Iron County Doings is generally
opposed to most expansion of the
local economy that is at the public
expense primarily to benefit private
individuals. The proposed expansion
of the ICMF is one of those things
that is a positive response to the
growing needs of the community that
is facing a rapidly aging population
and the needs that grow out of our
demographic profile.

Whether you are for or against this
expansion, it is important that you
attend the meeting if you can, and
voice your opinion while you're
there.

Communication from Basso & Basso
follows.

----------------------------------------

Tomorrow, WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2011,
there is a critically important
public hearing concerning county
support for the expansion of the
Iron County Medical Care Facility.
The hearing will be held in the
CRYSTAL FALLS County Commissioner
meeting room at 5PM.

The hearing concerns whether the
County will support bonding for
the addition of a wing at the
Iron County Medical Care Facility
(the ICMCF) in order to handle
the increased pressures of
rehabilitation needs of our
citizens.

The ICMCF is a bright light in
our community and we need to
support their efforts. This
hearing is an opportunity to
gain information and/or to
ask questions regarding the
proposed addition to the
facility.

Please attend the hearing if
at all possible.

Ron & Sara Basso

-------------------------------

Bill Vajk

Zebra Mussels

I received the following in an email from
Sara Jane Basso:

=================================
The Iron County Watershed Coalition meeting
will be held on Monday, June 6, at 1:00 p.m.
at the West Iron District Library community
room. Speaker for the meeting will be Dean
Premo on the topic “Zebra Mussels in the
Menominee River Watershed” In fall of 2010,
Zebra Mussels were discovered by a
recreational diver in Keyes Lake (Florence
County, Wisconsin) adding to a growing list of
water bodies in the Menominee River
watershed that zebra mussels have invaded.

Some of these are in Iron County. Dean Premo
of White Water Associates will tell the story of
how the Florence County aquatic invasive
species coordinator, the lake specialist from the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(WDNR), private citizens and others responded.

Over the course of a few weeks a proposal was
developed and submitted to the WDNR. Funding
was received in March of 2011. Dr. Premo will
describe the resulting project that ranges in scale
from a single lake to the entire Menominee River
watershed and has research, education, and
management components.

All are welcome to attend the 30 minute
presentation. Feel free to invite any people you
think would be interested in this talk.
==================================

Bill Vajk

Michigan and Passenger Rail Service

Michigan awoke again, realizing the effectiveness
of rail service but only after most of the tracks in
Iron County and the region were removed.

The state has been giving the possibility of rail
expansion a lot of thought.

http://tinyurl.com/3eneef3

A while back there was a conference looking at
the economy for the UP and bordering Wisconsin
counties. The summary report can be found:

http://tinyurl.com/3exqlou

That report, released in September 2009, closes
with:

"Toward that end, many people also noted issues
with transportation infrastructure, noting that
with an improved highway system, passenger
rail service, or mass transit options, they could
more easily seek the missing services elsewhere
while maintaining their place of residence."

This is the consequence of focus group and
questionnaire participation by the general public
in the region. It should be noted that the public
in the US is used to solving its own problems. So
that by the time these sorts of opinions have risen
to the point where they're reported as part of a
study of the sort undertaken by economic
developers and those who are in the front lines,
some harsh realities of circumstance have played
heavily on the respondents.

Now all we have to achieve is to have MDOT and
the people with transportation needs get together
in the same room to hammer out some solutions.

The only naysayers in the crowd are the very same
people who cannot figure out how to get a resting
bench placed along the Apple Blossom Trail in
Iron River. I know of one individual who has been
asking the City of Iron River for such a bench for
years, and still no results!

Heck, a boy scout is doing it for the Caspian end of
that same trail! Perhaps we should get rid of the
naysayers and replace them with boy scouts who
know how to get things done?

Remember, "impossible" is only one of many options.

It appears to me that Iron River has been stuck
with the "impossible" option for far too long.

Bill Vajk

What to do in Iron County!

This time of year IronCountyDoings traditionally
receives searches seeking things to do in Iron
County and Iron River.

Once you're already here, make contact with the
Chamber of Commerce that's got all the information
for the county.

Chamber of Commerce
50 East Genesee St.
Iron River, MI 49935
Fax: (906) 265-5605
(906)265-3822 or info@iron.org

Around town, almost every merchant has
copies of a free tabloid sized newspaper called

Summer Fun

Just pick one up and read it.

And don't forget that making your selected
Iron County destination the central point for
day trips to the surrounding region can
expand your experience, and your pleasant
memories of Iron County!

Bill Vajk

King's "education" as dogcatcher revealed

We now have the documentation that was
provided by the Michigan Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development regarding
the qualifications of Mr. Tom King's alleged
compliance with the state requirements.

