Meeting Notes 3-23-21
Meeting Notes from the March 23 Meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
Meeting Packet: https://www.miottawa.org/appImages/Calendar/1616168163581-packet.PDF
Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J84hgUQrH5M
Sentinel Roundup: https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/local/2021/03/24/ottawa-county-extends-local-emergency-declaration-may-25/6969672002/
Update from Public Health: County Health Department personnel gave the Board an update on current Covid conditions in Ottawa County. Unfortunately, positive case counts are rising both statewide and here in Ottawa County. Vaccination efforts are improving, and hopefully with the increasing vaccination rate, we will hopefully see the curve on case counts bend back down soon.
Agricultural Economic Development Plan: The Board approved a Resolution of support for the Ottawa County Focus on Agriculture Plan.
Summary:
Ottawa County ranks 3rd in the State in agricultural production, using more migrant labor than any other county in Michigan to harvest very diverse array of agricultural items. However, the County lost 17% of its farms from 2012 to 2017. Continued losses of this magnitude will negatively affect Ottawa County's economy.
Declaration of a Local State of Emergency Resolution: The Board voted to approve the Resolution to extend a State of Emergency within Ottawa County due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I voted yes becuase without the Resolution neither Ottawa County nor any of the jusrisdictions withing Ottawa County will be able to conduct virtual meeting beyond March 31.
Resolution of Support for the Creation of a Groundwater Board: The Board approved a Resolution of Support for the creation of an Ottawa County Groundwater Board.
Summary:
The County hads long seen the need to to form an advisory board to help guide the County’s mitigation efforts involving ongoing issues with groundwater quantity and quality. The Board will be known as the Ottawa County Groundwater Board, and will be supported by a separate Technical Committee which will formed pursuant to the Board's impending Bylaws.
The Board’s function will be to make policy recommendations and develop regulatory standards for various groundwater initiatives within the scope of the County’s current legislative authority.
The Board will be administered and supported by the County’s Planning and Performance Improvement Department.
The inaugural fifteen-member Board will be comprised of individuals who represent their respective industry sectors; term lengths will be staggered terms for first appointments, with all 3 year terms going forward.
2021 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant Application for Kirk Park: The Board approved the application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) program for funding assistance of $474,000 to renovate facilities at Kirk Park.
Summary:
In accordance with the Ottawa County Parks capital improvement plan and schedule for facility renovations and upgrades, this project would extensively renovate the existing public restrooms building including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required layout improvements, addition of family/unisex/single use facilities, changing rooms, storage, new septic system, replacement of roof structure, and adjacent plaza and walkway paving. The building would act as a trailhead/information center for the bike path/trail along the Lakeshore Drive and the developing Lake Michigan Water Trail.
The project also includes replacement and relocation of a deteriorate and outdated playground facility with a new fully accessible areas in a better central location.
2021 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant Application for Stearns Bayou: The Board approved the application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) program for funding assistance of $300,000 to construct the Stearns Bayou Connector Segment of the Grand River Greenway Idema Explorers Trail.
Summary:
Ottawa County Parks has been planning and developing portions of the Idema Explorers Trail for over a decade. The Stearns Bayou Connector Segment is a particularly important and expansive portion of the system. It is important because it will provide the last major link to connect the non-motorized facilities built as par of the M-231 bridge to the Grand Haven area. It is relatively expensive because it includes a large boardwalk over the Little Robinson Creek and expansion of the vehicular bridge over Stearns Bayou. The trail runs on the north side of Green Street extending from the existing trail at 144th Ave. at its western terminus to existing trail on the east of 128th Ave. and North Cedar. Extensive parks funds ($182,458), private donations ($1,197,036) and MDOT grant ($2,337,757) have provided the bulk of the funds necessary for construction. The intent of this grant application is to use the existing funds as the required match for the MNRTF Trust program that would provide $300,000 in additional grant funds to complete the estimate $4,014,682 total project.
If successful, the grant would be applicable for the current project schedule for this segment which anticipates construction in 2022.
