Meeting Notes 4-22-25
Meeting Notes from April 22, 2025 Meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Meeting Packet: https://boards.miottawa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/04222025-BOC-Agenda-Packet.comments.pdf
Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz7jY4yIpY0
Sentinel Meeting Roundup: https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/politics/county/2025/04/22/ottawa-county-board-approves-hudsonville-brownfield-plan-for-84-units/83197479007/
ONN Tweet Thread: https://x.com/ONNLeach/status/1914665586136690722
ONN Meeting Roundup:
Grand Haven Probate Court Construction Services: The Board approved a contract with Dykhouse Construction Inc. for construction services as they relate to the Probate Court renovation at the Grand Haven Courthouse for a total cost of $72,198.70.6.
Kent Communications, Inc. Contract: The Board approved a contract for mailing services for election related notices that the County Clerk's Office will send to Ottawa County registered voters.
Chatbot Software: The Board approved a 3-year contract with Citibot, Inc. to provide chatbot software to the website at a total cost of $96,865.
Investment Software Upgrade: The Board approved the contract with Emphasys Computer Solutions Inc. for an investment software upgrade at a total cost of $108,299.
KnowBe4 Subscription Upgrade: The Board approved the contract upgrade with SHI for the KnowBe4 cybersecurity awareness subscription, increasing our agreement to the Diamond Plan, at a cost not-to-exceed $190,000 for a term of 3 years with an option to renew for an additional 3 years.
Avid, Apex, and Bastion Subscription Services Contract: The Board approved the contract with Fidlar Technologies to renew the Register of Deeds subscription services for AVID (Recording software), APEX (Vitals software), and Bastion (Offsite hosting service) for 3 years at a cost of $127,401 per year.
FY2025 Budget Adjustments: The Board approved the below FY2025 budget adjustments for March, 2025
Brownfield Plan Amendment for Landings at Rush Creek: The Board approved a Brownfield Plan Amendment for The Landings at Rush Creek development by LaCati Group LLC in the City of Hudsonville.
I voted yes because I believe the Landings at Rush Creek to be a positive for Hudsonville’s growth, Ottawa County’s prosperity, and taxpayer value. In approving the Brownfield Plan Amendment, the Board will be able to unlock affordable housing, economic vitality, and a stronger tax base, all while transforming an unused parcel into a community asset.
Motor Vehicle Permit Policy Update: The Board approved the proposed update to the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission Motor Vehicle Permit Schedule to add a discounted rate for veteran annual permits.
Campbell Plant: The Board voted to not approve the resolution to initiate litigation to postpone the closure and demolition of the Campbell Plant.
I voted no, as I did on the initial Resolution, because I believe Consumers Energy has adequately demonstrated in its Settlement Agreement that closing all three currently operating units of the Campbell plant, coupled with the diverse range of actions and investments they are taking and plan to take, will have the net effect of increasing Ottawa County residents’ access to more stable, cost-effective, and clean energy in the present, near and long-term future and that any legal action against Consumers or MPSC is both unwarranted and counterproductive.
New Board Rule 2.8: The Board voted 10-1 to change add Board rule 2.8 to allow individual commissioners to use county letterhead, including the official county logo, for personal statements about items unrelated to our County duties, without board approval and without restriction.
I voted no because I believe this policy takes the board in the wrong direction, from the idea of collective action to individual action on the part of individual commissioners and feel that this policy is a retroactive endorsement of actions that many residents rightly took issues with.
I do feel that there is a strong distinction between commissioners using the logo on letterhead and using the logo in email or social media. For me, the logo on letterhead is a symbol of official endorsement or formal representation, and breaks the idea of collective action, whereas logos in email signatures and social media profiles simply serve to reinforce brand identity in less formal, broader-reaching contexts.
I do believe that our current letterhead, as shown below, is perfectly apt so that he Chair and Vice Chair can adequately communicate with the public and media. I do not see any reason to extend letterhead privileges beyond those two individuals.
Zimmer Offer to Resolve Open Meetings Act Case: The Board voted to accept the attorney recommendations as written in the attorney client privileged communications.
Update to Rules of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners relating to voting limits: The board approved the amendment to Article I of the Rules of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners paragraph 3 to read as follows: Roberts Rules of Order 12th Edition shall govern all questions of procedure not otherwise provided by the Rules or by state or federal law, except for section 16.5 which shall instead require a three/fifths majority vote to pass.
I voted for this measure as I believe it a acceptable compromise between the original motion for a simple majority and Robert’s Rules which posits a need for a two/thirds majority to close discussion.
Couple additional points:
I do not believe that Robert’s Rules should be a straitjacket when it can be a guide, that we can adapt according to our needs. We have done it before, and if it makes sense, we have the ability to make changes as needs be.
Also, it was insinuated by certain Commissioners that they never called the question when they had the majority. That is not the case, as just one example below shows:
Data Center Refresh: The Board approved the contract with People Driven Technologies to assist the Innovation and Technology Department with planning, designing, and executing the upcoming data center refresh and cloud integration initiatives (phase 1).
Post-Execution Ratification of Contracts: The Board ratified all the contract for the period of March 21, 2025, to April 17, 2025, currently pending on the post-execution ratification list.
