Commissioners take no action on proposal to relocate Soil Erosion office

BELLAIRE - Unsure of the possible long-term consequences, the Antrim County Board of Commissioners took no action on a proposal to relocate the county's Soil Erosion office during the board's meeting of Thursday, Dec. 2. 

Introduced by county administrator Peter Garwood, the proposal, if accepted, would move Soil Erosion Officer Heidi Shafer from her current base in the Antrim Conservation District building to the Construction Code Enforcement office in the county building, which would give the county more regulatory authority over Shafer and the soil erosion program. 

The move could also save county taxpayers as much as $11,000 a year in clerical assistance and other savings, Garwood said, noting that building department staff would be available to help Shafer, negating the need for a soil erosion assistant, in addition to other savings of travel and transportation costs, as well as incidentals.