doesn’t detect individual cases, so individual testing would have to be used to determine inclusion in a state-reported outbreak.
MTU also had its own contact tracing team, led by Kelly Kamm and staffed by students. They could do it much more efficiently than the health department on campus.
There was no testing of K-12 students beyond what was recommended for the entire community until weekly rapid-testing of school athletes was required by the state.
Who is told about outbreaks?
Positive test results from testing labs, including MTU’s, are reported directly to the health department, who then handles reporting to the state and coordinating or executing contact tracing. Students are contacted directly by contact tracers and the communication doesn’t go through the school administration.
At MTU, Repp says housing and residence hall staff are informed only as much as needed to help with creating adequate isolation spaces.
Communication between K-12 schools and WUPHD was also daily and back and forth. Positive cases discovered through the school are reported to WUPHD, and vice-versa. Decisions on quarantines and isolations are sent from the health department to the school after compiling the information.
“Ultimately, it’s the health department who tells us who is and who isn’t quarantined, and for how long,” Stockero said.
How are outbreaks handled?
Cases aren’t handled any differently if they’re part of an outbreak. Those who are positive for COVID-19 isolate, and those who have been exposed but may not be carrying it quarantine to decrease the potential for further spread.
At MTU, students who were exposed but not necessarily positive would quarantine in their own room, according to Repp. Areas of residence halls were designated isolation spaces, and the definitively positive would move there until they were asymptomatic. Students were checked on daily by contact tracers, as well as Dean of Students Joe Cooper.
Repp said little enforcement action was necessary.
“On campus, we honestly didn’t really have to enforce it,” he said. “We were proud of our effort.”
Any misconduct could be handled through the student code of conduct policy, but Repp said they “never really got there.”
In K-12 schools, there have been some entire classrooms closed down for quarantine, but Stockero said often that was only for potential exposures, and no positive cases would be found. Educators being prioritized for vaccination kept staff from being quarantined.
“That definitely helped,” Stockero said.
When is an outbreak over?
For a positive case to be included in an outbreak, it has to be connected through a vector of transmission within a 14-day period. So if a new case emerges the following week, but no common contact is found with the previous week’s outbreak, it isn’t considered part of that outbreak.
An outbreak is over when no new cases are linked to it for 28 days.
What does the future look like?
At MTU, summer classes are moving forward. MTU’s task force is still working on what the pandemic safety expectations will be.
“I’m optimistic that we’ll have a more relaxed environment in the summer and fall,” Repp said.
Nonetheless, they have the programs in place to tighten restrictions and ramp up testing and other measures if it becomes necessary.
Repp also said that many professors have found advantages to some of the changes during the pandemic, particularly “asynchronous” class structures that allow for more flexible schedules. These could be more widely utilized going forward even as pandemic restrictions ease.
Stockero said there are cautiously optimistic plans to have a mostly normal graduation this spring. He expects summer schools to be busy helping students catch up. Data has shown at-home learners have had lower grades and more failures, and Stockero believes it’s because of the lack of in-person connection.
“We want kids in school,” he said.
Stockero sees technology being used more in the future, though. The pandemic forced teachers, students, and parents to learn how to use online educational technologies. It also highlighted the need for better rural internet infrastructure, which is attracting government spending.
“A lot of money, and a lot of ideas,” Stockero said.
If you’re a teacher, parent or student who would like to share your story about how a school outbreak was handled, reach out to me@joshuavissers.com.
Vaccines are the way, but some unknowns persist
Ebenezer Tumban, PhD
Thirteen months ago, Ebenezer Tumban was an associate professor of molecular virology and vaccinology at Michigan Technological University and told us about how COVID-19’s cellular envelope was special and made it more dangerous.
At the time, the COVID-19 vaccines were still in early development.
Now we have three vaccines being distributed in the United States, and Tumban has moved to Texas to take a job in Texas Tech University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. He still agreed to a follow-up interview about the vaccines, their effectiveness, and their side effects.
Vaccines are the way out of the pandemic
“This virus mutates every day, as we speak,” Tumban said.
