[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6074973,"mediaKeyId","2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488","parentId",2980211,"title","Votes at a glance: Finance and Administration Committee forwards multiple contracts, budget adjustments and a Brownfield plan amendment","audioSeconds",5849,"startMs",2772000,"endMs",8621000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488&start=2772&end=8621","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488/thumbnail_2772000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6074973/Ottawa-County/Michigan/Votes-at-a-glance-Finance-and-Administration-Committee-forwards-multiple-contracts-budget-adjustments-and-a-Brownfield-plan-amendment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6074973-5a9e19d597ef0c6c1299dc496a48e6de/orig.mp4?Expires=1771166655&Signature=SOfCY4f27OaquK4rX0WqHfxQMiV6CnuTNsrKm4uu-nhvSVEfaeT23~8YCgbo7P1GF~n15L6wHDBERcvNNsL6TVe5n4MRb-ABIuy~HjhJKg79oz8JcAxCkBB3-yvSyv2YwsYuVsaFUpo5u-moj-qgn50MeTo6Mg1KALrm4GY48mhpx7AAb0KYtWGQ2F-gOGxMmo9Q99un6lAyAkc9M6J8dvcce61u71hj8C5u5xUKrkizYGWld59ts7XyPe47Yi8Xg022Qnti2QiGd2d3Z~uNDJUfU1dP1g4F7zpvIvy6LrWnS5OMdH8FdPq0NOinesZ18uya~-3YWeZOZZjR~Y7nQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","miOttawa","date","2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","article","Key committee actions and final outcomes from the Ottawa County Finance and Administration Committee meeting (items voted and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners unless noted):

- Annual comprehensive financial report (item 3): Received for information and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners. Auditor Freydeveld presented; committee vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Local Government Retirement System annual report (item 4): Received for information and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners as required by state filing rules (Public Act 202 of 2017). Vote: passed by roll call.

- Probate courthouse renovation contract with Dyke House Construction Inc. (item 5): Approved and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for construction services related to a Grand Haven Courthouse project for $72,198.70. Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Mailing services contract for election-related notices with KCI (item 6): Approved and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners. The contract covers production and postage for postcards to voters on the permanent absentee ballot list; estimated volume roughly 50,000 annually. Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Citibot chatbot contract (item 7): Approved and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners. Three-year contract, total $96,865; significant discussion before approval. Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Investment-tracking software upgrade with Emphasis Computer Solutions (item 8): Approved and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners. Six-year total cost $108,002.99 (first-year implementation larger). Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- KnowBe4 cybersecurity awareness platform (item 9): Approved and forwarded as a renewal/upgrade to the diamond plan; total cost not to exceed $190,000 for the specified term. Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Register of Deeds subscription renewals with Fidlar Technologies (item 10): Approved and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners; three-year renewals for recording and hosting services at an annual cost shown in the packet. Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Year 2025 budget adjustments (item 11): Approved and forwarded to the Board of Commissioners per the attached schedule in the packet. Vote: motion passed by roll call.

- Brownfield plan amendment for The Landings at Rush Creek by Licati Group LLC in the City of Hudsonville (item 12): The committee approved forwarding the Brownfield plan amendment and requested a public hearing to be scheduled for 04/22/2025. Motion passed by roll call (several commissioners recorded \"No\" on the committee vote; the motion nevertheless passed and will go to the full Board of Commissioners). The plan requests tax-capture assistance for infrastructure and redevelopment of a roughly 7-acre former greenhouse site into an 84-unit one-bedroom rental building with 12 income-qualified units at 90% AMI; the county's operations millage share of the capture was estimated in committee discussion to be roughly $375,000 over the capture period.

Why this matters: the package includes technology and cybersecurity investments, a new chatbot intended to shift routine public inquiries online, election-mailing services to manage the permanent absentee ballot list, and a Brownfield request for housing that drew mixed views from commissioners about public subsidy levels.

Vote details: all items listed above were decided by roll call votes at the committee meeting. Where the packet listed specific dollar costs, those numbers appear above as presented to the committee. For items where the packet summarized vendor pricing or multi-year options, members voted to forward the contracts and renewals to the Board of Commissioners for final approval.