As a matter of opinion, we do not believe
the documentation provided to the State by
then undersheriff Brezek to be credible. There
is no certification of any of the records and the
records themselves are incomplete.

Here are some points of contention:

"3. One day spent with prosecuting attorney,
preparing complainants and case writing,
preparing and giving testimony, court protocol,
and public relations. 8 Hours. 23 Aug 02."

There appears to be no letter from the
prosecutor from that time, Joe Sartorelli, who
is no longer able to provide verification of the
alleged event

"4. One clay spent with local authority, discussing
local policies and procedures. 8 Hours. 19 Nov O1."

This lacks identification of the "local authority"
who allegedly provided training. Absence of the
name precludes approval which was unjustifiably
granted by the state. Please see:

http://tinyurl.com/3sog627

"6. Accompany state or federal livestock inspector
for two days and discuss laws and regulations,
inspection of shops, dog pounds, and animal
shelters. 16 Hours. 8-9 Feb 02."

Once again, no identification of the livestock
inspector fails to meet the state's requirements.

"7. One day spent in large city with humane
society shelter, observing entire operation along
with record keeping and method of euthanasia.
8 hours 16 Feb 02."

Here we go again, no documentation as to what
city shelter was involved.

It appears to us that Brezek took the sample that
is published by the state at:

http://tinyurl.com/3oyfe5o

and copied it while interspersing dates and other
"pertinent" information wherever such information
could be made to reach the descriptions.

Apparently Tom King was a jail guard, "Local
Corrections Officer," at the time. The qualifications
for that position changed on April 1, 2004. If Mr.
King qualifies to return to his former position, one
must wonder why such accommodation hasn't
been undertaken by Iron County.

When I originally inquired about filing the FOIA
request for this information with the Iron County
Sheriff's Office, I was advised the the FOIA officer
for the Sheriff's Department was the Iron County
Prosecutor. And Melissa A. Powell was cc'd on the
reply the Mrs. Clisch, the actual FOIA officer for
the county, provided, along with a cc to Tom King.

We also find it very odd that Tom King failed to raise
any issues about his compliance with state law in
being employed as county dogcatcher. until after
his termination from that position. Could that be
because the documentation facially fails to provide
what it claims to do? The legal term used by the
courts to describe such things is "specious."

In any case, the county itself failed to comply with
the state statutes by not formalizing the formal
requirements for that position. And finally, the
state law provides more than adequate regulation
of dogs in the state. We've never discovered any
need for Iron County, Michigan, to regulate animals
and to unnecessarily spend money for a dogcatcher
while state requirements provide this function
adequately.

IronCountyDoings, and therefore its editor, are
satisfied that Iron County possesses no documents
about Mr. King's compliance with the statutes
regulating the position of dogcatcher. The answer
provided by Mrs. Clisch was, in our opinion, sadly
correct.

Bill Vajk

The Dog Catcher Stories continue

We began our investigation regarding Tom King's
qualifications for the office he held, that is, Iron
County's dog catcher. In keeping with Michigan
statutes, we requested two documents in a
FOIA to Iron County:

1) The County's policy regarding physical,
educational, mental, and moral fitness for the
job.

2) Mr. King's qualification based successful
completion of a required course of study
as prescribed by the Michigan Department
of Agriculture.

In an office visit to encourage compliance by
answering the FOIA I noted that Mrs. Clisch,
the FOIA officer for Iron County, had a copy
of the state statute MCL 287.289b as part
of her file on the matter. I had not mentioned
the statute in my request, but someone
(perhaps the prosecuting attorney) was
sharp and had found the basis for my question.

On June 15, 2010, Mrs. Clisch answered the
FOIA request stating that none of the documents
requested exist. We've discussed this before.

A few days ago, a letter was handed to
associate editor Ben Smith, from Steven
L Halstead, program manager for the
Department of Agriculture, dated Sept 24,
2003, stating that based on information
sent to him by J. L. Brezak (then the
Undersheriff) that Tom King "has satisfied
the training requirements" for the position
of dog catcher.

This is not the end of the investigatory trail,
but rather a new beginning. Those results
will be reported here.

We have reason to believe that Iron County's
typical flim-flam was used to "qualify" Mr,
King as a political expedient. So whatever
comes out in this matter will be fairly
reported.

In the meantime, the County, for years,
violated the state statute which says:


287.289b County animal control
officers; employment standards.

Sec. 29b.

(1) The board of county commissioners

shall adopt minimum employment standards

relative to the recruitment, selection and

appointment of animal control officers. The

minimum standards shall include:

(a) Requirements for physical, educational,

mental and moral fitness.

