KALKASKA -- A plan by some Kalkaska County commissioners to charge $2,000 and up for seats on a committee to oversee broadband internet expansion prompted cries of foul from other commissioners -- and a state police probe.
State troopers on Monday collected minutes of the county board's Dec. 15 meeting, at which a majority of commissioners agreed a seat on a government committee to research local broadband development could be obtained for $2,000 or more.
Kalkaska County's board chairman suspended the sale Monday after police obtained meeting records from the county clerk. Chairman George Shetler voted for the plan and said he thought a board subcommittee had cleared it with an attorney.
"I thought they'd done all the homework," Shetler said. "Now I've basically put out a cease and desist on anything this committee is going to do until our legal counsel and prosecuting attorney have a look at it."
Commissioner Louis Nemeth made the motion "to form an advisory committee for the purpose of broadband, members to consist of contributors of $2,000 or more," according to the draft minutes of the meeting.
Commissioners Alan McCullen, Debra Kimball, and Shetler and Nemeth voted in favor. Commissioners Carroll Sexton, Craig Wood, and Robert Crambell Jr. opposed.
"I voted no because it's a crime, it looked like to me," Crambell said. "As far as I know you can't sell seats. I thought, 'Boy, if you guys do this, nothing will surprise me.'"
In October, the board agreed to spend $5,000 to review broadband Internet access in Kalkaska County. That was the first step to put together a study and application for federal stimulus funding to construct infrastructure to provide broadband Internet.
The notion to sell committee seats arose from that action.
Wood said he supports creating a committee to determine how to handle the funds and proceed with broadband in the county, but voted against the measure because of the way it was worded.
"I don't think selling seats was the intent, they had the best of intentions, but it probably wasn't the best idea to do it this way," Wood said.
What began as an idea to provide seats to townships and businesses who pledged to contribute to study costs snowballed, Wood said.
Stuart Rogers Sr. of Rapid River Township videotaped the Dec. 15 meeting. He said a friend filed a complaint with the state police.
"I was shocked. Wouldn't you be?" Rogers said. "You don't buy a seat on a committee. It happens underhandedly some times, but never out in the open.
"To have something as unethical as this done at a public meeting by four of our county officials is a slap in the face," he added.
Det. Lt. Amos Horton of the state police Seventh District headquarters said authorities haven't yet determined if the board's action was criminal.
"We still have some investigating to do and have to see how the law applies to it," he said.
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