Local Resolutions

Appreciation

Monroe County is fortunate to have dedicated staff and members working in all different areas throughout the year.

Our thanks to President, Paul Marks, who has done an outstanding job of leading our organization. Our county board and, we as members, are more involved in ag-related issues because of his leadership. Monroe County Farm Bureau continues to be one of the top counties in Michigan and we have many members involved in the leadership of several ag organizations locally and nationally.

Richard and Mary Janssens, Co-Chairmen of the Promotion and Education Committee, are busy throughout the year taking the knowledge of agriculture to our schools and urban friends. The public has a better understanding where their food comes from and just how important American farmers are.

Our Farm Bureau food building located at the Monroe County Fairgrounds continues to make improvements and is very successful due to our manager, Mary Webb, and her many workers. What a great job! Thank you, Mary. Community Action Groups and other Farm Bureau members volunteer their time during fair week at the food building and also do many other projects during the year. Thank you!

Our Membership Committee, headed by Don Sahloff, signed 23 new regular members this year during the Membership Drive. Thanks to everyone who helped us reach our goal and exceed it.

Our Policy Development Committee, headed by Elgin Darling and Mary Lou Smith, will be spending many hours of research and meetings to write policy. This is what makes a grassroots organization successful and effective.

Penny Angerer, County Administrative Manager, along with her assistant, Dale Lynn Mason, and Anna Sahloff spend many hours serving the Farm Bureau membership. All of the insurance agents have worked hard to service all members. We are grateful for the time and effort they give to this organization. ADOPTED

Thanks For The Support

Citizens in Monroe County, including farmers and their families, are fortunate to have the support of the Michigan State University Extension Service and its local staff to provide support in our lifelong educational needs. We are proud to have the largest
4-H program in Michigan and encourage all Farm Bureau members to become involved as leaders and volunteers. We appreciate the support given in nutrition education for a diverse audience. We commend Brenda Reau for her continued effort to partner with Ohio State University and create a multi-state position to help meet the needs of the specialty crop growers in our area as well as adjacent counties in both states.

We recognize the benefit to our environment from the "Clean Sweep" pesticide disposal program offered through the Michigan Department of Agriculture and coordinated locally by MSU Extension. We encourage the continued offering of this great program.

We appreciate the support of the Monroe County Health Department and the comprehensive recycling and pollution prevention programs they offer. Programs offered to assist in the safe disposal of household hazardous wastes under the direction of Jamie Dean benefit all of us. We encourage her to develop a recycling program for used and clean pesticide containers.

Therefore, be it resolved, that Farm Bureau members in Monroe County wish to thank our County Commissioners for recognizing that MSU Extension has an important part in the overall health of Monroe County. We wish to thank them also for the support of
the programs offered through the Health Department. We urge the Commissioners to continue their strong support for these local programs which benefit not only farmers, but all citizens in Monroe County. ADOPTED

Monroe County Preservation Board

We commend the efforts of the Monroe County Farm Bureau, the Monroe Community Foundation and Monroe County Planning Department/Commission on the Farmland Preservation Ordinance.

Those townships who have voted and have partnered with the county are as follows: Ash, Berlin, Dundee, Erie, Exeter, Frenchtown, LaSalle, London, Raisinville, Summerfield and Whiteford Townships.

We also urge those townships who have not adopted a Farmland Preservation Ordinance to do so as soon as possible.

We thank our County Commissioners for the adoption of the Monroe County Farmland Preservation Ordinance.

The next process is to develop and appoint individuals to the Farmland Preservation board. These appointments are made by the Chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. Letters were sent to agencies asking for names of interested people for consideration. Names for appointment possibilities have been given to the chairman by these agencies including Monroe County Farm Bureau.

This procedure was completed several months ago. As of this writing, nothing has transpired.

Therefore, be it resolved: We urge the Chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners to make the appointments to the Farmland Preservation Board of Monroe County as soon as possible. ADOPTED

Water Legislation

Many Monroe County Farm Bureau members have been involved in communicating with State Representatives Kathy Angerer and Kate Ebli during the last eight months relative to the water legislation discussion in Lansing. The information shared with our representatives helped them mold discussions they had during the legislative process in Lansing.

As producers, we appreciate having this support for the managed use of water, one of our most important natural resources and one imperative in the production of food and fiber. With over 250,000 acres of cropland in Monroe County and an annual rainfall of just over 31 inches, Monroe County farmers already manage over 200 billion gallons of water each year just from natural rainfall. Legislation to protect this resource and to allow for appropriate use in well-managed irrigation in our local agricultural industry is very important.

Be it resolved that we appreciate the support for our agricultural industry and the continued use of this resource, especially for irrigation, provided by both Representative Angerer and Representative Ebli and Senator Randy Richardville in passage of this legislation and their support for the Great Lakes Compact to further protect this natural resource in our Great Lakes region. ADOPTED

AgriPac

The Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Political Action Committee (AgriPac) has asked our local committee to identify candidates for public office who are "Friends of Agriculture". Our committee met numerous times and reviewed surveys returned by candidates prior to the August primary election. These included surveys from our current State Representatives Kathy Angerer and Kate Ebli. After review, our local Candidate Review Committee forwarded to the state committee the recommendation of endorsing both Kathy and Kate as "Friends of Agriculture" in publicity to be released by Michigan Farm Bureau.