Ending: committee members asked staff to return with implementation details (chatbot analytics, cybersecurity timelines, reconciliation controls from the audit) and the Brownfield matter will proceed to a public hearing on April 22, 2025, before the full Board of Commissioners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 10, 2025 Ottawa County Finance & Administration Committee Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The committee approved or forwarded several contract renewals and new vendor agreements, voted to forward the annual comprehensive financial report and retirement-system filing, approved budget adjustments, and agreed to a public hearing for a Brownfield plan amendment for a Hudsonville development.","taxTitle","Ottawa County, Michigan","taxId",3875,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6074977,"County approves three-year chatbot contract after discussion over cost, privacy and utility",1765,5943000,7708000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488&start=5943&end=7708","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488/thumbnail_5943000.jpg","/articles/6074977/Ottawa-County/Michigan/County-approves-three-year-chatbot-contract-after-discussion-over-cost-privacy-and-utility","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6074977-4f92b183af858fe7687bcdef9147fa92/orig.mp4?Expires=1771166655&Signature=Y4Wb1u5doKFxvO33jYMQXLwoXFRh0CKEgVuY5EZJjV-czOOZLQ3WRSTgrrYi~sOc5RgTQeYJA3lrBSBoYhuDcyaWUurZ2rAw9Cm1Lfjv77mERQ83xMYxAkSDO7zqWU-nqFyeWQ~i9xrOFYBG~-PzX5Id1h-8ZcJEY5LVrCTdY9kVh-T05wHakX7Bvgki7goh9yFFMZ-UQ2ZB91k6uNlqnMHwCXK9w1s-WoPo9Eeicj8Nyc5qeT-h9wo2mX~XoYDGpU13I3aX5n-nsoj6PQ~I7OZxEEWKHgHLvBlbqFdmBmOhqtdEUDkx~xU2IvKPM8P4fVL8ROo8aj8knWysp-W0Yw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Finance and Administration Committee voted to approve a three-year contract with Citibot Inc. to provide chatbot software for the county website, with a total cost of $96,865 and a county commitment to the product as part of a broader customer-service improvement plan.

Scott Vannebosch, an in-house technology specialist, explained Citibot's role and scope during a long discussion that centered on whether the software justifies the cost. \"The chatbot is designed to ease the experience for residents when they are looking for services,\" Vannebosch said, describing the platform's ability to crawl public website content and a separate knowledge base and to hand off unanswered questions to staff.

Commissioners asked about security, cost and alternatives. Commissioner Miedema asked whether a one-year pilot would be preferable; staff said Citibot offered lower per-year pricing on a three-year contract and that the county had budgeted for the expense in IT. Commissioners asked whether the product would use only county-provided content (rather than crawled external content) and whether it would be able to index PDFs and meeting minutes; staff said the platform would rely on content the county supplies and crawls from its own public site and knowledge base, and it can be trained to find information from PDFs and other documents the county chooses to include.

Several commissioners described real-world tests. Commissioner Jortsma said he tested a similar system on another city site and saw it return accurate, helpful answers. Commissioner Wenzel and others voiced concerns about older-style chatbots that frustrate callers; staff said Citibot uses modern natural-language processing, and the county plans to start with website chat and may add voice or SMS options later.

Security questions were raised. Staff said the chatbot will operate as a closed system: it will answer only from content the county provides or permits the vendor to crawl. Staff also said the implementation plan will include departments identifying their most frequently asked questions and training the bot's knowledge base.

Why this matters: the chatbot is intended to reduce staff time spent on routine phone questions and improve public access to county services. County staff estimated the current average staff time per inbound call is roughly 15 minutes across departments; commissioners said the platform may free staff to handle more complex tasks.

Vote and next steps: the committee approved the three-year contract by roll call. Implementation will involve training department content owners, setting privacy parameters, and tracking analytics to identify content gaps. Staff said they will present an outreach plan and launch timeline to the committee during implementation.

