HIGHLIGHTS from March 26 Board of Commissioner Meeting and VOTE EXPLANATIONS:
Under Consent Resolutions (D-J) from the Planning & Policy Committee:
I voted in favor of each of these – discussion and votes can be listened to here during the March 11 meeting: https://www.youtube.com/live/KbYDpaoUDJQ?si=rhzgcI4T-a05_mzX&t=1271
* Each agenda item passed 11-0 at both the committee and BOC meeting.
Under Consent Resolutions (K-R) from the Finance and Administration Committee:
I voted in favor of each of these – discussion and votes can be listened to here during the March 11 meeting: https://www.youtube.com/live/OIZfLtZb_EI?si=akgyTwxSOB7k33Ln&t=1456
*Each agenda item passed 11-0 at both the committee and BOC meeting.
Action Requests:
From the Appointment & Alignment Committee
Community Mental Health Board
I voted in favor of both Paul Duff and Vonnie VanderZwaag to fill two (2) General Public vacancies. Both of these individuals were voted in by a majority of the Board.
Environmental Health Appeals Board
I voted in favor of Scott Muellerleile to fill one (1) General Public vacancy. Scott was voted in by a majority of the Board.
Environmental Health Appeals Board
I voted in favor of Jaime Fleming to fill one (1) General Public vacancy. Jaime was voted in by a majority of the Board.
I made a motion to remove contracts 2531, 2539, 2550, 2552 and 2564 out of the Post Execution-Ratification of Contracts in motion B/C 25-081 and vote on each separately.
Explanation: I had reached out to administration to receive these contracts and desired additional discussion at the Board meeting. Additionally, I had concerns about some of them.
* The motion passed by the following votes:
Yeas: Jim Barry, Allison Miedema, Joe Moss, Sylvia Rhodea, Doug Zylstra, Kendra Wenzel, Jacob Bonnema. (7)
Nays: Jordan Jorritsma, Phil Kuyers, Josh Brugger, John Teeples. (4)
An amended motion was made to ratify all contracts, except contracts 2531, 2539, 2550, 2552 and 2564, for the period of February 23, 2025 to March 20, 2025 currently pending on the post-execution ratification list as authorized under Section IV(D)(2) of the Ottawa County Contracting Authorization and Form Policy.
I voted in favor and this motion passed 11-0.
Contract 2531 from Public Health with Yellow Lime Creative for $34,000.
I voted in favor and this motion passed 11-0.
Vote Explanation: My questions were satisfactorily answered – is this item from this year’s budget (yes) and has Public Health outsourced marketing and creative support like this in the past? (yes) Can you please share more of the details behind this work to be done? (see meeting video)
Contract 2539 from County Clerk with SOE Software Corporation for $68,000.
I voted in favor and this motion passed 11-0.
Vote Explanation: My questions were satisfactorily answered – how was this item budgeted for? Can you please share a bit more of its use?
Contract 2550 from Public Health with the Michigan Association for Local Public Health (MALPH) for $4500 paid for by grant funds.
I voted against this and the motion passed 6-5 .
(Commissioners Bonnema, Moss, Rhodea, Wenzel and myself voting no).
Vote Explanation: This grant continues to be tied to the Covid-19 pandemic and MALPH participated in an activist lawsuit against the County.
Additionally, as shared by Commissioner Rhodea:
– They are champions of DEI and health equity.
– They want access to school-based data—which is currently protected by FERPA, so that’s very anti-child privacy.
– They are for comprehensive adolescent health and minor consent laws—that’s to allow minors to consent to health procedures without parental knowledge or consent.
– They advocate for comprehensive sexuality education, which is radical sex ed.
– They are advocates on issues of police violence, racism, climate change, and strong advocates to strengthen public health law and public health authority—which we as a county saw aggressively during the Covid-19 pandemic.
– They advocate on school and childcare immunization requirement. They would like only medical exemptions due to allergy or medical contra indication.
– They want to reduce or eliminate all religious and philosophical exemptions.
NACCHO rallies all of the health departments around the nation on these policies and keeps them all rowing in the same direction. MALPH is a state branch of it and so they want to be allies to our health department.
Contract 2552 from Public Health with Sunburst Strategies for $8,000.
I voted against this and the motion passed 7-4.
(Commissioners Moss, Rhodea, Wenzel and myself voting no).
Vote Explanation: This contract is seeking an outside vendor for the creation of a Strategic Plan for Ottawa Food. I would like to see our Health Department have an exploratory conversation with our own highly skilled county Strategic Impact Department prior to seeking an outside vendor for this type of work. Additionally, there are 40+ nonprofits within Ottawa Foods and a discussion about the possibility of coordinating funds for this initiative did not take place. Third, our county has continued to place a lot of money into Ottawa Foods, yet there has not been a clear set of information provided to the Board or the general public about how Ottawa Foods functions. Before I continue to put money towards this, I desire to have more information.
Contract 2564 from from Public Defender Office to receive $64,542.40 paid for by grant funds.
I voted in favor and this motion passed 11-0.
Vote Explanation: My questions were satisfactorily answered – gaining insight into the work.
Board Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/KzvAoUJ38yQ?si=Of32jDNDgJprFAhT&t=2086
Board Packet: https://boards.miottawa.org/…/03252025-BOC-Agenda…
News Releases: https://simplyamerican.com/meeting-highlights-unexpected…
* Has anyone else noticed that “We the People” have now become the county news?
