Meeting Notes 5-24-22
Meeting Notes from the May 24 Meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
Meeting Packet: https://www.miottawa.org/appImages/Calendar/1653061822075-packet.PDF
Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkRytCKZKgA
Designation of Lower Grand River Water Trail: The Board voted to approve the designation of the Lower Grand River Water Trail.
Summary:
While Ottawa County Parks had led the way with the Grand River Heritage Water Trail effort, the Michigan Heritage Trails program is now defunct as the State act that established it (PA 454 of 2002) was repealed in 2014 and replaced with the Pure Michigan Trails program (PA 210 of 2014). As a result, there is no longer any official state designation associated with the Ottawa County Parks
managed trail. The designation of the Lower Grand River Water Trail as a state water trail would be the best step in designating the entire river as one trail, providing greater promotion of the Grand River trail system and eventually resulting in a "Pure Michigan Water Trail" designation.
Ottawa County Community Action Agency Advisory Board Bylaws: The Board approved the proposed updates to the bylaws of the Ottawa County Community Action Agency Advisory Board.
Summary:
The proposed revisions to the CAA Bylaws are as follows:
1. Reducing the number of members on the CAA Advisory Board from 12 to a minimum of 9 members. CAA has had a difficult time filling all 12 seats and currently only has a staff size of six employees.
2. Language has been added to allow for Board members to either live or work in Ottawa County. We have had interested members that work and have great knowledge of Ottawa County, but not allowed to join the Board due to their residence.
3. Language has been added to include a structured training for new Board members within six months of being seated in order to satisfy State requirements.
4. Clarifies the current practice that the Deputy County Administrator hires and supervises the CAA Program Director.
Social Media Policy: The Board approved 9-2 the revised Social Media Policy for review and comment. The new Social Media Policy moves responsibility for Ottawa County Social Media Policy from the previously established Social Media Committee, chaired by the Communications Director, to the County Administrator.
While I trust that the Administrator will work to be as judicious as possible in administrating Social Media Policy, I voted no because I believe the proposed policy has the strong possibility of infringing on employee’s first amendment rights. I would prefer a more consensus, norm-driven approach to how we balance first amendment rights and the responsibility that all of us have as representatives of the County to the public.
Information Security Policy: The Board approved the revised Information Security Policy for review and comment. The only change was to emphasize that Ottawa County does not store credit card information within County systems.
Community Mental Health Personnel Request: The Board approved the proposal to add two, 1.0 FTE full-time, benefited Mental Health Clinician positions at paygrade 10 and one 1.0 FTE full-time, benefited Justice Program Clerk position at paygrade 2 at a total cost of $300,787 paid for with CCBHC grant funds.
Summary:
In 2021, Community Mental Health of Ottawa County launched the Crisis Intervention Team model of care, in partnership with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department. This model partners mental health professionals with law enforcement officers to provide crisis intervention services to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Due to the positive response of the initial program, CMH would like to expand staffing for the CIT team. While the initial program funded day time mental health providers, these positions would expand the program to allow for evening hour services, along with an increased capacity for crisis response and training.
In order to expand this program, CMH requests the following:
1. Add 2 Mental Health Clinician positions at 1.0 FTEs at a cost of $225,917. 2. Add 1 Justice Program Clerk position at 1.0 FTE at a cost of $74,869.
These positions will be paid for in their entirety using Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant funding. These positions are sunsetted and will discontinue if grant funding is eliminated.
Corporation Counsel Personnel Request: The Board approved the proposal to add one 1.0 FTE Paralegal position at paygrade 9 at a total cost of $95,933.
Summary:
The current administrative support position in the Corporation Counsel's office is no longer needed. Instead, the need has evolved for a higher level of support for a single lawyer, including possessing a working knowledge of FOIA, favorable and unfavorable contract clauses, insurance and relevant legislation.This position should enable the County to avoid the need in the future for another lawyer.
To meet this need, Corporation Counsel is requesting the addition of the following position: - Add one full-time benefited Paralegal position at a 1.0 FTE at a cost of $95,933.