Not all viruses mutate very quickly, but because COVID-19 does, the pandemic is something of a race between how quickly humans get vaccinated, and how quickly COVID-19 can mutate.
Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash
Several mutated varieties of COVID-19 have already been discovered, and more are likely. Each new variant is potentially more dangerous.
Tumban explains that the spike protein on the outside of coronavirus cells is like a key, and each mutation on the spike protein is modifying the key to fit a new door, unlocking new ways to infect more cells faster. With each new door it opens, the virus has more options for hosts, and more “space” to continue its development.
Vaccines add an additional defense to your immune system, kind of boarding up the door, and have so far proven effective against some of the mutated strains, too. However, more time among unvaccinated populations gives the virus opportunities to overcome these, too.
Tumban stresses that if everyone is vaccinated and immunized within the same timeframe, then the immune system can destroy the virus and eliminate the potential for dangerous variants in the future. Unvaccinated populations provide opportunity for COVID-19 to persist and continue mutating. As time goes on and the virus persists, new variants are likely to get more and more dangerous.
“We can win the race, if there’s cooperation from people,” Tumban said.
Protection from the virus is not 100% with the vaccine. This is why ‘herd immunity’ is so important. The people who surround a person who has an immune system that cannot mount a good protective response to the vaccine can protect them by being vaccinated themselves. As each person in a community becomes more difficult for COVID-19 to infect, the chance of widespread infection decreases.
Studies continue to fill in the unknowns
The U.S. FDA has approved three vaccines for emergency use, but they are not fully licensed, largely because the studies of them are still comparatively short. One major unknown is how long the protection from these vaccines will last.
“They see that the antibody levels are still good after six months,” Tumban said. “The studies are still ongoing.”
Tumban said one possibility is that another booster shot might be necessary, but it’s also possible the vaccine’s protection is long-lasting.
Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash
“You need a lot of studies and more people,” he said.
Some recipients of the Pfizer vaccine have had severe allergic reactions, and a few recipients of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine have experienced dangerous blood clots. The FDA has issued new advisories to cover these rare situations, and the studies into them are ongoing, too. Tumban said there are a lot of potential reasons for these rare reactions because people are different from each other.
Tumban said that because of the basic differences between every person, each person may react differently to the vaccine.
Previous virus exposures, general health levels, age, stress, and more can play a part in the immune system’s response to a vaccine. The symptoms many people are showing after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines—fatigue, fever, discomfort, etc—are signs that the immune system has detected something foreign and is trying to fight it, creating the antibodies needed to fight COVID-19.
Some people, disturbed by these symptoms, have elected not to get the 2nd dose. But Tumban thinks that’s a big problem.
“We’re not even sure how long the immune response with two doses is going to last, let alone one dose,” he said.
Studies have shown that a single dose gives a person some of the protection of two doses, but may not be effective against variants. Tumban said the first shot is like a primer, getting the immune system ready to build antibodies, but with many people, not many antibodies are actually made until the second dose. As studies continue, Tumban said it’s possible that a third dose might even be required.
Tumban is fully vaccinated and had a fever and other symptoms with his 2nd dose. Thinking about it, he decided it was better to be temporarily uncomfortable than to risk going to the emergency room and potentially suffocating from lack of oxygen like people are experiencing in India.
Tumban thinks testing needs to happen on a more global scale, too.
“I know you’re going to have people from different countries that have different genetic backgrounds,” he said. “They may react differently.”
He hopes Americans take heed of the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think this is like a wake-up call for people to reflect on what’s happening and that things like this can happen in any country,” Tumban said.
Editor’s note: This story’s wording has been adjusted in five areas to be more precise. No major points of fact were changed.
Village struggles to meet Ontonagon Memorial Hospital retirement obligations
The Ontonagon Village Council has continued to prioritize the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) obligation by revisiting the situation and getting regular updates from Interim Village Manager Will DuPont.
The village is currently $72,226.44 past due. So far this year, the village has paid $69,000 as of April 12.
