BERRIEN COUNTY NEWS UPDATE

By DEBRA HAIGHT

BCR Correspondent

ST. JOSEPH – Elections and courts were the focus of a recent Berrien County Board of Commissioners meeting. County Clerk Sharon Tyler gave an update on election law changes including the institution of early voting this year.

The county board will hold their second night meeting of the year this week. The June 6 meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Niles District Library.

Commissioners amended their meeting schedule for August and September. They voted to cancel the board’s Sept. 5 meeting and to not add back a meeting for Aug. 29, which is a fifth Thursday.

As for the election news, Tyler reported on what the county has done to comply with the new state voting laws put in place by the passage of a state proposal in 2022. That proposal allows for early voting for up to nine days before state and federal elections among other measures.

“I didn’t vote for proposal 2 because we already had no reason absentee voting which is very similar,” Tyler said. “But since it passed I’ve been passionate about implementing it, and I do see certain benefits.”

She noted that over the last year she and her election staff visited St. Joseph County, Indiana, early voting sites to see how they operated, scouted possible early voting sites for Berrien County and entered into agreements with all municipalities except for Bainbridge and Benton Townships. They also applied for grants and organized trainings.

Tyler reported that 600 people took advantage of early voting in the February presidential primary election and she expects more to vote early in August and November. She said she suspects they had fewer voters in February since it was the first time early voting was offered and because it was a presidential primary with people having to choose a party.

The early voting dates for the Aug. 6 primary election are July 27 through Aug 4, while the early voting dates for the Nov. 5 general election are Oct. 26 through Nov. 3. “I do feel that with August and November, the turnout for early voting will be totally different than what we saw in February,” she said.

Tyler said she will be asking the county board to approve an application for a second state early voting grant from the Michigan Bureau of Elections at their June 6 meeting.

In action Thursday, commissioners moved applications forward for three existing trial court programs as well as a proposed new court program.  All the applications are to the State Court Administrative Office.

The county is asking for a $59,679 grant to help fund the continued operation of the Drug Court for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 and matching it with $150,325. The drug court has been in operation for 14 years and provides alternative treatments and programs for those suffering from substance abuse disorders.

The application for the Swift & Sure Sanctions Probation Program asks the state for $185,000 with a local match of $11,784 for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. That program has been in place in Berrien County for more than a decade to help offenders avoid prison by offering more programs and doing more frequent monitoring.

With the Mental Health Court program, the county is asking the state for $149,618.75 with a local match of $53,042.60 for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The application is being done in conjunction with the Riverwood Center. The goal of the program is to help adults diagnosed with serious mental health problems.

The county is applying for a planning grant from the state to look at the possibility of establishing a new Sobriety Court in Berrien County. The county would get $30,392 from the state with a local match of $49,236.99 for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. If established, the new court would help those facing their second drunk driving conviction and be an alternative to jail.

In public comments, Michigan State Police District Commander Capt. Mike Brown spoke about two programs the state police are doing in conjunction with local police agencies. He said the State Police and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department have been collaborating on narcotics enforcement with the Southwest Enforcement Team.

He reported as well on a federal public safety news conference held earlier Thursday in Benton Harbor. Federal, state and local officials announced the Safe Summer 2024 program and the resources being deployed in the Benton Harbor area. Two full-time detectives will be embedded in the violent crime taskforce and five other officers will help with patrols.

He also spoke in favor of the upcoming law enforcement millage renewal that will be on the August ballot in Berrien County.

In other recent county news, Berrien County Circuit Court Judges have appointed Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Amy Byrd as the interim County Prosecutor. Byrd was the only person to apply for the interim prosecutor position.

She succeeds Steve Pierangeli who resigned June 3 and will serve in that post until the November election. Pierangeli announced his resignation in April and is joining an area law firm.

Byrd has been an assistant prosecutor for 15 years. She has handled a variety of cases in her career and has worked in the appellate division, the adult criminal division, the juvenile division and the neglect and abuse division. She currently represents the prosecutor’s office on the Drug Treatment Court and is a member of the Opioid Taskforce.

She announced her candidacy earlier this spring to run for the prosecutor’s post in November. She is running as a Republican and will face Democrat Trevor Maveal in the fall. Maveal is currently a defense attorney and worked previously in the prosecutor’s office.