(b) A minimum course of study of not less

than 100 instructional hours as prescribed

by the department of agriculture.

(2) Subdivision (b) shall not apply if the

animal control officer is a police officer or

has served at least 3 years as an animal

control officer.

It is clear that Iron County violated section
1 of the statute. What remains to be discovered
is how they claim that Tom King fulfilled the
educational requirements. If Undersheriff
Brezek claimed that Tom King had been a
police officer because he had been a jail guard
at the Iron County jail, we'll be looking for his
certification as a Michigan Police Officer.

Sometimes digging resolves issues. And
sometimes when you scratch something
it festers. We are eager to resolve this set
of questions and with hold judgment till
all the facts are in


Bill Vajk

more wool over the taxpayers' eyes

A presentation was made on May 10, 2011 by
the Iron County Economic Development
Corporation related to the rail spur in
Hematite Township at the meeting advertised
the week before in the Iron County Reporter.

The rail used by the EDC project sawmill is
worn out and needs to be replaced. This fact
must have been known when the sawmill
was funded using a county underwritten
bond, but kept quiet because the net effect
is the addition of yet another contract
amount to replace rails costing taxpayers
a base investment of $176,850 with the
possibility of significant additional charges
to replace unsuitable fill under the tracks.

How many more secrets are there about
this sawmill project that the EDC promoted
heavily not all that long ago? How much
more is that project going to cost the
taxpayers that we haven't been told about?

It was bad enough that roadway was
replaced at EDC/taxpayer expense, but at
least that was public property. Now the
EDC is involved in the replacement of
privately owned property with the only
available recovery being revolving loan
repayments by two firms using the rail
spur, and those firms "guarantee" a
certain number of railcars moving over
the spur till the loans are repaid. That,
of course, assumes the continuing viability
of the sawmail and Sappi Paper for at
least 5 years after this new project is
funded.

The fact that the rail spur isn't going to
become public property is, in this editor's
opinion, incompetence on the part of our
EDC officials. And the way the current
project is being handled pretty much
precludes extension of the rail spur
down to the Crystal Falls Industrial
Park that would have significantly
improved the growth potential there.

Since the trackage is worn out and must
be replaced, and the Railroad Company
has stated that they do not intend to
continue service on the spur in its present
condition, this means that the entire spur
is ripe for abandonment except for
intervention by the EDC, the County, and
the State of Michigan.

Abandonment means that it is available
at a minimum cost to anyone who is willing
to purchase it. That "anyone" should have
been the County of Iron. Then
improvements to the rail could have been
made by the Michigan Economic
Development Corp. (MEDC) because it
would have meant improvements related to
public property used for economic advantage
of the region, and a future extension to the
Crystal Falls Industrial Park would have been
a likelihood instead of one more page in a wish
book. Not only that, but the Amasa Depot
has had a lot of inquiry as a site for business
that's not going to be available so long as the
rail spur remains in private hands.

The bid for rail work was submitted by
Holubar Construction Co. on November 8,
2010. So the project has been in the works
at least since that time, and the recipient of
the bid was Pine River Lumber Co.

IronCountyDoings editor has been immersed
in another project and has been unable to
pay attention to the business of the EDC, but
it appears at this moment that this project
was more or less kept under wraps, and
trotted out in the May 4th issue of the Iron
County Reporter, approved by the EDC the
following week on May 10, and approved by
the County Board the same day.

Can you say, "pull the wool over the taxpayers'
eyes" and "rushed through" with no chance for
dissemination by the press and the expected
public discussion?

As is to be expected in Iron County, Tinti
Law and GEI engineering have their pieces
of the action.

According to the unapproved minutes from
the EDC meeting of March 10, the following
members of the EDC Board of Directors were
present and responsible for approving the
project:

Leonoff, Archocosky, Yusla, Ferguson,
Syrjanen, King, Lind, and Quayle. Absent
from the meeting were members Anderson,
Alexa, Lesandrini, and J. Melchiori.

Bill Vajk

The Pre-Budget Budget Meeting

The city of Iron River held a special
pre-budget meeting last Wednesday,
May 4, 2011. Various categories and
departments were discussed. It was
announced that a public pre-budget
meeting would be held sometime
later in May to explain the aims of
the budget to the public.

During the public comment segment
of the meeting an Iron River citizen
asked if any consideration had been
given to taking advantage of the New
Government Affordable Health care
Law (Obamacare) to provide the health
coverage for the city employees that are
covered under union contract.

As of now no information has been made
available either to the city nor any
employees.

Later during council comments a
mention was made by several members
of the concern of citizens about
the condition of the street pavements in
the city. It was pointed out by the
administration that most of the road
funding the city receives has
traditionally been used primarily for
winter snow removal which leaves very
little for routine maintenance.

