BERRIEN COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT ORDERS SECOND THERMAL CAMERA DRONE WITH THE HELP OF LOCAL BUSINESSES

By DEBRA HAIGHT

ST. JOSEPH – News came on several fronts at last week’s Berrien County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners heard more about plans for a new south county communications tower, the annual county equalization report and the search for a new county health officer.
Meanwhile, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey announced that his department has purchased a second drone with donations from area businesses. The announcement came last Wednesday as the Sheriff’s Department recognized the three entities who provided the funds for the purchase.
Those donating were LeValley Chevrolet-Buick-GMC, Lane Automotive and Orchard Hill Sanitary Landfill. Their donations provided the funding needed to buy an Autel EVO II Dual unmanned drone. The drone is equipped with a high resolution thermal camera in a compact form.
A press release from the Sheriff’s Department noted that the thermal camera is able to collect and provide two image sets at once with the use of both thermal and visible imagery.
This is the second drone added to the department. Department officials reported that the department’s first drone had been assisted them in apprehending seven individuals as well as locating missing persons and collecting evidence at traffic crashes and crime scenes.

“We are extremely fortunate to have generous businesses that are willing to partner with our agency to help us acquire tools like this,” Sheriff Bailey said.
In county board news, Commissioners heard from Equalization Director Warren Parrish and County 9-1-1 Director Caitlin Sampsell at last week’s Committee of the Whole session before the regular county board meeting. County Administrator Brian Dissette reported on the county health officer search during the regular meeting.
Relative to the equalization presentation, Commissioners during their regular meeting approved the 2021 annual report and the accompanying annual millage rates to be levied in the county’s jurisdictions and taxing authorities.
Parrish called the annual equalization report “a big undertaking” he and members of his department do every year. He noted that the information provided in the report reflects the 200 plus different millage rates levied in 70 various taxing authorities in the county.
Those authorities include the county itself, cities, townships and villages in the county as well as other entities such as community colleges, schools and libraries. Of the 70 taxing authorities, he said 53 entities require a Headlee millage reduction this year.
During his presentation, Parrish gave background information on the laws that govern potential Headlee, Truth in Taxation and Truth in Assessing/Equalization millage rate reductions and how they are calculated. He also presented details of how new construction and sales affect the overall equalization information.
The report concluded by showing the county millage rates to be levied for general operations, 9-1-1, law enforcement, senior citizens and parks. The overall county millage rate will be 5.9667 mills and is expected to bring in $50.7 million in tax revenue.
The 2021 equalization and apportionment report is available for viewing on the county’s website.
Sampsell reported on the need to act quickly to lock in price discounts and supplies for the new south county communications tower. Commissioners have been talking for several months about the need for a south county tower to improve emergency radio reception and communications along the state line.
The price tag for that tower which is expected to be located in the Buchanan area is now at $9.8 million. She reported however that price incentives from Motorola will reduce that number to $7.8 million if the county acts quickly.
“It’s imperative that we move quickly,” she told commissioners. “It will take 18 to 24 months to complete and we’re seeing substantial price increases and supply shortages.”
Dissette said he will bring a resolution concerning the proposed new tower to the county board to this week’s meeting on Nov. 4. He said the project will be funded with a $5 million state grant secured by State Sen. Kim LaSata with the rest coming from the county’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Dissette also updated commissioners on the search to find a new county health officer at the end of the meeting which again featured comments from residents about school mask and quarantine mandates. Residents asked the county board to choose a health officer who will be representative of the community.
Current Interim Health Officer Courtney Davis is resigning effective Wednesday, Nov. 3. She had taken over the position in the summer when Nikki Britten resigned to take a position with Spectrum Lakeland Health. Davis cited what she called the “politicization of public health during the pandemic” in her resignation letter.
Dissette noted that the county is required by state law to have a health officer in place and he’s working to get someone to fill that post on both an interim and permanent basis. “We are required to have one in place and that has been my top priority the last several weeks,” he said.
He reported that he’s found limited interest from people wanting to take on that role on a permanent basis due to not only the workload but also the high degree of public scrutiny on health departments at present. He said he’s reached out to Spectrum Lakeland Health, former health department employees and the state for help.
Dissette outlined three viable options for finding an interim person. He said the county could contract with a retired health officer from a neighboring county for a limited time, contract with a neighboring county to offer their services on an interim basis or hire a current health department employee to take on the duties temporarily.
He said he expected to go to the County Board of Health meeting Wednesday, Nov. 3 for their input and bring his recommendation to this week’s county board meeting Nov. 4. He said once everyone is in agreement at the county level, he has to get the state’s approval.
“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have said they will expedite their review of our choice,” he said. “We will have a gap when there is no health officer but we want to minimize that time.”
Dissette said he will suggest to commissioners in coming weeks that the county “engage outside resources to drum up candidates.” “I’m pushing that off a little as we try to fill the interim role,” he said.
He told commissioners that he will have the person he’s recommending to appoint on an interim basis come to the county board to make a presentation about their background and their vision for the department before commissioners take a vote.