Ending: commissioners asked staff to monitor the system and return with analytics and usage reports after launch to measure whether the chatbot reduces phone volume and improves public access to information.","After a lengthy discussion about cost, scope and customer experience, the Finance and Administration Committee approved a three-year, $96,865 contract with Citibot to add a website chatbot; commissioners sought assurances on data scope, future voice options and implementation oversight.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6074982,"County's pension funding near state thresholds; retirement report shows 72.8% funded for defined-benefit plan",427,4247000,4674000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488&start=4247&end=4674","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488/thumbnail_4247000.jpg","/articles/6074982/Ottawa-County/Michigan/Countys-pension-funding-near-state-thresholds-retirement-report-shows-728-funded-for-defined-benefit-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6074982-ee225b319ccdd8ea324668f5c60b559e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771166655&Signature=MlP6lz209OJlvcbTRUBSyFr4cjLm5c5K0XXqVkbcDa0eDCKlCnD7M31u132~kS17s48ZQACMRRMVf9-w1ciDvNUELReivfm2NN6gYcbDBM6p~JlQ2KsTfyNP1s3FC~gvDJgHf1p4j1w2ZG3p4iu8PXrDRwyucR1Q9SiPEpY5ZifBen2OGEiBZ-xBfE9jt4pZvnNbmvAG4Uoeger4CoMaF~bAjct9l~BiBxLoSFkt~7km0ZubPRUd9nEr6C78YvVBReDQAIHQ~InbgjVcuH9Y2aGnsypG8njhpNtcAmsmNNfSeIK-v4OfPRb9YFjmTwCSihaQCL1vEkcbub06BUDlng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ottawa County commissioners received the Local Government Retirement System annual report required by Michigan law and heard that the county's closed defined-benefit pension plan is funded at roughly 72.8% on the state's required basis.

Fiscal Services Director Karen told the committee that the state requires governments to calculate pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) using uniform assumptions so the state can compare funding ratios across jurisdictions. \"Our pension is funded at 72.8% under the state's funding ratios,\" Karen said. The county's MERS (Municipal Employees' Retirement System) calculation reported a similar 72.1% funding level in the audit.

Karen also told commissioners the county's OPEB (retiree health care) plan is funded at about 47.6% on the county reporting basis and 48.2% under the state's required assumptions. The state classifies plans as concerning if the pension-funded ratio falls below 60% or if contribution levels exceed a specified share of governmental revenues.

Commissioners pressed staff on trend data and potential actions. Commissioner Brugger asked whether the pension-funded ratio is rising or falling; Karen pointed to trend tables in the financial statements that showed the county's funded ratio moved from the high 60s to about 72% in recent years and noted market performance is a major driver. \"It's really driven by markets,\" she said.

Commissioners discussed tools the county has used in the past, including occasional extra contributions, a 0.3-mill levy that contributes to the pension fund, and issuing pension bonds in 2013-2014. Karen said the county has moved extra contributions into the plan in prior years and that the county regularly meets with MERS and human resources to review plan status.

Why this matters: a funded-ratio reading gives elected officials a snapshot of whether a plan holds sufficient assets to meet future obligations. Lower funded ratios can pressure budgets and lead to state oversight if the statutory thresholds are breached.

Next steps: commissioners suggested scheduling continued monitoring and regular meetings with MERS and staff. Commissioner Tieteples recommended considering pension strategy during upcoming budget and strategic-planning work sessions so future administrators and commissioners can evaluate options for additional contributions or structural changes.