Amended 2021 Board Rules: The Board approved 9-2 the amended the Rules Committee's recommended amendments to the 2021 Board Rules.
Summary:
The Rules Committee has recommended certain changes to the current Board Rules, including clarifications of who presides over meetings when the chairperson and/or vice chairperson is not present, teleconferencing rights, whom the Chairperson asks to attend certain meetings with Board Members and the establishment of the Rules Committee as a standing committee.
I voted no on the Board because the problems inherent in section 3.6.1 regarding Commissioner’s Duties were not addressed in the Rules Committee. As in January, I believe the term ‘County’s corporate, legal and financial interest’ lays claim to an objective standard that just doesn’t exist. How we are determining ‘interests’ and who is making that determination will necessarily be subjective. The standard of ‘public good’ which I had urged we adopt in January, is likewise subjective, but has the clear benefit of being the product of public determination. Also, while I believe as Commissioners, we have the duty to act in the utmost ethical and dutiful way, I believe the term ‘fiduciary’ supposes that all county residents have nearly identical and easily determinable interests and expectations of County government, which I don’t believe to be true.
Furthermore, section 3.6.2 does present constitutional issues insofar as the wide-ranging prohibition on commissioner speech does, in my mind raise both first amendment issues, and acts as a deterrent to commissioner’s oversight duties.
I also believe the 2/3 standard for majority referenced in at least two instances are unreasonably high and believe as well that the new prohibition on removing certain items from the Consent Agenda abridges entirely the whole idea of Consent.
FY2021 Budget Adjustments: The Board the 2021 budget adjustments per the above schedule.
Jail Management System: The Board approved the proposed five-year contract with Core Technology for the JailTracker Jail Management System funded under the Capital Improvement Plan for $469,129.
Summary:
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office is seeking to contract with Core Technology Corporation to implement a new Jail Management System. The JailTracker software was identified through the RFP process as the best option to suit the needs of the County. Our County is unique, where the Jail, Courts and Prosecutor all share the same custom-built system. While that functionality can be difficult to replicate with an off-the-shelf product from one vendor, JailTracker specializes in providing interfaces to increase system communication and has built many interfaces and integrations with numerous third-party products. In addition to these interfaces and integrations, JailTracker is the number one provider of jail solutions in Michigan with a proven track record for secure and reliable technology.
Ottawa County Water Supply Refunding Bonds, Series 2021: The Board approved the Resolution to Authorize the Issuance of Not to Exceed $3,200,000 Ottawa County Water Supply Refunding Bonds, Series 2021 (Northwest Ottawa Water System).
Summary:
This proposed refunding will result in an estimated True Interest Cost of 1.470546%, with an estimated Net Present Worth Savings of $103,237.56. The annual debt payments will be reduced from the current average of $42,453 per year to approximately $26,212 per year. This will allow the Township to forego future planned rate increases necessary to service the existing debt and allow debt rates to stabilize for their sewer customers.
Fiscal Services (CMH) Personnel Requests Item: The Board approved the request from Fiscal Services (CMH) to add one (1.0 FTE) Claims/Billings Analyst (U2) at a cost of $73,341.69, and increase one Accountant II (U4) to a Budget/Audit Analyst (U5) at a cost of $5,974.72, for a total cost of $79,316.41.
Summary:
In 2015, Fiscal Services (CMH) had budget cuts to due to reduced funding. As part of an effort to reduce overall administrative costs, the fiscal staff at CMH were asked to cut 3 positions from their roster. The Fiscal staff at CMH went from 10 positions down to the current roster of 7 positions.
During the past five years the workload has not decreased for CMH Fiscal staff but instead has increased. In 2015, 207 providers were paid $23.4 million in claims and payments. In 2020, 229 providers were paid $31.9 million in claims and payments which was a 32% increase in payments. In 2015 a staff of 10 processed 289,000 claim lines. In 2020, with a staff of 7 people, 317,000 claim lines were processed. This is an increase of 10% over the last 5 years.
