Houghton County Board Commissioner Joel Keranen was one of two who voted to move regular meeting times from 6 to 4 p.m. The other was Board President Tom Tikkanen. The county board voted not to move meeting time. (Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — After much public comment in favor of the Board of Commissioners retaining the meeting time of 6 p.m. for is regular monthly meetings, the board voted not to change, although the vote was not unanimous.

Public comment unanimously supported the meetings beginning at 6 p.m., and reflected the comments by county resident Heather Mroz, who asked the board to keep the current meeting time.

“I am a public school employee,” she said. “I get four personal days per year. I also get sick days, which are for when I’m actually sick, have a medical appointment or have a medical procedure.”

In 2026, she said, she attended to county board work sessions, which are held at 10 a.m. In order to attend those, she had to use two half-days of leave, totaling one full day.

“For residents with daytime jobs, the 6 p.m. regular meeting as the regular schedule, it allows many working residents to participate in County government and engage directly with this Board,” Mroz said. “Moving the regular meetings to daytime hours would board meetings and (work sessions) behind the same work time barrier.”

The board discussed the idea of changing the time from 6 to 4 p.m. Commissioner Joel Keranen spoke in favor of the change.

“Our meetings haven’t been well-attended at 6,” he said.

Keranen said the board previously started its meetings at 4 p.m., but moved them to 6 p.m. in response to a resolution by Dan Holcolmb, with the Houghton County Republicans.

“I think we had better attendance when we were at 4,” he said, “we had a lot more attendance from our county employees, county heads.”

Keranen said the commissioners are fully accessible via email, or Zoom.

“The facts are the facts,” he said. “The meetings at 4 were better attended. That’s just my two cents, so I would make the motion that we move the meetings from 6 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.”

Commissioner Glen Anderson said he did not support it, but would second the motion for the sake of opening the topic to discussion.

“I received several emails about the change, plus all the comments tonight (which) I appreciate,” Commission Vice Chair Roy Britz said.

Britz said his concern is with the meetings beginning after dark in the wintertime.

“Our clerk has to travel so far, and many residents also have to travel far. Is it possible to move the meeting times for six months to 4, and keep the summer meeting times at 6 p.m.?”

Commissioner Gretchen Janssen said an earlier meeting time would be more convenient for her personally, and she sympathizes with county employees who must drive long distances in winter.

“But, I’ve gotten emails and texts and phone calls, and nobody supports changing the time,” she said, “I have to go with that, even if it’s better for me to meet earlier, I can’t vote for that.”

Commissioners Karanen and Tikkanen. voted in favor of the time. The motion was opposed by Anderson, Britz and Janssen, and was defeated.