Meeting Notes 12-13-22
Meeting Notes from the November 22 Meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
Meeting Packet: https://www.miottawa.org/Calendar/viewDoc.do?docId=Calendar/Meetings/2022/12/1670614257625-packet.PDF
Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/yCg_Z2_gqZI?feature=share
Sentinel Article: https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/politics/county/2022/12/16/ottawa-county-board-picks-internal-candidate-as-new-health-officer/69727220007/
Amended Agreement for Funding Assistance with Ottawa Conservation District: The Board approved the Amended Agreement for Funding Assistance between Ottawa County and the Ottawa Conservation District.
Summary:
The purpose of this Amended Agreement is twofold, to enable the District to obtain additional necessary services, if needed from Ottawa County, specifically, human resources and legal services through the Ottawa County Corporation Counsel. The agreement will also extend the agreement to September 30, 2026 and increase the County's financial contribution to the OCD. The County's annual contribution in FY 2022-2023 is $100,000, which includes $20,000 dedicated to groundwater initiatives. The Amended Agreement is for $100,000 with an additional $20,000 dedicated to groundwater initiatives.
Community Mental Health Personnel Request: The Board approved the request from Community Mental Health to add one, 1.0 FTE full-time, benefited Nurse Practitioner positions at paygrade 16 at a total cost of $137,690 paid for with CCBHC grant funds and Medicaid.
Summary:
Community Mental Health continues to experience a significant increase in requests for services, especially with children and youth and substance use disorders. To meet these demands we are asking to convert a locum tenens contract for psychiatric nurse practitioner to a full time-position. By creating this positon CMH will be able to more effectively serve consumers while reducing overall costs.
This position will be paid for by Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant funding, and Medicaid. This position is sunsetted and will discontinue if grant funding is eliminated.
Community Mental Health Personnel Request: The Board approved the request from Community Mental Health to add temporary, non-benefited Crisis Support pooled positions at a total cost not to exceed $40,000 annually.
Summary:
In June 2022, the Board of Commissioners approved the creation of an on-call crisis team at Community Mental Health. This is a mandated service required by CMH's MDHHS contract. The request approved in June added temporary, non-benefited Clinician positions.
For the safety of the employee and the consumer, a Support employee accompanies the Clinician to the consumer's location, which may be in the consumer's home, at the hospital, or other location during second and third shift hours. The temporary, non-benefited Crisis Support position requires a high school diploma, or equivalent, and it is recommended to have experience with mental health related illnesses or disorders. This position also provides community resources to consumers.
The Crisis Support positions will be paid at pay grade 1, step 1 ($14.80/hour). The funding source will be from Medicaid reimbursement and System of Care Expansion and Sustainability Grant. If the funding sources end, these positions will sunset and end.
Kirk Park Michigan Spark Grant Application: The Board approved the grant application to the Michigan Spark Grant Program for $674,000 in funding assistance for the Kirk Park Renovation project.
Summary:
The State of Michigan recently announced a new grant application program utilizing its portion of federal ARPA funds for parks and recreation projects. The deadline for the application is December 19, 2022 and requires a Resolution by the BOC. Staff have evaluated this program, its requirements, and scoring criteria, and believe that several of our high priority projects are eligible and have potential to be funded. Funding will be awarded in three different rounds. At this point staff believes that
we should apply for our Kirk Park Renovation project. This project includes renovations to Kirk Park restroom and changing room facility, removal and reconstruction of the playground and a full renovation of the parking lot.
Ottawa County Parks Foundation Grant Agreement: The Board approved the Grant Agreement with the Ottawa County Parks Foundation for Parks staff support.
Summary:
While Parks has grown in its offerings and popularity, it is also reaching the limits of its initial vision for protecting and developing recreational land along four key natural "greenway" corridors. Furthermore, major opportunities for expansion and development are on the horizon. In fact, some expansion opportunities have been missed due to lack of funding. The Ottawa County Parks Foundation (Foundation) a non-profit 501c3, was established in 2016 during the Grand River Greenway Campaign to support the Ottawa County Parks Commission (Parks) to assist with future development, sustainability, and maintenance of parks properties. This symbiotic relationship is defined in an MOU between the Parks and the Foundation.
Idema Explorers Trail Bass River Segment Operating Agreement: The Board approved the agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to construct, operate, and maintain portions of the Idema Explorers Trail through the Bass River State Recreation Area.
Summary:
Ottawa County Parks has been planning and developing the Grand River Greenway for over 30 years with the goal being to construct a non-motorized trail along the Grand River to provide access to the recreational, natural, and scenic resources of the Grand River corridor. The Bass River State Recreation Area represents the largest contiguous area of natural and recreational land along the Grand River in Ottawa County and provides a great opportunity to maximize the benefits of such a trail. It would also create a key link in the regional trail system and connect to adjacent County Parks properties. This agreement provides the legal basis necessary to develop this trail on State property.
Wayside Settlement Agreement: The Board approved the Settlement Agreement in the Wayside Class Action Case on Rafaeli Claims.
Summary:
The Michigan Supreme Court Rafaeli decision spawned multiple lawsuits by property owners whose property was foreclosed and the subsequent auctions resulted in "excess proceeds", meaning more money than taxes, interest, and penalties. Such funds totaled approximately $3.5 million in Ottawa County, all of which is sitting in reserve in the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund. This settlement will require anyone seeking such money to file a claim in the federal court within 90 days or forfeit forever their claim. If they file a claim, the County will keep 20% and they will get 80%. If they don't file a claim and don't opt out of the case, the federal court will bar any subsequent lawsuit.
Grand Ravines Treehouse Construction: The Board approved the contract with Denny's Excavating in the amount of $279,895.00 for construction of the Grand Ravines Treehouse.
Summary:
The construction of this unique covered deck overlooking the deep ravines at Grand Ravines Park was originally bid in February 2022. The project was located at the top of a steep slope that required a unique and substantial foundation system to address soil and slope stability factors. Unfortunately, this system proved to be prohibitively expensive. Since that time, analysis and design work has been completed to find an alternate location. A suitable location near the Grand Ravines Lodge was determined, and the project repriced utilizing the contractor from the original bidding.
New Ottawa County Health Director: The Board approved Adeline Hambley as the new Ottawa County Health Director. Ms. Hambley will be replacing Lisa Stefanovski, whio is retiring after many years of service to the Ottawa community.
Board and Commissions Appointments: The Board approved a variety of appointments for our Boards and Commissions. There was substantial interest in residents wishing to serve on our Board for the upcoming term, and perhaps none more than Road Commission, where we had nearly a dozen strong applicants for two open spots. The Board ended up up approving John Field Reichardt and outgoing Commissioner Frank Garcia as the two new appointees. I voted for Mr. Reichardt and John Schwalm of Georgetown Township.