The Interim-Manager reported that the current estimates in revenue for the General Fund for the fiscal year is just short of $660,000. The bad news is that within the next few years (possibly as few as two), the payments to MERS will be over $660,000 per year. In other words, the MERS obligations will wipe out the village’s general fund and more.
There are some options. The Segal Report dated March 31, 2020 gave the village a solid guide to help the situation. These are as follows:
1. Corrective Action Plan: This has already been partially implemented. Two of the three village office staff are not part of the MERS pension plan, one is. The rest of the options would have to be negotiated with the union that represents the other village employees, but the current union contract runs through December 31, 2022.
2. Liability Reduction Measures (buy-outs): MERS has confirmed that if buy-outs were agreed to by all 28 former Ontonagon Memorial Hospital employees, this could reduce the village’s cost each month by $50,000-$60,000 with up front cost to the village. This is not a long-term solution, but would provide some relief to the village.
3. Expand Revenue Sources: This could be the most difficult measure to approach. The council has already increased taxes on property owners in the village by 4 mills to the allowable maximum of 15. To raise taxes further would require a referendum vote. Approaching the county for some assistance is being discussed. It has been pointed out that a good number of OMH patients through the years were not village residents, but were county residents. There is no question that having a local hospital has been of great benefit to the entire county.
DuPont was quite direct in telling the council that outside assistance is going to have to come from the county, or the State of Michigan. Some of the short-term measures are being put in place and DuPont told the council that the next step is to offer the retirees buy-outs.
“We have 18 months to do what we can before we get to the next level,” DuPont said.
Trustee John Hamm, himself a former village employee and union member, spoke strongly in favor of the buy-outs concept.
Trustee Michael Mogan listed his priorities to address the matter; Look at the village millage (Council has already raised the millage rate to the limit of the statutory level. To go further would require a vote of the taxpayers); go to the county and ask for help; contact the state representatives (Rep. Greg Markkunen and Sen Ed. McBroom both GOP) and then contact the federal representatives for our area (that is Congressman Jack Bergman, GOP and US Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats).
It was also suggested that the village offer 401K contributions to former OMH employees who are currently employed by Aspirus.
The first step in offering buy-outs is for the council to adopt a resolution to that effect. This will be prepared and on the agenda for the next council meeting.
April legislative action in Lansing
The inside of the Michigan capitol dome. Photo by Bimatshu Pyakuryal on Unsplash
Sen. McBroom
Sen. Ed McBroom
Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov
Phone: 866-305-2038
Sponsored bills introduced
Senate Bill 401 would set the allowable annual purchase of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine at 61.2 grams, and lower the maximum allowable purchase in a 30-day period from 9 to 7.2 grams. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are commonly found in some cold and flu medicines and can be used in the production of illegal drugs. There are also already daily purchase limits and possession limits in Michigan.
It’s tie-barred with Senate Bill 402, which would also lower the amount of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine allowed to be sold in a 30-day period from 9 to 7.2 grams.
These bills have been referred to the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services, chaired by Sen. Curt Vanderwall (R).
Senate Bill 356 would restore a second judge to the Marquette County circuit court.
It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, chaired by Sen. Roger Victory (R).
Senate Bill 400 would allow for the first drunk driving conviction on someone’s record to be expunged. It has passed the Senate with broad, bipartisan support. It has been sent to the House, who referred it to the House Committee on Judiciary, chaired by Rep. Graham Filler (R).
Votes of note
McBroom voted in favor of Senate Bill 353 and 354, which would waive license fees for many food-based establishments that are usually paid to the State of Michigan or local health departments. The bill passed the Senate strictly on party support from Republicans.
“...it’s estimated that this bill would reduce revenue to the state by approximately $5 million and it’s an indeterminate loss of how much revenue would be lost by the local public health departments and as a result, this bill is opposed by the department, by the Michigan Association of Counties, and by the Michigan Association of Local Public Health,” Sen. Jeremy Moss (D) stated in the Senate Journal from the day of the vote.
The Senate Fiscal Agency analysis backs up Moss’s statement, and also estimates that the food service fees support 50% to 75% of the cost of food safety activities on the local level.
