COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Third District Branch County Commissioner Don Vrablic will once again be chairman of the County Commission after his unanimous selection for the post at the Board’s annual organizational meeting yesterday. The session, which lasted only about 20 minutes, also saw the Board re-elect 5th district Commissioner Randall Hazelbaker vice-chairman.
Following the meeting, Vrablic told us that he believes Branch County is in a little better shape than a year ago at this time although not they’re not yet where they would like to be. He pointed to indications that the economy is improving with the hope that at some point in time, that will trickle down to county government. Vrablic said in 2014, the county managed to contain its costs somewhat, although there was still deficit spending. He added that any new money that was available covered cost of living issues even though revenues aren’t going up at the same rate.
And according to Vrablic, the County Board needs to sit down with Sheriff John Pollack and possibly others to examine what options are available to deal with an ever-aging Branch County jail facility. Vrablic said pouring more funds into fixing up the former senior care center is like, in his words, putting band-aids on a bleeding artery and that fortunately, they’ve had the jail maintenance millage to pay for it. He’d like to find a different solution.
The five members of the Board of Commissioners Monday took their oaths of office from County Clerk Terry Kubasiak and signed on the dotted line for another two years in office.
