Saint Clair County Commissioners met for a legislative luncheon this week with representatives from state and federal governments on hand. A continuing theme is finding less and less funding available from various grants no matter where they might come from. One specific interest at the meeting was a continuing decline in funding for the Marine Division. Sheriff Tim Donnellon says there are still the same amount of waters to patrol and summer events to oversee but the dollars come up short on keeping the boats and officers available for patrols. Other issues discussed at the session included the continued lack of funding, in the President’s latest budget, for expansion of the Blue Water Bridge Plaza. Saint Clair County Commissioner Carl Tomion updated commissioners on the item this week during the county legislative luncheon. The land has been acquired, most of it cleared and plans drawn up for a new plaza at the Blue Water Bridge,but no money has been found for the project. Tomion notes there were also past commitments that reduced the time it would take to cross the bridge, an item that he says hasn’t happened and that has been a negative impact in reducing potential travelers into the Port Huron Area. Concerns were also aired by Community Mental Health of proposed funding changes proposed by the governor involving privatizing certain behavioral health care. The meeting included representatives from U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s and Congresswoman Candice Miller offices as well as State Representatives Paul Muxlow and Dan Lauwers.
