By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – Efforts to promote a comprehensive public transportation system in Berrien County are moving forward. Last week, Berrien County Commissioners approved the establishment of a new steering committee to coordinate future coordination and consolidation activities.
The “Connect Berrien” plan was unveiled last fall after input from community leaders and area residents. The plan’s goal is to provide people with more public transportation opportunities to better reach those who are underserved by the current system including workers, students and people who use public transportation to get groceries and go to doctors.
The plan calls for the consolidation of the four organizations with existing Dial-A-Ride services continuing in the Twin Cities, Buchanan, Niles and the central county area as well as the addition of fixed routes in the county. The plan would be funded by a new countywide millage.
The new steering committee created by the county board will consist of three county commissioners who will represent the county in negotiations with three current county transportation providers. The ad hoc committee will be known as the Berrien County Advisory Transportation Team and bring back any recommendation to the full county board.
Public transportation was also the subject of a League of Women Voters forum in mid February. League members reported that Pat Brandstatter, president of Kruger Plastic Products, spoke about both the need for a new system as well as the proposed countywide millage.
Brandstatter chairs the Connect Berrien committee which is urging the county board to put a .25 mill county millage on the ballot for voter approval. The millage would fund a county transportation authority which would have a full-time director and an oversight board.
The cost of the new plan has been put at $6.3 million a year as compared to the $4.3 million being spent on the current public transportation in the county. Residents in Benton Harbor, Buchanan and Niles already pay “Dial A Ride” millages and would likely pay less with a countywide millage.
In other county government news, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners honored a former commissioner at their meeting last week. Commissioners unanimously voted to rename a conference room at the Berrien County Administration Center for former commissioner Kenneth Wendzel.
Wendzel served on the board for 30 years from 1969 to 1998, 20 of those years as the chairman of the finance committee. Those taking part in the ceremony last week included former Berrien County Clerk Louise Stine, former Berrien County Sheriff Nick Jewell, Berrien County Trial Judge Dennis Wiley and U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney.
In Cass County, commissioners have named a new interim county administrator as they start the search to find a new permanent administrator.
Cass Couny Commissioners voted Feb. 21 to appoint Jeff Carmen as the interim county administrator. Carmen is working 28 hours each week which equates to around three and a half days a week. His pay is $2,770 biweekly.
Carmen served as the first Cass County administrator from 1986 to 1989 and then was the Jefferson Township supervisor near Cassopolis for 24 years from 1992 to 2016. He runs his own management consultant business and works with clients from all over the United States.
County Administrator Karen Folks was forced out in January after two and a half years on the job. She resigned rather than force the county board to vote on a motion to terminate her. The county has had a turnover of county administrators over the last decade with four county administrators since March 2010.
Cass County commissioners have approved job descriptions and hiring timelines for both the county administrator job and the finance director job. Finance Director Angie Steinman resigned in mid February to take another position. Rebecca Moore and Accounting Consultants of Dowagiac will fulfill those duties on an interim basis.
The county administrator job will be advertised starting this week with March 29 set as the deadline for applications. Commissioners will narrow down the list of applicants to those they want to interview in early April with interviews tentatively scheduled for April 22 and 23.
A second round of interviews is set for early May with a candidate to be selected at that time. The goal is to have the new administrator start June 10.
The finance director’s position will be advertised starting April 8 with applications due May 3. Interviews are set for June 3-5 with a second round of interviews scheduled for June 14. The new finance director is scheduled to start their duties July 15.
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