COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Sheriff’s Department staffing concerns remain in the focus for the Branch County Board of Commissioners, but at their work session Tuesday, commissioners will also look at hiring a new county building inspector. Current Building Inspector Steve Buller gave his two week’s notice, effective February 26.
County Administrator Bud Norman is asking for permission to replace Buller and a Back-up Building Inspector in the county’s Building Inspection Department. Norman says the position is critical for the county to ensure continuity of construction, compliance, and safety.
Buller came under fire in January 2016 as over a dozen of Branch County’s busiest building contractors aired their problems with Buller at a commission Work Meeting. Buller was contracted by the Building Inspection Department and not directly employed by the county.
Staffing concerns for the Sheriff’s Department are also on the agenda for the commissioner’s Work Meeting Tuesday morning. Discussion is expected to focus on spending priorites for the county. Commissioners have been discussing a millage for construction of a new county jail, as opposed to a millage for fully restoring the Sheriff’s Department road patrol.
