IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson County Board failed to reach a decision Thursday on a proposed restructuring of part-time employment to support the county fair.

During a finance meeting, Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. said a fair secretary is currently paid $375 a week, but a planned reduction in duties would cut it to $125 weekly. As part of that change, the county board has approved a job description for a part-time fair manager but without setting a salary or other contract terms.

Degenaer, a longtime fair board president, will be leaving both the fair board and county board in the new year. He has stated his intention to apply for the fair manager position.

That’s led to objections from some citizens, including Jeff Gurchinoff of Kingsford, who said a decision should be deferred until next year when four new members are seated on the five-member county board. Also, the county board has kept the fair board out of the deliberations, he said.

Mark Bubloni, a Norway resident, said the county needs to wait for legal advice. “It’s wrong to put the new board in this situation,” he said. “You opted to put this position in with four business days left in the year.”

Degenaer is the wrong person for the job, Bubloni added. “I think he thinks he owns the fairgrounds,” he said.

After lengthy discussion, the board voted on a proposed one-year fair manager contract at a salary of $500 monthly. It failed 2-2, with Degenaer abstaining.

The vote was on contract terms only, not on who might fill the position. A fair manager would be under the supervision of County Controller Brian Bousley.

Commissioners Ann Martin and Joe Stevens voted no while Henry Wender, the county board chair, and Barbara Kramer, the finance chair, voted yes.

Stevens, who will be the only returning county board member in 2025, said a fair manager position shouldn’t be established at this time.

Kramer emphasized the position would be funded by county fair revenues, not by a special appropriation. Other county functions have managers, including parks and the airport, she noted.

Relying on the 13-member fair board to handle more duties could pose a problem, Kramer continued. “Management by committee can be difficult,” she said.

Degenaer pointed out the secretary’s position has had high turnover. The proposed reduced duties for that position would be a savings of about $1,000 a month, he said, adding that county fairs across the entire state have managers.

Martin, who has served with Degenaer on the fair board, said he’s done an excellent job. “I would fear for the success of the fair without him,” she said.

She objected, however, to the idea of using the full savings in the secretary’s pay to compensate a fair manager.

Stevens and other commissioners held out the possibility of seeking more input from the fair board before the end of the year, possibly scheduling a special joint meeting.

In other action during the finance meeting, the board:

— Voted unanimously to reject a request from District County Judge Julie LaCost to fill a vacant civil court clerk position. Bousley said he expects the judge will file a new request to fill the vacancy. In a Dec. 19 letter, LaCost said the position is essential to processing civil cases in a timely and organized manner and preventing backlogs. The civil clerk also serves as a second deputy magistrate, helping ensure that daily arraignments take place to keep dangerous offenders from being let out on personal bonds, she said.

— After reviewing bids, awarded a contract to TRICO Opportunities for cleaning services at the courthouse and correctional center in Iron Mountain, as well as Ford Airport in Kingsford. Total cost for 2025 will be $18,200, which includes two days weekly at the courthouse and correctional center, and one day weekly at the airport. Kingsford-based TRICO provides training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The 2024 contract, which was awarded without seeking bids, was $90 per day at each site but on a more frequent basis. The new contract works out to $116.67 a day.