Moss said he could not support the bill until it included funding to replace what would be lost by the local health departments and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The bill is currently in the House Committee on Regulatory Reform, chaired by Rep. Roger Hauck (R).
McBroom also favored Senate Bill 230, which would waive liquor license fees for a year to make up for a year in which many restaurants and bars couldn’t serve freely because of the pandemic and associated restrictions. The bill received full Republican support, but none from Democrats.
“I guess I’m a little bit shocked and disappointed at opposition to this legislation,” McBroom said in the Senate Journal from April 28. “We are basically saying to people that, ‘Hey, pay your fees, pay your dues, but you don’t get to use the license that you paid for. Stay home.’ I don’t understand how we can in good conscience accept that idea.”
Moss, in a statement several other Democrats concurred with, again pointed out the millions of dollars it would cost the department. According to the Senate Fiscal Analysis, the bill would cost the Michigan Liquor Control Commission approximately $37.5 million between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023. It would also reduce money distributed to local units of government and alcohol treatment programs. Moss asked for a provision that would replace that money in the budget before he would support the bill.
McBroom voted for Senate Bill 146, which would offer a tax incentive for first-time home buyers. The bill has broad support, passing the Senate 29-5. It has now been referred to the House Committee on Tax Policy, chaired by Matt Hall (R). Another House version of this bill has also received broad support, but is now in committee.
Rep. Markkanen
Rep. Greg Markkanen
Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0850
Sponsored bills introduced
None in April.
Votes of note
Markkanen voted in favor of House Bill 4530, which has a mix of support from House Democrats and Republicans. The bill would eliminate the statewide May and August election dates and establish one in June instead.
The bill passed the House 63-46 and was sent to the Senate, where it was referred to the Senate Committee on Elections, chaired by Sen. Ruth Johnson(R).
Markkanen also supported Senate Bill 17, which would let some employees be on the government payroll for more than one job. The bill has a mix of support from Democrats and Republicans, and has also passed both the Senate, where McBroom has also supported it. It will soon be presented to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Markkanen supported the generally popular House Bill 4448, which would prohibit limiting the fulfillment of Freedom of Information Act requests during a declared state of emergency. The bill has moved to the Senate and was referred to the Senate Committee on Oversight, chaired by McBroom.
Markkanen voted for House Bill 4257, an interesting bill that only garnered the support of a single House Democrat. A memorandum of understanding is an informal agreement, which imposes no contractual duties or obligations, that governors sometimes enter into with other states or entities. HB 4257 would require that these memorandums be filed similar to laws and made available to the public, and also formalize that after the governor who establishes a memorandum leaves office, “that memorandum of understanding shall remain in effect during the term of the successive governor and subsequent successive governors until rejected by a successive governor or until it expires by its terms.”
After passing the House, it was referred to the Senate and their Committee on Oversight, chaired by McBroom.
Markkanen voted for House Bill 4289, which would offer a tax incentive for first-time home buyers. The bill has broad support, passing the House 89-15. It has now been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Jim Runestad (R). Another Senate version of this bill has also received broad support, but is also now in committee.
Markkanen voted in favor of the broadly supported House Bill 4454, which sets out curbside recycling criteria and goals, and rewrites other definitions and recycling mandates. The bill passed the House 87-17 and is now in the Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform, chaired by Aric Nesbitt (R).
Markkanen is also among the supporters of House Bill 4202, which would authorize automated school bus passing citations. It passed the House 102-7 and is now in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by Sen. Tom Barrett (R).
A more controversial vote, House Resolution 60 passed almost purely on party lines, with Markkanen and other Republicans in favor.
Excerpt from House Resolution 60.
The resolution passed 59-50. This is related to the departure of former MDHHS Director Robert Gordon.
Building, protecting community during pandemic
Houghton County and the surrounding area have some unique organizations, and over the past year, many of them came together to help control, monitor and rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As COVID-19 loomed large at the beginning of 2020, Kevin Store, executive director at the Portage Health Foundation, said discussions started happening early about what role they would play in the community.
