The Hillsdale County Jail is running close to maximum occupancy, with fluctuating cell availability, County Commissioner John Burtka said in his public safety report during the Hillsdale County Commissioner’s meeting Tuesday.
“There are not usually available consistent cells to attempt to lease out to other entities,” he said. “I had a conversation today with the sheriff, and he’s in close contact with the judges every day on what their occupancy is there.”
He also said the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office is purchasing three, new police vehicles this week.
The only motion proposed and approved at the meeting was a resolution to pay $3,244 to the County Park Board for the purchase of a new gas furnace, which will arrive this week, and the necessary gas.
Chief Building Inspector Martin Taylor also presented the County Building Inspection Department’s annual report. Although official numbers from the treasurer’s office will not be available until the end of February or March, he said his own figures depict a favorable financial year for the department.
“We’ve maintained growth quite a few years since the drop we had in 2008,” he said. “One of the things we changed last year is we went to part-time labor. It’s saved us quite a bit of money.”
He added that in the past year they’ve gradually been working to eliminate a backlog of inspections, which now only includes cases from as far back as 2012.
Commissioner Ruth Brown told the board that the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market made its annual request for use of the courthouse parking lot for the farmers’ market on Saturdays from May through September. Brown will present a resolution for approval of this request at next month’s meeting. She also told the board that the car show, typically held at the county fairgrounds, will be held in the courthouse parking lot on June 20.
