Dan Harrington is served a lawsuit at the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday. The lawsuit puts into question the legality of the board for denying Dickinson County Michigan State University Extension Office money in January that was approved during the 2025 budget in December. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Asunama)

MARQUETTE — On Monday during the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners meeting, the board was served a lawsuit for illegal actions.

The lawsuit filed by resident Jason Gibbs pertains to the alleged withholding of funds to the Michigan State University Extension office in Dickinson County.

“At (Monday’s) county board meeting, when directly asked whether there was a legal justification for withholding funds allocated in the FY 2025 budget, Commissioner Jakel admitted ‘no,'” said Gibbs. “This confirms that the board’s actions are arbitrary and without basis in law. Instead of addressing the lawsuit seriously, Chairperson Dan Harrington resorted to dismissive political remarks, calling me ‘our Communist friend Mr. Gibbs.’ (This was) a clear attempt to deflect from the fact that this board is unlawfully withholding funds that were legally appropriated in December.”

The withheld $81,000 was approved in the 2025 budget by the previous Dickinson County Board in December, but the current commissioners allegedly voted to deny the allocated MSUE funds without proposing or passing a formal budget amendment, causing it to be an illegal action.

“The board’s failure to justify its actions in public will now be addressed in circuit court, where they will be required to provide a legal rationale, or else be ordered to release the funds,” said Gibbs. “The taxpayers of Dickinson County deserve transparency and accountability.”

Should Gibbs win the lawsuit, the board will need to give MSUE the $81,000, the commissioners who voted to deny MSUE the money to pay a fine and cover the petitioner’s legal fees. If the board wins, MSUE may lose its office in Dickinson County.

“So in a nutshell, the county resources that we receive from any county help fund our local office and the 4-H coordinator,” said director of District 1 MSUE Paul Putnam. “That is consistent with any county office across the state. If we do not receive county funding, we do not have a 4-H program coordinator to run that program, if we don’t have a 4-H program coordinator, we do not have a county office.”

MSU is not connected to Gibbs and will not be involved legally as of now, said Putnam. This money they were set to receive comes from the tax off of marijuana dispensaries in the area, making it a neutral source of money and not a tax source pulling directly from the county’s pocket.

“Long story short, we have received monies to fund the full-time 4-H staff member and fund that county office for the last several years using the county’s marijuana tax revenue money, a portion of that at least,” said Putnam. “The board at the time was very intentional, which is outside revenue. As I’ve stated at the board a couple of times … the tax revenue from marijuana dispensaries fund the MSUE, is a neutral source.”

Putnam has been attending events to help educate the people of Dickinson County on these offered services from MSUE.

“I have been invited to speak at the Dickinson County Democratic (Party) meeting, and I will be there to have a similar dialogue,” said Putnam. “I have also reached out to the Republican Party of Dickinson County. I have not received anything as of yet.”

Members of the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners could not be reached for comment.