* Action Item B: Board Rules
Suggested Motion: To approve the amended Rules of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
This motion passed 9-1. Commissioner Rhodea was absent for this vote due to needing to pick up child from school.
I voted against this motion. The majority of our 7 hour meeting today was spent discussing proposed changes to the Board Rules. While many of the edits voted in today through amendments were ones I agreed with, the final set of Rules was one that I couldn’t ultimately put my full confidence in. Entire conversation can be heard from minute 2:08:50 – 6:20:03.
* Action Item C. 2026 Standing Committee Assignments
Suggested Motion: To receive the Chairperson’s 2026 Board of Commissioner standing committee assignments in accordance with section 5.1 of the Board Rules.
This motion passed 8-3 (and from my perception, mainly because it was to receive the information).
I voted against this motion for two reasons.
First, I believe that our Board Rules should have the Board affirm by majority vote the Chair’s Standing Committee Assignments. Second, Chair Brugger made the sole decision to keep one commissioner – Commissioner Joe Moss, off the two main standing committees – Finance and Administration as well as Planning and Policy while allowing each of the 10 other commissioners to either serve on one or both of them. Most of the work of the county is fed through these two committees before making their way to the full Board of Commissioners meetings. Chair Brugger was not able to provide a satisfactory answer as to why he would exclude 1 commissioner. Because he was not able to provide a valid answer to his decision, this creates room for assumptions to be made by his fellow commissioners and constituents of Ottawa about his choice of leadership style. I would also argue that this decision may not uphold the new Commissioner Code that Chair Brugger decided was an important addition to our Board Rules. Entire conversation can be heard from minute 6:20:03 – 6:40:22.
* Action Item D. 2026 Community Boards and Commissions Appointments
Suggested Motion:To approve the Chairperson’s 2026 Board of Commissioner appointments to community boards, commissions, authorities, and councils in accordance with section 2.3 of the
Board Rules.
This motion passed 11-0.
I voted in favor of this motion. Most of the current appointments have remained relatively the same from last year.
I also made a motion to appoint Commissioners Sylvia Rhodea and Kendra Wenzel to serve another term on the Community Mental Health Board (current terms end in March). In conversations with constituents and others, I have heard that much good work is happening with the current Board leadership at CMH and that retaining these two commissioners at this time would provide needed stability. CMH is very complex and takes a long time to learn and I am appreciative of both of these commissioners’ work. This motion failed. Entire conversation can be heard from minute 6:40:22 – 6:52:14.
Entire Meeting can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/live/6YuFPjO9BXI
Board Packet: https://boards.miottawa.org/…/01132026-BOC-Agenda…
