ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – At Tuesday’s County Board of Commissioners meeting, former Delta Conservation District manager Rory Mattson addressed concerns involving District Board Chair Joe Kaplan.
In March, Commissioner Bob Barron accused Kaplan of a potential “breach of confidentiality” and “singling out” the county as a landowner. He says this occurred when Kaplan asked County Administrator Ashleigh Young about the county’s enrollment in the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).
Commission Chair David Moyle invited Mattson to speak on the situation. Mattson told the board that he consulted with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), which says the Conservation District Board is allowed to look at MAEAP files, as long as they do not share the information.
However, Mattson says some of Kaplan’s alleged statements are incorrect.
“What was said was that this project would’ve put the county in violation with MAEAP, and that is not a true statement,” said Mattson. “Hopefully, they’ve learned from that.”
The County Board has drafted a letter of complaint to MDARD, but it has not yet been delivered.