And since revenue sharing is expected
to shrink dramatically not much hope
was expressed about future maintenance
of the streets in the city.

Ben Smith

--------------------------------------------------------

Editor's comments:

The "Ethic of Reciprocity" is also known in
the predominantly Christian west as "The
Golden Rule." A goodly number of
variations in the wording have been around
since at least the Middle Kingdom of Egypt
that began about 2040 BC. However, of
particular interest to today's discussion
is the variation stated by a Jewish Elder,
sometimes referred to a Rabbi named Hillel,
who was a contemporary of Christ. Hillel
taught, "If I am not for myself, then who
will be for me? And if I am only for myself,
then what am I? And if not now, when?"

For this discussion, the last part is critical.

If the City of Iron River has been unable to
maintain the street pavement over the past
few decades, and has no money for it now,
then when?

It appears that no one has taken the
residents' long term needs into
consideration. The City Manager is,
relatively speaking, a short timer, who
will be retiring before any of the city
streets become impassible. The
members of the City Council are elected
for one cycle at a time. The office staff
has no responsibility for infrastructure.

This publication discussed this very issue
quite recently, on April 29th. What good is
money in the bank while infrastructure is
collapsing around us?

The bad part is that it doesn't appear that
the City of Iron River has any plans at all
for making necessary repairs or replacement
of pavement. The powers that are responsible
appear to be turning a blind eye to the
problems.

And unfortunately, some finger pointing
solves the problem for them by saying that
Bill Vajk is just "out to destroy Iron River,
so don't listen to him, there are more
important things to do."

Really?

Bill Vajk

Money In The Bank?

OK, so Iron River has some money in the bank,
and did well on the government audit deciding
whether or not it is in fiscal trouble. The score
of 0 we mentioned a few days ago has Iron River
politicos breaking their arms patting themselves
on the back.

But there's a downside. There almost always
is. Today I'll show an obvious one. Unfortunately
at the moment I don't have the time to do a
deeper investigation to find some of the other
pitfalls that are hovering just below the surface.

If you don't properly maintain your infrastructure
it hardly matters how much money you have in
the bank.

As a citizen, what would you rather have? Lousy
streets and buildings that are left wanting of
repairs for years on end and a nice bank balance,
or would you rather have a government always
on the edge of needing a bailout and good roads?

Here's a photo of the alley behind my property
at 413 Plum Street.



This alley was paved. Since 2005 it has
deteriorated and not been repaired, but
has been covered with gravel instead.

Because it is a hillside, as many streets
and alleys are in Iron River, graveling
over the paves street doesn't work very
well, and the City knows that, but this
is their idea of "good enough for the
residents." Is it good enough for you?

Washington Street on the hilltop is
actually one of the better paved streets
in Iron River, and they're going to tear
it all up to put a median in. Still there
are plenty of flaws, like this one at the
corner of Washington and Diamond, right
in the path of most traffic going around
that corner.


And speaking of Diamond, that street is riddled
with potholes over its entire length!


So these are where people live and drive. What
about the parts that the public who come on
vacation see?

The City of Iron River has a pumping station
next door to the Riverside Mall. The roof
has been in the state shown in the next
picture for years. Literally, for years!!!!



This is the face we show the world. But
you must feel good, because the City has
money in the bank!

Other people have pretty strong horror
stories abut the City, and most readers
will know several unique ones.

City "fathers", fix the city up, and don't
feel so good about having a strong reserve.
None of the other communities do, and all
that "fail" will be bailed out, so why in
the heck are you doing this? I wouldn't
want to guess. Your mission is to serve
the public. It is past time you start doing
that.

Bill Vajk

A Non-negative Economic Look at Iron River

For a change, the news about the City of Iron
River is not bad. Ben Smith, our Associate Editor,
acquired the information that the City has been
found by the Michigan Treasury to be in a
sufficiently sound state that a close watch is not
necessary.

The scale of numbers starts with zero, the best
score, and moves upwards, to depict the level
of alarm that each municipality engenders.

Iron River achieved a zero score. The full table,
as well as a tabulation of several earlier years,
can be found at:

http://tinyurl.com/3fzkq2m

I look forward to the day that the City of Iron
River volunteers the auditor's report as well as
the budget for scrutiny and public comment. If
the City is actually proud of their achievements
perhaps they'll put a copy in the mail to me, they
already have my address. As far as I know, those
are public documents and they should be available
on request. I have to wonder why such records
aren't routinely put up for public view on their
web page. The business of the city is our business,
not the City Council's alone.

