Ottawa County Board of Commissioner Chair Joe Moss gave a State of Ottawa County presentation at the end of the board meeting on January 20, 2024. He began by thanking the Ottawa County citizens who stood up for Constitutional values in 2022. He then thanked the Ottawa County staff, commissioners, and public before giving an overview of last year’s significant events.
During their first day in office the board followed through on their campaign promises by making several significant changes.
“Last year the board entered office and delivered on months of public promises to make reforms in Ottawa County. It began with bold changes to align the leadership with the priorities of the people. New leaders were placed in the roles of county administrator and corporate council to prioritize freedom and constitutional rights.
The county motto and vision statement was changed from Where You Belong, to Where Freedom Rings. The previous vision statement had been used to promote the discriminatory DEI movement in the county.”
“The DEI Department was closed on January 3, 2023, returning county operations to a place an emphasis on character, excellence and merit. Closing the DEI Department, which was originally opened in 2019 resulted in an annual savings of $286,000.”
The board asked questions and provided oversight.
“Many commissioners exercised thoughtfulness and discernment during board meetings, asking numerous questions to provide oversight and gain understanding. This is the job of the board. The board paid careful attention to the requirements and ramifications of grants being requested, as well as the organizations the grants were connected to.”
The board spent time assessing trade-offs especially in relation to grants.
“In cases where benefits do not outweigh risks, often a different solution can be found.”
The board pursued an alternative solution to reduce suicide. Commissioners were asked to provide $8,000 to fund a Man Therapy grant that they were told focused on suicide prevention. Examination of the Man Therapy website revealed links to gender-affirming chat rooms for teens that included the Trevor Project which encourages teens to talk to strangers about their sexuality.
“In the case of suicide prevention, the board alternatively made a significant investment in increasing support for veterans by expanding the Veterans department. With greater potential for long-term impact in the community and greater support for those at the highest risk of suicide.”
The board pursued an alternative solution to achieve American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
“The board first became aware of ADA compliance needs when the Department of Public Health requested a grant to pay for an $8,000 ADA compliant door and lighting to make one of the buildings in the Department of Public Health more accessible and sensory friendly. The purpose of the $10,000 grant was to increase vaccine uptake, and then share the data that was collected with Wayne State University.”
“The board did not approve this $10,000 grant due to the strings attached, and instead went on to broadly approve funding to prioritize ADA compliance in more county buildings, through the capital improvement plan.”
The board approved body camera funding.
“Another item of note included in the capital improvement plan is the capital cost of over $1,000,000 for vehicle to body cameras for the sheriff’s department which is anticipated to be rolled out this year. This project had been discussed for a long time and prior funding had been committed, but had stalled for lack of support at the board level.”
When it came to the budget,
“The board focused on unmet needs like increase of support for Veterans, prioritizing ADA compliance across the county via the capital improvement plan, and funding needs in the sheriff department.”
Budget transparency was increased.
“The finance committee added two new public work sessions in August to provide increased transparency for that budget year, and added a total of five public meetings where the budget was reviewed and addressed.”
The board provided budgetary oversight.
“Budget oversight is a statutory responsibility of the board of commissioners, and must be taken seriously by the board. The Department of Public Health’s repeated and reactionary engagement with the media during the process, rather than professional engagement with the board and county leadership, led to unnecessary panic within the community.”
“Thank you board for choosing to discontinue those Covid grants.”
The board and county departments are working on a variety of initiatives.
Broadband initiative
“The expansion of reliable, high-speed internet, even in rural parts of the county, is an important step in ensuring additional access.”
Legal initiatives
“New procedure requirements were put in place to strengthen contract language used by the county. Some of this work was standardization as well. Corporate council also assisted with review of county policies, and a plan of organization for the Department of Public Health.”
Election initiatives
“The board worked with the county clerk to strengthen election integrity measures, while also supporting a joint effort with townships to meet new statutory election requirements for early voting. [] Additional resources were provided to meet identified needs including watermarked ballots.”
“Office space was provided for the Children’s Anti-exploitation Partnership (CAP). [] CAP is an innovative new approach that focuses on reaching children at risk for sex trafficking and other forms of child sexual abuse.”
Fire foam trailers
“In 2022 Ottawa County’s Hazmat team requested ARPA funds for the purchase of fire foam trailers to protect residents from chemical fires. Unfortunately, that request was not granted. On April 11 of last year, the board of commissioners approved the expenditure of $125,000 from the hazardous materials rescue team operation budget, to be combined with another $125,000 from local fire department jurisdictions.”
Community Mental Health
“CMH started a review of all social recreational programs funded by the county millage. Their review was a proactive response to taxpayer questions about how taxpayer dollars are being spent to support the vulnerable in the community.”
Department of Public Health
“The board took steps to begin to align the department with the priorities of the people bringing accountability and transparency to the department.”
Finance Department
“The board continues to move towards a cost-of-service approach.”
The board passed several resolutions.
Constitutional County
Honor Heroes of Freedom
In the future, the board plans to:
Protect the needs of families, children and unborn children
Protect parent’s rights to guide their children’s care
Honor our heroes of freedom
Prioritize excellence and merit
Prioritize fiscal responsibility
Promote accountability and transparency
Encourage innovative solutions for the challenges of energy, ground water, and home ownership
Protect farmland and agriculture industry
Support election integrity efforts
Support the development of Ottawa County’s parks
Support business growth and independence
Ottawa County is one of the most conservative counties in the state, the fastest growing, and the county with the lowest unemployment rate. Ottawa County is led by everyday Americans who love God and who love their country.
Ottawa County – Where Freedom Rings!