The Barry County Commission committee of the whole Tuesday recommended approval of County Administrator Michael Brown’s request to secure a one year contract extension with the auditing firm Rehmann for $38,200 to complete the 2017 audits.
The county then intends to seek proposals from qualified auditing firms for a five-year-contract that will include Thornapple Manor and Barry County Transit audits. Up to now, both had individual audits. County auditors review the separate audits, sometimes delaying the county’s audit process, Brown said.
Charlton Park, Central Dispatch 911 and the COA audits are already included in the county audit; the Barry County Road Commission is not. They will be invited to join the county audit, but since they are audited by a local company, may not want to change their provider, Brown said.
Also recommended for approval at the next board meeting:
* the Barry County 2017 apportionment report, necessary to collect taxes, requested by Equalization Director Timothy Vandermark.
* an Emergency Management Performance Grant for fiscal 2017, which pays $33,440 of the salary and benefits to Barry County Emergency Management Director Jim Yarger.
* the 2018 state grant contracts for Barry County specialty courts; the adult drug court, sobriety court, Swift and Sure Sanctions probation program, Office of Community Correction and juvenile drug court.
* Farmland and Open Space Preservation program (PA 116) requests from: Ronald and Amanda Hoeksma in Irving Township, and Kristopher and Stacy Javor, Burdock Hill Land LLC, and John and Elizabeth Lenz, all for property in Carlton Township.
All of the requests were recommended for approval by the Planning Commission, Planning Director Jim McManus said. There are several small items the applicants will have to correct before the requests are submitted to the state, McManus said.
* approval of the several minor updates to the IT technology policy, last updated in 2016, requested by IT Director David Shinavier. Five areas of IT security risks are named: confidentiality of information, data integrity, assets, efficient and appropriate use and system availability. “The policy supports all five areas,” Shinavier said.
