News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Members of the DHD4 Health Board wait for the meeting to start on Tuesday at the DHD4 Alpena office.

ALPENA — District Health Department No. 4’s health board hired an Alpena accounting company as a third-party auditor to help process the organization’s audit this year.

The accounting firm, Schulze, Oswald, Miller, and Edwards PC, was the chosen auditor as board members noted its proximity to the Health Department’s four branches, along with the firm’s bid for services which was the lowest of the three offers.

The financial firms submitted proposals for how much money the Health Department would pay for its auditing services, meaning the Health Department was looking for lower bids.

Schulze, Oswald, Miller, and Edwards PC asked for about $15,000 for its services, but DHD4 Finance Director Jerry Hills said that it’s common practice for the base price to go up after the accounting company can take a look at the Health Department and how much work may have to be done to complete the audit.

A motion was made to go with Schulze, Oswald, Miller, and Edwards PC, passing with a vote of 5 to 2. Two members opposed the motion, stating that the local accounting firm has more than likely not audited a governmental department entity and was concerned with how things might go during the auditing process.

The motion only approves one year with the accounting firm and the board will need to either renew its agreement with Schulze, Oswald, Miller, and Edwards PC next year or go with a different firm’s services.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

The District Health Department No. 4 board on Tuesday also:

* reported that there was a home heating fuel spill at Grand Lake. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy told the Health Department about 700 gallons had been spilled and asked the Health Department to sample residential wells to see whether or not they had been impacted. The Health Department has not found any direct impact but will continue sampling.

* discussed Health Department finances, reporting that the department is “in the black” and is doing well.

* reported that the Montmorency health department office now has a refrigerator and freezer installed to deliver vaccines to. Clinics will soon be open in the county, allowing more individuals to get vaccinated. Another point of discussion involving the refrigerator and freezer was regarding power outages and the protocols if that were to happen. Currently, the Health Department has an agreement with the Montmorency County Sheriff’s Office to put the vaccines in its refrigerator and freezer if power goes out at the office.

* reported that the Hillman School Wellness Program has a new nurse practitioner who started on Feb. 9. The new nurse will try to go with a telehealth-hybrid approach. Currently, no social worker has been found for the program.

*voted on a motion to change environmental health appeals language. Originally, according to DHD4 Environmental Health Director Kevin Prevost, the language required that the county clerk help in the process of appealing. Prevost said that most of the time the clerk is not sure why they are even a part of the process and requested a change so the environmental health branch will process the appeals.

*voted on a motion to change banks for the organization’s credit card. The Health Department originally used Chase Banks but will transfer to Huntington Banks.

*voted on a motion to update policy and procedure changes. Most changes involved driving for business language, the inclusion of language from the Americans with Disabilities Act, and more.