The old Russian adage "trust but verify" comes
to mind. Reagan, and others similarly clever,
took that caveat to be a rule of living, as we all
should where governments are concerned.

Bill Vajk

Rearranging The Deck Chairs?

Sarah Palin's recent speech admonishing the
newly elected Republicans in Congress
for "rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking
Titanic" was on target.

This news source generally doesn't comment
on national news unless there's a significant
impact on Iron County, Michigan. This is one
of those occasions.

Standard and Poors has warned the US
Government that we're not matching other
AAA rated sovereigns, and that we have a
negative long term outlook by comparison:

"We have affirmed our 'AAA/A-1+' sovereign
credit ratings on the United States of America."

"...we have revised our outlook on the long
term rating to negative from stable."

http://www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/articles/en/us/?assetID=1245302886884

This is a prelude to loss of the AAA ratings we
presently experience. A change of as little as
1/10th of 1 percent in interest on the 14 trillion
dollars of national debt that we presently owe
increases monthly payments on that debt by
more than most of us can possibly earn in a
lifetime, even considering the sorts of inflation
we've experienced since the 1929 depression.
That small increase in an interest rate comes to
more than 1.5 million dollar increase (not the
payment, just the increase) per month. That's
roughly $14 million a year for each 1/10 of 1%
increase in interest. Who among us thinks for
an instant that the interest will increase by
only 1/10 of 1%?

How does that affect us here in Iron County,
you ask?

This county lives on grants. No more
infrastructure improvements, new police,
township, or county vehicles would be
available! The "deep pockets" that local
governments have come to rely on for
many of our needs on will be empty. More
paved roads will be graveled over.

The difficulty is, of course, that we depend
on political decisions to solve economic
problems that would be best solved by
knowledgeable hard-nosed non-political
economists whose only interest is in
stabilizing the economy.

The time has come for a new question to
be asked of the politicians in Washington.

"Ask not how much you can gift the folks
who vote for you. Ask, instead, what you
can do to improve this nation!"

Redistribution doesn't work!

Bill Vajk

BOC Meeting 4-12- 2011

Iron County Board of Commissioners
Meeting April 12, 2011

Commissioner Camp reported that the Iron
County Health Department had achieved a
99% compliance award by the Michigan
Department of Community Health as the
result of a recent audit. The Board considered
this real achievement and the board was
happy to receive the news

They also received the Equalization
Department Report from Director Mussatto.

In other business Iron County received an
allowed increase of twenty cents per month
in the surcharge on telephone lines in order to
finance the 911 system. The board indicated that
they would like more information regarding a
VOIP (Internet telephone) proposal from Merit
a not for profit agency. The MERIT Network has
been in existence since 1966. Their original
mission was to design and implement a computer
network between public universities in Michigan

Merit is in the process of installing a distribution
system near Forest Park School Campus. It is a
program originally installed through University
of Michigan and through a grant has been
encouraged to spread statewide. This reporter
thinks they are offering to provide VOIP telephone
service to Iron County although it was not spelled
out at the meeting because many of the
commissioners were not familiar with the process.
They requested more information.

In other action the board authorized Prosecuting
Attorney Melissa Powell Weston to defend the
County in Federal Appeals Court in the lawsuit
filed by residents William and Gloria Vajk against
the County, the City of Iron River, and the Michigan
Municipal League.

Ben Smith

Casperson and Huuki

Senator Tom Casperson and Representative
Matt Huuki appeared at townhall style
gathering at "The Station" restaurant in
Iron River, tonight April 9, 2011. They spoke
for approximately two hours to an audience
comprised of local residents.

The audience asked questions ranging from
their positions on the proposal to tax
pensions, to nuclear energy and emergency
financial executives to replace elected office
holders and voiding collectively bargained
contracts.

Both officials said they didn't think the
Item Pricing Bill was designed to create
jobs.

This reporter was not able to ask the follow-
up question,"How many jobs would be lost
due to it's implementation?"

The audience was generally polite and
heard the two officeholders both express
support for nuclear energy and the mining
being done in Marquette County.

The previously unidentified sponsor for
the event was later identified as Eric
Koenig of Iron County.

Ben Smith

Notice

The Notice of Appeal for the federal lawsuit in which
I am suing the City of Iron River, Iron County, and
various officials of both entities, was filed this
afternoon at the Federal District Court in Marquette.

This will move the next phase of the case to a three
judge panel in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals at
Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bill Vajk

Eternal Vigilance?

A letter to the editor was published in the March
30, 2011, edition of the Iron County Reporter. The
letter concerns itself with the streetscape plan
for Washington Street - Lay Avenue that's been
in the works since at least 2006.

Someone finally woke up.