Public Health Personnel Request: The Board approved the request from Public Health to upgrade one 1.0 FTE Health Technician position to a 1.0 FTE Medical Assistant position at a cost of $4,399 per year paid for with Title X and MDHHS funding.
Summary:
This request would upgrade one Health Technician positions to a Medical Assistant position and to allow for more efficiencies in the Public Health clinic.
Medical Assistants have the knowledge and education to perform many clinical tasks that are currently being performed by Public Health Nurses. These duties include obtaining the patients' medical history, taking vitals, collecting specimens for labs tests, providing patient education and dispensing treatments as ordered by the provider, among other duties. Currently, the Public Health Clinic must rely on Nurses and Nurse Practitioners to fulfill these tasks. This request would allow the Medical Assistant to complete these tasks and thus alleviate the capacity and work load of the nurses, allowing the nurses to direct their attention to other priority areas.
The result would expand the availability of patient appointments and streamline service delivery. The nurse capacity liberated by the addition of an Medical Assistant would be utilized to directly see patients in the sexually transmitted disease clinic or redirect nursing staff to service in other public health program areas.
Additionally, adding this capacity would improve overall team communication and collaboration by relaying patients’ presenting medical problems in a timely manner to the provider.
Local Government Retirement System Annual Report: The Board approved the Local Government Retirement System Annual Report as required by Public Act 202 of 2017.
Summary:
Public Act 202 of 2017 require that local units file form 5572 to report financial status of Retirement and Other Post Employment Benefit (OPEB) plans. Local units must submit the report to the governing body, although no formal vote of approval is required. Additionally, the form must be posted to the website.
The Act defines underfunded plans as follows:
Retirement: Less than 60% funded AND the actuarially determined contribution greater than 10% of Governmental Fund revenues.
OPEB: Less than 40% funded AND the actuarially determined contribution greater than 12% of Governmental Fund revenues.
Based on the uniform assumptions established by the State, the County of Ottawa Retirement and OPEB plan is 71.5% and 219.3% funded respectively and, therefore, will not require any additional action beyond filing this information with the Michigan Department of Treasury.
FY2023 Michigan Department of Corrections Plan: The Board approved the FY2023 Michigan Department of Corrections Plan and Application.
Summary:
To approve the FY2023 Funding Application prepared by the Ottawa County Community Corrections Department in the amount of $265,770 for Programs and Services.
Resolution of Intent to Increase the 2022 Millage Rate for County Operations, E-911, Parks, Road Commission, and CMH: The Board approved the resolution of Intent to increase the 2022 Millage Rate for County Operations, and E-911, Parks, Road Commission, and CMH special millages, and set a public hearing for June 14, 2022.
Summary:
A resolution is required to establish the Board of Commissioner's intent to increase the 2022 millage rate and set a public hearing for June 14, 2022 for purposes of receiving testimony and discussing the levy.
ARPA Project Funding Item: The Board approved 10-1 the Lost Revenue calculation for 2021 totaling $20,712,572.
Summary:
The County will receive approximately $57 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The guidelines for ARPA allow governments to calculate the amount of lost revenue for calendar years 2020-2023 and spend those dollars providing direct services to residents.
In January, the Board approved $19M (2020 calculated lost revenue) for Public Safety Payroll expenses.
The 2021 calculation of lost revenue is $20,712,572 and will be used to pay for a variety of General Fund Expenses:
General Fund savings that result from this opportunity will be designated by the Board of Commissioners as committed fund balance for the upcoming projects in one of the five "buckets" as recommended by the ARPA Task Force and Finance Committee and ultimately approved by the Board of Commissioners.
I voted no on this item, not because I don’t believe that eventually it is advantageous for us convert our ARPA allocation through the Lost Revenue Calculation, but because I believe we need to begin the process of allocation the funds we have already run through the Lost Revenue process. This past January, we voted to place the first $20M aside for community project. However, to date, we have not made a single disbursement of funds help us assist our communities as the funds were intended and would strongly prefer that we first following through on our previous commitments to the Ottawa Community and begin funding projects that will most help residents before we set aside a second $20M through the Revenue Loss method.
Budget Adjustments: The Board voted to approve the past month’s Budget Adjustments, as shown above.
