Sanilac County Jail Administrator Lt. Nick Romzek plead his case to the Board of Commissioners for more help Tuesday afternoon. Romzek said the jail budget is being depleted by overtime hours just to keep staffing at a bare minimum.
The Administrator was seeking approval for two new full-time employees and said he could cover the cost of those additions, with the exception of health care and retirement costs. Romzek said, “with the money I can save from not paying so much overtime, I can save $19,000 that will go a long ways towards the two positions.”
County Administrator Kathy Dorman pointed out to the board, the new employees are not budgeted for this fiscal year and would cost the county approximately $10,000 additional to Romzek’s projected savings.
Commissioners agreed the positions were needed and advised Romzek to work with Administrator Dorman to work out the details. The new hirings would begin work later this year.
In other news from the Commissioner’s meeting, there will be a new patrol unit on the road for the Sanilac County Sheriff Department shortly, after the board gave their approval to purchase a 2017 Ford Utility EcoBoost Tuesday afternoon.
Signature Ford of Owosso was the winning bid of four bids submitted, costing the county $29,345. Great Lakes Emergency Products was the low bid to outfit the vehicle at a cost of just over $5,800 and Decatur Electronics will provide the radar equipment at a cost of $1,500.
The purchase is the second of two vehicles the department will be receiving through a USDA grant.
