Meeting Notes 12-8-20
Meeting Notes from the December 8 session of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
Meeting Packet: https://www.miottawa.org/appImages/Calendar/1607104306599-packet.PDF
Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wodJ1QwXE0
Public Health Update: Ottawa County is currently experiencing a plateau of Covid-19 cases, as seen above. Posititivity rates are maintaining mid single digits for the past weeks as we wait for the final data from the Thanksgiving break. Fortunately, initial indications are that the Thanksgiving break did not cause a substantial increase in cases.
Prosecutor Update: Current Chief Prosecutor Ron Frantz updated the Board on current work in the Prosecutors office for the final time in his decades long tenure as Chief Prosecutor for Ottawa County.
Coastal Zone Management Grant: The Board approved the submittal of the application to the Michigan Coastal Zone Management program for funding assistance to replace, repair, and construct wood stairs and boardwalk at North Beach Park and North Ottawa Dunes.
Summary:
Due to the Lake Michigan shoreline, certain areas of Ottawa County are eligible to receive grant funding from the federal Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program through the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In the past, Ottawa County Parks has been successful in obtaining CZM funding for a variety of planning and construction projects. This year, Ottawa County Parks intends to seek Fiscal Year 2022 construction funding to renovate access stairs from the parking lot at North Beach Park and to construct “on-grade” stairs along eroded section of hiking trails at North Ottawa Dunes. The estimated budget for the “North Ottawa Stairs Project” is $26,000. The CZM program is a 50/50 match program. Therefore, a $13,000 grant request will be submitted in December. The match will come from the Ottawa County Parks Millage.
As part of the grant application, a certified resolution from the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is required. This resolution was approved by the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission on December 2, 2020.
Board Appointments to Parks and Road Commission: The Board appointed Lukas Hill and Kate Harmon to the Parks Commisison for two Public vacancies beginning January 1, 2021 and ending December 31, 2023. I voted for Lukas Hill and Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones. The Board also appointed Betty Gajewski and Kurtis Van Koevering to the Road Commission for two Member vacancies beginning January 1, 2021 and ending December 31, 2026. I voted for Betty Gajewski and Jon Rice. It is my hope that Mr. Rice and Ms. Jones reapply for the next vacancy on the respective boards, as I think their subject matter expertise and disposition to serve will be a great asset in the future.
Ottawa County Corporation Counsel 2020 Annual Report: The Board received for information the Ottawa County Corporation Counsel 2020 Annual Report. The Corporate Counsel is among the few County offices that exclusively serves other County operations. That is to say that all of Corporation Counsel’s activities are designed to promote the efficient and effective operation of Ottawa County government and the County’s funding units, such as the courts. Much of Corporation Counsel’s activities are confidential and do not lend themselves to public reporting, such as in an Annual Report.
Ottawa County Planning and Performance Improvement 2020 Annual Report: The Board received for information the Ottawa County Planning and Performance Improvement 2020 Annual Report.
2020 has been a year like no other, and for the Planning & Performance Improvement Department, it was no exception. Staff may have changed how they perform their duties; what hasn’t changed is their resolve to fulfill the mission of the Department: Using tax dollars to deliver excellent County programs and services for our residents, visitors, and businesses through thorough planning and thoughtful evaluation. PPID has been working on the following projects, among other:
• Compiling broadband access options for students across the County in collaboration with the OAISD.
• Supporting Public Health staff with an assortment of projects that include staffs’ ability to utilize Qualtrics effectively, such as assessing personnel availability on a daily basis; assessing volunteer availability to staff community testing sites; creating a survey and reporting on feedback from long-term care facilities; and creating a survey and reporting on feedback from funeral homes.
• Investigating artificial intelligence systems which can enhance the effectiveness of frontline responses to the crisis.
• Creating a survey and reporting on feedback from food assistance programs, food banks, and food pantries as part of the Food Bank/ Pantry Needs Assessment for the USDA Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program commodity box distribution.
• Assisting with coordinating efforts to secure additional Economic Development Administration funding authorized under the CARES Act, and with other food and ag stakeholders to leverage USDA Coronavirus Farmers to Families funding into West Michigan.
• Working with MSUE and others to make sure farms and agribusiness could secure the required PPE for employees.
Through the end of the fiscal year, staff has continued to support Public Health staff with surveying, reporting, and data analysis; and work with partners to monitor grant funding opportunities to mitigate the continued impacts of the pandemic.
COVID-19 Human Services Response and Census 2020 Outreach Update: Patrick Cisler, Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance and Community SPOKE gave the Board an update on the Alliance’s work these past six months. LNA and SPOKE have truly been a great asset to the Ottawa County community, and especially so over these past months.
Legislative Update: Bob DeVries with GCSI, updated the Board on legislative activity in Lansing. With the increasing Covid positives among legislators and legislative staff, the potential that certain bills not to get passed in lame duck is increasing. There are a few time-sensitive bills related to CARES appropriation, which must be done before the end of the year. However, because the composition of the new legislature is not really changing much, many of the other bills set for lame duck passage may just as likely get passed in the new year
Covid Emergency Adminstrative Rules: Administration posted Rules 20 and 21, which related to vacation time usage.
County Administrator’s Performance Review and Contract Renewal: The Board accepted for information the 2020 Performance Review of the County Administrator. The Board also voted unanimously to approve a two year contract renewal.
I voted yes because I value the work of the Administrator. I do hope to see a more inclusive attitude towards the Board’s legislative and oversight role going forward, and believe the Administrator can improve on that front.
Also, I was disappointed in how this agenda item was presented to us just prior to the actual vote. If we are to be true representatives of County residents, we need to have agenda items and contracts presented to us with due anticipation.
