Patrickq Carr News Today

Two topics pending at the Montcalm County level were discussed during Monday’s Pierson Township Board meeting — the county clerk’s office being relocated, as well as the future of the county Planning Commission. Montcalm County Commissioner Ron Baker of Howard City requested feedback from the township board regarding the Montcalm County Planning Commission after Montcalm County Board of Commissioners Chairman Patrick Q. Carr of Cato Township questioned whether the county Planning Commissio...

A request from the Montcalm County Planning Commission resulted in the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners questioning whether a county Planning Commission is even needed anymore. In Monday’s Board of Commissioners meeting packet was a request from the county Planning Commission to reappoint a county commissioner to the Planning Commission “as soon as possible” as the current commissioner assigned to this role — Commissioner Phil Kohn of Edmore — has not attended any of the Planning...

Earlier this year, as a large ice storm brought much of Montcalm County’s communities to a crawl, one agency was as busy as it has ever been, answering emergency calls left and right. On Feb. 27, dispatchers at Montcalm County Central Dispatch answered more than 231 calls for downed power lines over a period of 21 hours, dispatching fire departments to every corner of the county to keep communities safe.

A former Montcalm County commissioner accused the current board on Monday of holding “a secret meeting” before turning down a request from the Commission on Aging director while “belittling and bullying” him. Kathy Bresnahan of Pine Township, who serves on the Commission on Aging Board, also referenced an email from Charles “Chuck” Hazekamp of Stanton, who also serves on the CoA Board.

The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted to pay two county employees to act as monitors during county Democratic and Republican party meetings at the Montcalm County Administrative Building in Stanton. Commissioners also voted to contract with the Stanton Police Department for a city police officer to act as monitor during county board meetings, after the county Sheriff’s Office declined to be involved.