Ottawa County commissioners are staying true to their campaign promises by putting the people of Ottawa County first. A request made by Community Mental Health Ottawa County (CMHOC) revealed Ottawa County is out of compliance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Now commissioners are taking the necessary steps to achieve, and even exceed, compliance requirements.
During the July 18, 2023, meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Finance and Administration Committee Meeting, Ottawa County commissioners rejected pursuing a $10,000 grant from Wayne State University because it involved selling the personal data of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As explained by Marcia Mansaray from Community Mental Health, CMH hoped to use the grant to purchase American Disabilities Act compliant doors and sensory lights. During the discussion portion of the meeting, current commissioners asked why Ottawa County facilities were out of compliance and what needed to be done to achieve compliance. Although commissioners fully supported modifying existing buildings to become ADA compliant, they did not support selling resident’s data.
As a result of the July 18 meeting, Ottawa County Facilities Director Blake Upright and Compliance Coordinator John Vargo did some research. They determined that the three Ottawa County buildings located on James Street in Holland, MI had the greatest need for ADA compliance. Building A and part of building B are home to CMHOC. The other portion of building B is occupied by the Juvenile Justice Center. Building C is home to the Ottawa County Public Health Department (OCPHD). Together these buildings are some of the oldest owned by the county and they continue to be visited by a significant number of people with disabilities.
Ottawa County is currently in budget season and, as part of budget season, commissioners have been working on the 2024-2029 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). During the August 8, 2023, Planning and Policy meeting, (36 min) Upright explained that with slight modifications to the CIP budget, the entirety of building C could be made compliant by the end of 2024. In addition, buildings A and B could have frequently used areas such as restrooms and doors remodeled to be compliant by the end of 2024. Compliance for additional county-owned structures will be built into budgets for future years.
Upright then initiated a discussion regarding the level of compliance. He proposed the idea of setting a uniform Ottawa County standard for ADA compliance going forward. For example, in some situations, the ADA requirement may require doors be able to open or close with under 3-5 pounds of pressure, but this could still be difficult to do for a person in a wheelchair. It may be desirable to exceed such a requirement in high traffic areas, like entrances, with a push button door opener or automatic motion sensing doors. The commissioners were very supportive of establishing Ottawa County ADA standards and this will be further explored.
The commissioners did an excellent job asking questions and the county employees responded. It is important to ask questions and understand issues before it is possible to make decisions in the best interests of Ottawa County residents. This is an example of what good governance led by faith, family and freedom looks like.