PHF Executive Director Kevin Store
“In the absence of our own capacity to step out in front of it to serve our community, how do we make sure that we’re best supporting those entities that are going to have to step out?” Store said.
PHF hosted virtual discussions among important people and organizations in the community that needed to coordinate pandemic responses. Healthcare organizations, the local health department, school leaders, legislators, community organizations and others were included in efforts to identify and address both short-term and long-term issues in the community.
As schools were closed down early in the pandemic, one of the local programs that needed help was 31 Backpacks, an all-volunteer organization that helps to feed school kids who are food-insecure by supplying them with food for weekends and breaks.
As the pandemic shutdowns were announced, 31 Backpacks was about to prepare their “Big Pack”, which has extra food for kids over spring break. They emptied the pantry shelves filling bags. Then, over just a couple of weeks, the number of kids looking for help went from around 225 to over 2,100.
“We were in crisis mode for probably a month and a half,” Melissa Maki said. “It’s something that nobody was prepared for.”
Maki is vice-president and co-founder of 31 Backpacks. They reached out to schools and the food bank, which they qualify as a nonprofit to purchase from, and worked out a system for school district representatives to go to the food bank and get what they need. 31 Backpacks paid the cost, and school districts rotated when they went to avoid depleting the food bank supplies.
In the midst of this, Portage Health Foundation reached out to support the extra effort.
“We were the first ones that they contacted, and they gave us $5,000,” Maki said.
In November and December of 2020, as part of their “Giving Tuesday” campaign, PHF helped raise more than $47,000 with matching funds. 31 Backpacks also received direct support through Facebook, volunteers, and donations from many other local organizations throughout the year.
As hand sanitizer (and toilet paper) disappeared from store shelves, it became difficult for some nonprofits to safely maintain contact with their clients. Copper Country Senior Meals struggled to safely meet the needs of their clients, but received support from organizations like PHF, the Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress (UPCAP), and the Meals on Wheels program.
“We were able to have sanitizing solution for the kitchens and our meal delivery personnel because of the foundation,” CCSM Director Jennifer Szubielak said in an email.
Some of the sanitizing solution that PHF helped distribute came from Iron Fish Distillery, makers of Copper Queen Whiskey. With permission from state licensing, Iron Fish created several batches of hand sanitizer for nonprofits and healthcare organizations at a time when it wasn’t available on most store shelves.
Caryn Heldt, who holds a doctorate in chemical engineering and leads Michigan Tech’s Health Research Institute, put much of her life on hold as she worked to organize and run the COVID-19 testing lab at MTU.
Caryn Heldt, Ph.D
“I basically gave up my job for about nine months,” Heldt said. “It was a complete shift.”
Normally, Heldt teaches classes, writes grants, and works with graduate students but that all went on hold as she worked to establish MTU’s first certified testing lab.
“Most of the labs you hear about that started up out of universities already had a certified lab,” Heldt said.
MTU didn’t already have one and had to find a medical director with the proper credentials to sponsor the lab. This was especially challenging because not only would a director have to be willing to take on the extra responsibility, but such medical directors can only sponsor a limited number of labs. At first, Heldt said they couldn’t find anyone with availability.
Dr. Cary Gottlieb, a pathologist from OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, stepped into the role.
“It's his name and his license that we're basically running under,” Heldt said. “And we never met him.”
The organization of the lab happened mostly over conference calls, starting in March. Heldt and Gottlieb didn’t meet in person until the following summer, and Gottlieb didn’t visit the lab for the first time until September.
“Without him, we never could have done this,” Heldt said. “It would have been completely impossible and the time that he has given to us has just been phenomenal.”
The lab was up and running in April, with graduate students and volunteers running samples manually in biosafety cabinets. Four to five cabinets would be run at a time, each by a single person.
“One person could do 12 samples at a time, and it would take about two hours,” Heldt said.
They were able to expand that process to 24 samples at a time, but add to the process the time it took to record and track the samples, and they were only able to process about 200 samples a day.
Reporting the results was also a challenge. The daily test results also had to be faxed, both to test providers and the health department because it was the only HIPAA-compliant way to transfer the results.