Consider the Cool Cities Blueprint report:

"In addition, serious consideration should be given
to creating a landscaped median down the center
of Washington. Doing so would not only beautify
the area, but would greatly enhance The Hilltop's
pedestrian-orientation."

You can find a copy of this report posted on the
internet at:

http://www.ironriver.org/downloads/forms/Cool%20Cities%20Blueprint.pdf

The Cool Cities Blueprint prepared for the city by
Hyatt Palma in 2006 after several public meetings
at City Hall about the topic cost the taxpayers over
$100,000. In essence the report is a clearinghouse
of a wish list prepared predominantly of items on
the wish lists of some of the "shakers and movers"
in our region. In addition the report plays hardball
in giving kudos to those same shakers and movers.
That sort of thing makes it ever so much easier to
sell the authors next cool cities, or any similar urban
planning project.

The letter to the editor is well founded, but more
than a little late. Streetscape plans have been
created at public expense. This project has been
in the works, one way or another, for some 5
years.

Where has the public outcry against this project
been hiding for the past 5 years?

The following appears on the Jefferson
Memorial:

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal
hostility against every form of tyranny over
the mind of man."

This is often taken as the basis for our American
creed that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
Jefferson was a clever man, and we should be
heeding his advice. It is not enough to take
exception to what the government is doing when
the facts are pushed in our face. In order to
prevent projects like the planned streetscape
at Iron River's Hilltop, the objections should have
been made in 2006 rather than 2011.

The local watchers of government are too few
here in Iron County, Michigan, and the retaliation
taken by our local power brokers has been too
effective. It takes a degree of bravery to stand
up to the onslaught extended by local government
administrations.

Please see:

http://ironcountydoings.blogspot.com/2010/11/non-legal-retribution.html

for an example.

If we have no personal care about the Hilltop we
still have a strong interest in how and where our
money is being spent. Grants from the state or
the federal government still come out of our pockets.

I wonder if the author of the letter to the editor
has been paying attention to other local government
initiatives that run counter to taxpayer interests?

a new airport of Iron County

Windsor Center

Michigan Townships Association model ordinance:
http://ironcountydoings.blogspot.com/2011/03/here-we-go-again.html

City of Iron River authorization of a $23,150,000
municipal bond for Northstar Healthcare (hospital)
improvements with a shrinking population and a
resulting loss of over $2 million for the calendar year
2010. In fact, the last break-even year for the
hospital was 2007.

http://ironcountydoings.blogspot.com/2011/03/northstar-hospital-report-2010q4.html

I'll stop here, the complete list is far more extensive.

The planned Hilltop streetscape is Iron River's
"bridge to nowhere," just like the jutting out
sidewalks on Genesee Street were a very bad
idea not clearly thought through considering
the snow clearing we must do all winter every
winter.

Please take some time to read the Cool Cities
Blueprint report. Please become more involved
in throwing reins on local government whenever
it is appropriate.

Idle hands are the devil's workshop. For variants
please see:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/21/messages/17.html

The problem is that our local governments are
designed to be caretakers, not activists. And the
elected politicians haven't gotten that message,
they appear to think that they're supposed to be
activists, and the voters are supposed to follow
their lead.

In reality, the situation is exactly the opposite
of what we are experiencing in Iron County. It
is the taxpaying electorate that's supposed to be
leading.

How about it?

Bill Vajk

Merger Studies

Eleven years ago the Cities of Iron River and
Stambaugh and the Village of Mineral Hills
became the first local municipalities in the
State of Michigan to combine into one entity.

In view of the State of Michigan’s financial
condition, is the time right for more of these
types of mergers for other cities, villages and,
in particular, school districts? In a period of
declining populations, merged entities would
be better able to provide the taxpayers good
police protection, fire protection, etc, when the
State is proposing reducing revenue sharing for
everyone.

I am not advocating this as a solution, but I am
advocating the study of the advantages or
disadvantages for mergers as a possible solution
to declining municipal income.

The City of Iron River Commissioners voted at
their March 2010 meeting to study and evaluate
the City’s charter. Maybe this is the time for
others to talk and conduct similar studies as well.

Ben Smith

====================================

The 2010 census numbers are finally available. The
City of Iron River experienced a reduction of about
10.5% for the decade. The 2010 population was 3029.

The Iron County population shrank as well, with a new
total of 11,817 representing a decrease of about 10%
for the decade. For both the city and county, about 1
person out of every 10 you know now will not be here
for the 2020 census.

Considering that the published state estimate for Iron
County's population was 11,633, we didn't lose quite
as many as had been estimated.

