CASSOPOLIS — The Cass County road commission will remain an independent body and not be merged into the Cass County government. That was the conclusion Thursday after an ad hoc committee reported its findings to the Cass County board of commissioners.

Committee members Louis Csokasy and Robert Thompson reported that they and other committee members looked at the situation and concluded that it was best to keep the road commission separate from county government. They recommended, however, that the county and the road commission do more to work together and collaborate.

Cass County Board Chairman Robert Benjamin said he formed the ad hoc committee in March because the state law that allowed road commissions to be collapsed into a county department was set to expire. That law has since been extended, but he and other officials felt it was a good time to see how things stand.

Csokasy, who has served as a road commission manager in both Berrien and Cass counties, said the committee looked at the road commission’s current operations, including its responsibilities, its finances and equipment status and the surface condition of the roads.

He started by giving background on the history of road commissions. He said Michigan is the only state in the union that has road commissions. He said a number of Michigan counties have made the transition from road commissions to road departments.

Berrien County made the transition a few years ago.

Csokasy noted that the road commission is responsible for more than what many people think, duties the county would have to take over if the road commission became a county department. Those duties include not only maintaining roads and bridges, but also road signage and right of way management for utilities.

Financially, he said the road commission is in “pretty good shape,” with revenues rising since 2015 and a $3.5 million “rainy day” fund balance. If transportation became a county department, the county would become responsible for large equipment purchases, such as $300,000 for one truck, he said.

Other issues to consider if there would be a county takeover include the county having to enter labor negotiations and having to possibly change insurance coverage.

Thompson then spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of merging the road commission into county government and reported the committee’s recommendation for the road commission to remain an independent entity.

Advantages he noted included not having to maintain as high a fund balance if the road commission became part of the county and eliminating salaries for road commission members. On the other hand, he said the road commission has just saved a significant amount of money by locking into a health insurance contract for the next four years and could lose that.

While Thompson said the study has been useful, he said the committee recommended that the county maintain the status quo.

“We have identified opportunities that we wouldn’t have identified without getting together and talking,” he said. “There should be a re-occurring discussion to make sure we are serving the public the best we can with the resources we have.

“This has given us the chance to begin the conversation about the opportunities available through collaboration,” he added. “It would be good to form an ongoing committee with road commission and county board members to find opportunities to work together.”

Benjamin added that while the process ultimately resulted in no change, it was a worthwhile project.

“I love how this came about,” Benjamin said. “We said we wanted to take a look at what is best for Cass County. This was a really great process and a win-win for both the county and the road commission.”

He said areas of collaboration already being looked at include sharing IT services to bring down costs for the road commission.

“We expect to work together more closely to help support the road commission and collectively reduce costs so that more money can be applied to roads,” he said.

County meets new EDC chair

Also Thursday, commissioners heard from Les McClelland, the new chairman of the Cass County Economic Development Corporation. He said the EDC’s goal continues to be to deliver economic development services to the county with also a focus on parks and the county’s agricultural nature. The EDC has undergone changes over the last year, including the departure of board chairman Troy Clay and staff person Barkley Garrett.

He said the EDC is in the process of outlining a business plan to present to the county board as well as local municipalities. He said the EDC board is working with people from the Lowe Foundation and Southwestern Michigan College along with economic development professionals from other parts of the state as they move forward.

Benjamin said the county board did not fund the EDC this year as the EDC board works on developing a more thorough business plan.

McClelland said his board hopes to get county funding which would in turn encourage others to support the EDC’s efforts.

The EDC currently has a fund balance of $26,000.

Other business

In action, county commissioners approved the budgets for the Cass County Courts’ problem-solving treatment programs that have received state funding once again for the 2019-20 year. They also approved hiring of a grant facilitator for the problem-solving courts which is a new position being funded by grants through Sept. 30, 2020.

The county board went on record in support of a resolution recommending that the state changes the terms for county commissioners from two to four years. Commissioners Michael Grice and Roseann Marchetti reported that both the state house and state senate are advancing bills to make the change with bipartisan support.

Historically, the state stipulated four-year terms for county board members in 1963. That was changed in 1966 to two-year terms to coincide with the two-year terms state representatives serve. Michigan is one of just five states that provide for two-year terms for county commissioners.

The resolution approved by the board noted that the duties of county commissioners have increased over the years and it takes years to master a county commissioner’s complex oversight role. It also noted that other county and township officials are elected to four-year terms.