When this release was made, neither Kathy nor Kate were included in the list of "Friends of Agriculture". Our local committee was appalled, not to mention the staff of both candidates, that our recommendation was not followed by the state committee. Upon further investigation, the reason given was that neither candidate was opposed and that unopposed candidates are not endorsed in the primary election. To make matters worse, we have found several other political candidates in other parts of Michigan, who are running unopposed, to be included on the list. Our Candidate Review Committee feels that the lack of recommendation based on this reasoning is the same as not recommending the candidates who have indeed been our "Friends of Agriculture".

We have worked diligently in the past to maintain a good line of communication with both Kathy and Kate and feel this lack of support by our state committee has alienated this working relationship.

MFB is a grassroots organization and the County Candidate Review Committee is where recommendations for the "Friends of Agriculture" are begun. These recommendations need to be taken more seriously by the MFB AgriPac Committee.

Therefore, be it resolved that, if the Michigan Farm Bureau AgriPac Committee cannot change this policy, and in the future recommend our "Friends of Agriculture", whether
opposed or unopposed in the primary election, that the AgriPac Committee be dissolved. ADOPTED

Slow Moving Signs

Slow moving signs use for only as originally meant to be. Mail boxes and paper boxes on same side of road. ADOPTED

Bridge

Resolved: Tell the M.C.R.C. to replace the bridge on Ida Center immediately. ADOPTED

Local Reaffirmations

Recycling Center

Today's farmers, when purchasing pesticides, oils, etc., receive these products in plastic jugs and/or barrels.

At present, there is no recycling outlet for these containers in Monroe County.

Therefore, be it resolved: We ask Jamie Dean, Monroe County Solid Waste
Co-ordinator, to study and pursue the possibility of a recycling site in Monroe County for these containers. ADOPTED

County Roads

County Road Commissions should only be responsible for maintaining roads, not building them. By properly maintaining in a timely manner, it wouldn't be necessary to construct from scratch.

Be it resolved: Road building contractors should do the job. They have the necessary equipment, highly trained engineers and the expertise to deal with various grading and drainage problems and usage of proper materials for roads in each locality.
Bids would be submitted with the winning contractor required to be held responsible for the duration of the guaranteed life of the road. ADOPTED

Input On Major Road Projects

As more and more people, businesses and farms are impacted by road construction projects,

And as more citizens have filed complaints after road projects/improvements have begun,

Therefore, we resolve: We encourage Monroe County Road Commission to hold informational meetings on major road projects and improvements for those property owners and businesses directly impacted by the project. Notification can be to "occupant", business or landowner. Informational meetings show the scope of the project, length of the project and projected cost. Input from impacted citizens/landowners should be used in making final decisions such as timeframe, design and request by individual as it impacts their property. ADOPTED

Trash

We wish to thank Representative Kathy Angerer and Representative Kate Ebli for their efforts in curtailing the importing of Canadian trash; however, there is more to be accomplished.

Be it resolved that Representative Kathy Angerer and Representative Kate Ebli use their influence to reduce or eliminate trash from other states and countries. ADOPTED

Township Government

The Monroe County Farm Bureau represents the farm communities of the 15 townships in Monroe County. State Representative Paul Condino has proposed legislation to do away with Township Clerk, Treasurer and Assessor for those townships that have less than 10,000 population and/or those townships that have less than 20,000 population and do not have a full-time fire department and police protection. House Bills
4780-4788, if passed, would transfer the assessing, clerk duties and tax collection responsibilities from townships to the county after December 31, 2008.

This legislation would affect 13 of our 15 Monroe County townships in a negative way for our members and the citizens of Monroe County.

All of the named services would force our members and the citizens of Monroe County to conduct all of the noted services during regular business hours at the Monroe County Courthouse rather than the one-on-one service that we are accustomed to with our local township.

No evidence exists to prove that the transfer of these services to the county would produce a cost savings. Shifting of these services could actually increase cost to our citizens.

The members of Farm Bureau and the citizens of Monroe County do not feel support of House Bills #4780-4788 is in our best interest.

Be it resolved that the Monroe County Farm Bureau and its members support the Michigan Township Association in its efforts to defeat this legislation.

Be it further resolved that Monroe County Farm Bureau send copies of this resolution to our State House and Senate leadership, specifically to Representative Kathy Angerer, Representative Kate Ebli and Senator Randy Richardville and also to the proposer of the bill, Representative Paul Condino and the Honorable Governor Jennifer Granholm. ADOPTED

Recycling

The Monroe County Health Department provides Monroe County residents with a comprehensive recycling and pollution prevention program. Programs are offered to assist in the disposal of household waste such as plastic, tin and aluminum cans, newspapers, batteries, tires, Christmas trees, inkjet cartridges, mercury, pesticides and other hazardous waste.

Collection of newspapers is available at various sites in Monroe County.

Monroe County Solid Waste Co-ordinator, Jamie Dean, under the direction of the Monroe County Health Department, put together pamphlets, mailed regularly to assist us concerning disposing of many products that can be recycled.

We appreciate Jamie Dean's efforts to have a tire collection day for passenger tires and also large tire collection day for semi and farm implement tires.

Resolved: We encourage families and friends to participate in these programs. ADOPTED