You can find the census data on the internet at:

http://www.michigan.gov/cgi/0,1607,7-158-54534-252541--,00.html

Bill Vajk

Northstar Hospital Report 2010Q4

The fourth quarter financial report for the
Northstar Hospital in Iron River is now
online and available. The reason the public
has access to these reports is because
Northstar requested and received the
proceeds from a municipal bond in the
amount of $23,150,000 with a total of
$25 million authorized.

The latest report may be found at:

http://www.firstriver.com/continuing-disclosure/PDFs/NHS_FY2010Q4DisclosurePackage.pdf

The loss from operations is $2,609,000 for
2010. The word "default" appears in a number
of places throughout the report.

What is interesting is that on a total revenue of
$ 34,484,000 the operation resulted in a deficit
of 2,282,000 of revenue compared to expenses.
That approximates a 6.6% loss. The historical
record shown by the report on page shows that
annually the deficit has been increasing since
2007, the last time the ratio was positive instead
of negative as it is now.

The report makes much of the new agreements
between Bellin Health of Green Bay, WI.

With an aging population in Iron County, we hope
that Northstar turns some of the numbers around
quickly.

Bill Vajk

Here We Go Again!

With all the hype presently in the news about
outdoor burning in the state of Michigan, I
went about looking at the information available
on the internet and one of the things I found is
a model ordinance put out by the Michigan
Townships Association in conjunction with the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
This document may be found at:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-ess-caap-modelordinance_312507_7.pdf

There's a seriously troubling part. Local
governments in Michigan, the MML and the
Townships Association appear to exhibit no
common sense where it comes to codifying
known constitutional violations, and the
ordinances stand until challenged in the
courts, usually at significant expense to
some taxpayer, the courts, and the
taxpayers at large whose tax money is
expended to attempt to defend the state
or municipality encroachment on our
civil rights.

The model ordinance promotes warrantless
searches by law enforcement officials in the
following paragraph:

"SECTION 15: RIGHT OF ENTRY AND
INSPECTION

"15.00 Right of entry and inspection.

"The Fire Chief or any authorized officer, agent,
employee or representative of the [Pick one:
county, city, village or township] of [name] who
presents credentials may inspect any property
for the purpose of ascertaining compliance with
the provisions of this ordinance."

The fourth and fourteenth amendments to the
US Constitution and Paragraph 11 of Article 1
in the Michigan Constitution quite clearly prohibit
such actions.

"The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV)
to the United States Constitution is the part of
the Bill of Rights which guards against
unreasonable searches and seizures, along with
requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned
and supported by probable cause. It was adopted
as a response to the abuse of the writ of assistance,
which is a type of general search warrant, in the
American Revolution. Search and arrest should be
limited in scope according to specific information
supplied to the issuing court, usually by a
law enforcement officer, who has sworn by it."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Michigan's constitution says:

"Sec. 11. The person, houses, papers and possessions
of every person shall be secure from unreasonable
searches and seizures. No warrant to search any place
or to seize any person or things shall issue without
describing them, nor without probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation."

The final sentence of this section, that is here omitted,
was declared void as non-complying with the US
Constitution in 1969 and 1970.

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/publications/constitution.pdf

What is sadder yet is that the individuals who pass
such ordinances are usually immunized for authorizing
legislation they know in advance to be illegal. that
doesn't seem reasonable.

But the story doesn't end there. The alleged purpose
of banning garbage burning is to reduce pollution by
sending our trash to landfills. Rural Michigan has been
burning trash, or illegally burying it, for more than
100 years.

Let's look at the alternative, that is, to send all
household trash to landfills. It seems, when all the
elements are examined, to be a false economy in
terms of the ecological costs.

First, a large parcel of land must be dedicated to
being a landfill. If it wasn't excavated for some
economic reason (a mining operation of some sort)
the land must be excavated, and lined with a water
impervious barrier. Usually the barrier is several
layers thick with sand or gravel or clay in between
and an array of leakage sensors installed that has
to be monitored "forever!"

Next, the household trash must be collected. That
has not been done in rural areas such as Iron
County's because generally the population density is
very low, resulting in long distances driven by rubbish
collectors to collect relatively small amounts of trash.
Consider the labor required for this activity and the
amount of pollution caused by the trucks thus
involved.

Once collected, the trash is dumped at a transfer
station where larger vehicles take up the load. Once
again heavy machinery is involved and more
pollution in handling the trash a second time.

Now the trash makes a journey to the landfill, with
more truck pollution as a result. How much pollution
depends on how far away the landfill facility is.

At the landfill, the trash is dumped, but then it is
further processed and buried using heavy machinery
with more resulting pollution form those machines
that aren't subject to any sort of pollution regulation
since they're never used on highways.