Ending: staff recommended continuing oversight and bringing the retirement report and trend information to commissioners for periodic review as part of the county's budget process.","Ottawa County officials reviewed the Local Government Retirement System annual filing, which shows the county's closed defined-benefit pension plan is about 72.8% funded under the state's calculations; commissioners discussed funding tools and options to manage the unfunded liability.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6074987,"County auditors issue clean opinion but report three correcting entries and a material weakness",362,2883000,3245000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488&start=2883&end=3245","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2980211-8007bf242aa65422a9ae78f8f324d488/thumbnail_2883000.jpg","/articles/6074987/Ottawa-County/Michigan/County-auditors-issue-clean-opinion-but-report-three-correcting-entries-and-a-material-weakness","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6074987-406a7d00f425535fcc730b46302c14fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771166655&Signature=UjGoBBe21Ouc4iureELFy5thdsaf-TCYzjoubFiSa4NP4MdrC2RDOiTEI7Yqvh8VxCq-TOPSJLozVNLfljdULf5G5QByJ90ZdChoEVpRUR8e8WqLRK06Vvblt-pd26fcWixe9jH82KDd~5OSGSgDUKRxKdsht6~ApehPC3eciHhFo8QrhzukPRkoa7HkJbZRnC0BkeitNGIMxctPDEvGCNi-LEHqYYILmW04~jow6OQWKz0S8TXWWfPPIpXwOtjHzCRjKH5JEgRev1LmU8h7XcA5kyv2-4KNCE1o7FPQfif3K2Acwioonu9kb7r3JxhrSaSd1lq4XBVseg6aDMe07Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Auditors for Ottawa County delivered a clean opinion on the county's annual comprehensive financial report for the year ended Sept. 30, 2024, but reported three correcting journal entries that led them to classify a material weakness in internal control.

The material weakness stems from three audit adjustments the firm recorded during its review, auditor Mike Freydeveld of Freydeveld Heffner LLC told the Finance and Administration Committee. \"The first two were timing and recording items,\" Freydeveld said, and he described the overall opinion on the financial statements as \"a good clean report.\" He added that the county spent about $15.6 million in federal awards that triggered a single-audit review; auditors reported no compliance findings for federal grant rules.

The material weakness arose because the auditors discovered three entries that management corrected during the audit, Freydeveld said. The governance letter that accompanies the audit lists those three correcting entries and notes that their size warranted the material weakness classification. The governance letter also identified two other audit findings: budget amendments that were completed prior to fiscal year-end but not formally approved until after the year ended (which the auditors said violates state law), and bank reconciliations that showed no documented evidence of review and were tied only to the Treasury system rather than to the general ledger (Munis).

\"We missed three entries,\" Fiscal Services Director Karen said in the meeting, addressing the wording in the governance letter. \"One was related to taxes receivable, one was a late accounts payable for a parks project, and one was a pension-calculation entry discovered during training.\" Karen said the entries were not compliance failures and emphasized the single-audit work found no compliance issues with federal grants.

Commissioners pressed staff on next steps. Freydeveld pointed the committee to the governance letter and the schedule of findings in the audit report. The county manager and members of the committee discussed scheduling follow-up work with the treasurer's office and fiscal staff to document bank reconciliation review and to make sure budget amendments are approved before fiscal year-end.

Why this matters: the audit report is the county's annual independent assessment of its financial statements and internal controls. A clean opinion means auditors found the statements fairly presented; a material weakness signals that auditors identified a control deficiency significant enough to merit public attention and corrective action.

County officials said they will publish the report and follow up. \"We will meet with the treasurer's office and we'll work those things out,\" Karen said. The county also staff recommended publishing the management tools and summaries so residents can review how discretionary funds were spent.

What happens next: the county will post the audited financial statements and the required governance letter, pursue the reconciliation and amendment documentation items the auditors noted, and consider an informational work session for commissioners to walk through the financial statements. Freydeveld said the county should receive its formal certificate of excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association in the months after filing, if applicable.

Ending: Committee members thanked staff and the audit team for the work and agreed to return to the audit recommendations in follow-up sessions.","Auditors presented the County of Ottawa's annual comprehensive financial report and a single-audit summary, reporting a clean opinion but noting three audit adjustments that produced a material weakness and two other control findings; county staff and commissioners discussed next steps and outreach to the public.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Finance and Administration Committee forwards multiple contracts, budget adjustments and a Brownfield plan amendment

County approves three-year chatbot contract after discussion over cost, privacy and utility

County's pension funding near state thresholds; retirement report shows 72.8% funded for defined-benefit plan

County auditors issue clean opinion but report three correcting entries and a material weakness