COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – With three new members of the Branch County Board of Commissioners in place, Sheriff John Pollack hopes it will mean his department’s staffing level will improve in the future.
For a fourth straight year, Pollack expressed his concerns about staffing to Commissioners during their work session on Thursday.
Pollack has not been able to hide his frustration in recent years after half of the 16 road patrol deputies were laid off in 2013 due to budget cuts.
For now, the sheriff wants to talk things over with commissioner Leonard Kolcz, who is serving as the commissioner’s liaison with the Sheriff’s Department.
Pollack is also hoping for better communications between commissioners and department heads and he expressed his satisfaction with the staffing levels at the Branch County Jail.
In other business, the board voted to bring forward a request from Drain Commissioner Michael Hard to replace retiring Deputy Drain Commissioner Nancy Stutzman, who is leaving at the end of the month.
They also changed the time of the January 19 work session to 4:00 p.m. since County Administrator Bud Norman and Sheriff Pollack have to be in Grand Rapids that day for a federal court case involving the county.