“So that was over 400 faxes we were running a day,” Heldt said. “And yeah, we actually burned out a couple machines.”
That system took 12 people, working in at least three, four-hour shifts, to process 80 samples.
“If we received the samples at 7:30 a.m. in the morning, we would typically get the results between 8 and 10 p.m.,” Heldt said.
PHF helped speed this in a couple of ways. One was a machine to automate some of the testing processes. This more than doubled the number of samples they could run, and with half as many people. It also produced results in six to eight hours rather than twelve or more. PHF also provided the testing lab with a laboratory information system to handle the results and eliminate the need to send faxes. Instead of hours spent reporting test results, after reviewing the results they could be sent securely as simply as an email.
The success of the local testing lab granted the area a faster turn-around time for test results. Even as testing capacity across the country caught up with the demand, not having to ship samples out of the area shaved at least a day off of test result times. Heldt thinks this helped the community effort by reinforcing individual decisions.
“Just to give people confidence of whether or not they had a positive or negative test,” she said. “It’s hard to quarantine when you don’t really think you need to.”
Store said the focus on testing gives the community better information to base other big decisions on, too.
PHF has now dedicated more than $1 million to be spent on local COVID-19 prevention, mitigation and relief, with much of it already distributed.
Maki said that the need at schools has leveled off, at about six times what they were before the pandemic. Donations had initially spiked to meet that need.
“But now we’re kind of leveling off again,” Maki said.
She’s hopeful that fundraising events will make up the difference as they’re allowed to happen this year.
Heldt said now she’s trying to get back to the job she was hired by the university for, and that everyone is looking forward to the day they can decommission the testing lab.
“We’re not quite there yet, but hopefully it will be in the very near future,” she said.
Editor’s note: If you’ve been helped by a community organization during the pandemic, please leave your story in the comments below!
Community gardeners, ‘Growing from the Heart’
Cloudy skies didn’t dampen any spirits in Ray Kestner Waterfront Park on Saturday afternoon. As kids ran around and played, a group of adults was involved in garden sign making and compost sharing to support each other in local food production.
Called Growing From the Heart, the group is a local community organization that helps connect gardeners with resources and knowledge to help their gardens flourish, with the end goal of increasing access to fresh, locally-grown and nourishing food. They encourage participants to grow more food than they can consume in their households, and distribute it to neighbors and food pantries. Not all food pantries can accept fresh produce, so they keep a list of those that do.
Volunteer Evan Lanese separates out the pallet wood before tearing down the pallets to make signs. Photo by Joshua Vissers
The signs being made were created with recovered wood from shipping pallets and decorated with paints and stencils made with the help of volunteer Evan Lanese and his employer, Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear, who has workshop space in Hancock they used to cut the stencils.
The compost being shared came from both volunteers and MTU’s Sustainability Demonstration House, which has a special composter. The compost from it is so concentrated it needs to be used sparingly in gardens, at about a third the volume of most compost.
Angie Carter scoops some compost from MTU’s Sustainable Demonstration House into a bag to be taken home. Photo by Joshua Vissers
This event was part of a series put on by partners of the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative. You can join Growing From the Heart on the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative website’s projects page.
“We just want to show people that we can grow a lot here even though the season’s really short,” Angie Carter said.
Carter, a professor in Michigan Tech’s Social Sciences Department, holds a doctorate in sociology and sustainable agriculture. She is one of the volunteers that planned the event.
Deconstructing pallets for sign-making material. Photo by Joshua Vissers
“Last year we shared 90 pounds of food,” Carter said. “And so this summer we're hoping to share even more.”
WUPFSC also worked with the new Portage Lake Seed Library to host a seed planting event in Porvoo Park on Wednesday and will work with the Pewabic St. Community Garden on their indoor and outdoor plant sale fundraiser on May 29.
They have several other initiatives and educational opportunities tied in through partners like the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources Department and MTU, and Carter said there are plans to have foraging hikes and other events later in the summer.
Those interested in joining WUPFSC’s projects or attending their events can get connected by following this hyperlink.