CASSOPOLIS — A proposed cremation permit fee that spurred a contentious debate among county commissioners last month has been voted down by the board.

The Cass County board of commissioners voted 4-3 to reject a motion that would have established a countywide cremation permit fee during the board’s meeting Thursday night in Cassopolis. If approved, the motion would have established a fee of $20 or less for all cremation permits processed by the county, a practice that is followed in several other counties across Michigan, including neighboring St. Joseph County.

Board Chairperson Robert Ziliak (District 5), Vice Chair Skip Dyes (District 3) and Commissioner Michael Grice (District 6) voted in favor of establishing the fee, while commissioners Terry Ausra (District 1), Dixie Ann File (District 2), Roseann Marchetti (District 4) and E. Clark Cobb (District 7) voted to oppose the measure.

Sheriff Richard Behnke, who, along with Clerk/Register Monica Kennedy, first proposed the idea of enacting a cremation permit fee to the board last month, was asked several questions by Grice about the fee before Thursday’s vote. The sheriff said that he proposed the fee as a way to bring additional revenue to the county, though he would be content with whatever decision the board made.

Behnke said that the county received 175 cremation permit requests last year, a figure that continues to grow due to the increasing popularity of the process as an alternative to burial, Behnke said. There are several administrative duties required to process each cremation permit, including verifying the information on the death certificate that is faxed to the sheriff’s office, Behnke said. Each permit may take between several minutes to half an hour to process, he said.

Also on Thursday, the board voted to approve a 2.25 percent pay raise for the county’s elected officials and nonunion employees in 2018, as suggested by an adhoc committee comprised of commissioners Ziliak, Cobb and Grice.

The following positions will receive the following salaries:

• Treasurer —  $64,737, up from $63,312

• Clerk/register — $66,321, up from $64,862

• Sheriff — $83,552, up from $81,713

• Drain commissioner — $54,639, up from $53,437

• Prosecutor — $97,759, up from $95,608