With the trash buried you'd think we're done, but no,
actually we're just at the beginning of another type
of cycle, the biochemical deterioration of the trash
some of which goes on for at least decades, some
for centuries.

The first product is methane. If not tapped using
well style equipment tons and tons of the stuff,
a carbohydrate gas (CH4), spews into the atmosphere.
It is a greenhouse gas. Even where tapped and used
for electrical generation one primary end product is
carbon dioxide. The carbon component is not reduced
in the burning process.

In the end, all that transferring household trash to
landfills does is to increase the net pollution by
whatever it takes to transport trash from the home
of a consumer to a landfill. The pollution content
of the trash always remains the same, and over time
all of it ends up back in the environment.

To require household trash to be buried in a landfill
is simply relocating the pollution out of sight of
the neighbor who complains, in their ignorance,
about the burning of trash. That relocation costs
all of us significant money with a cognizable increase
in the overall pollution in exchange for our efforts.

When I visited England in 2000, homeowners in the
midlands city of Heanor were burning coal in August
to take the chill off the early morning air and to heat
domestic hot water. I'll bet they threw trash in there
to save on the amount of coal they were burning and
to reduce the overall pollution resulting from their
trash being hauled to a landfill.

It seems to me the more "civilized" (a misnomer that
should be read "regulated") we become the more it
costs us, and nothing we've achieved has significantly
reduced the amount of pollution each of us contributes
to the whole.

Bill Vajk

Airport Committee Meeting

The minutes for the Iron County Ad Hoc Airport
Committee meeting of 3/10/2011 are posted at:

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/iron-river/110310-airport.pdf

This is a hot topic here in Iron County, Michigan.
We will keep our readers appraised as information
becomes available.

If suitable justification can be found to support
a new airport that presents it as more than a
convenience for a few businessmen then we
should all embrace it. At the moment it seems
unlikely the committee members can legitimately
make a valid case for county involvement.

In any event, there's no reason the businessmen
who would benefit the most cannot create their
own private airport. If a new airport is such a great
idea, then it should present a business opportunity
that can afford the businesspeople involved a viable
profit center.

If it is to be a money pit, Iron County needs to
steer clear. It would be interesting to see a written
justification for county involvement in the existing
airports that, absent a justification able to
withstand public scrutiny, should probably be
closed and sold off. The money currently spent
on behalf of a select few would be better spent
subsidizing badly needed public transportation
in Iron County.

Consider the absurdity of a county with a collapsing
economy and a collapsing population (estimated to
be smaller than 12,000) supporting two airports
with a third airport proposed.

Vilas County, Wisconsin, has recognized that the
largest part of their housing is occupied only for
part of the year. It would be interesting to know
how Iron County would fare if a similar census
were undertaken.

Bill Vajk

Tri-County Meeting Announcement

Contact: Wendy Gehlhoff
Phone: 715-528-3294

Contact: Bruce Orttenburger
Phone: 906-774-2002

ENTREPRENEURS & INVENTORS CLUB
MEETING

Aurora, WI-- “Taking the Fear out of
Financing Your Business” is the topic
for the next Upper Menominee River
Entrepreneurs & Inventors Club meeting
Thursday, March 31st, from 6:00pm –
7:30pm. The meeting will take place in
NWTC’s Woodland Kitchen and Business
Incubator large classroom at the Hillcrest
Elementary School located at the
intersection of County N and B just west
of Aurora, WI in Florence County.

Do you have a great idea for a new business,
but are unsure how to get the start-up
financing you need? Does sitting down with
your local commercial lender make your
palms sweat? Then why not learn directly
from a commercial lender what information
lenders require, what pro forma financial
statements are and why you need them,
and how best to present your financing
request. Our speaker, Chad Skinner, has
been with CoVantage Credit Union in Crystal
Falls for ten years, the last six as a
Commercial Loan Representative. Prior to
that, he took time to gain retail experience
in small business. As a commercial loan
representative, Chad spends most of his
time working with business owners to find
solutions that improve their unique financial
situations. CoVantage Credit Union strives to
be the “Best of the Best” at providing its
members outstanding value and exceptional
service.

After our speaker’s 30 minute presentation,
there will be question and answer time followed
by informal group networking. Taking time to
network with other business owners,
entrepreneurs and business resource people
to learn from their experiences will help you
improve your current business, start a new
business or develop an invention. These
meetings are free for Wisconsin or Michigan
residents. Sponsoring agencies include Florence
County Economic Development, Dickinson Area
Partnership, Marinette County Association for
Business and Industry and NWTC.

For more information or to request special
accommodations, please call Wendy Gehlhoff
(Florence County Economic Development
715-528-3294) or Bruce Orttenburger (Dickinson
Area Partnership 906-774-2002).