[{"_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",6527899,"mediaKeyId","3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d","parentId",3516100,"title","County opioid steering committee readies RFP timeline, priorities for settlement funds","audioSeconds",180,"startMs",3149000,"endMs",3329000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d&start=3149&end=3329","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d/thumbnail_3149000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6527899/Van-Buren-County/Michigan/County-opioid-steering-committee-readies-RFP-timeline-priorities-for-settlement-funds","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6527899-d39f888c6013c4c6be2e4f8d40e2d982/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152017&Signature=S0os250hsccO9jeQYszGnBrinpgJq5DU5Yxjd1Q2U--1w9ix5DJ78MgC6ThZp8V1Cmo7MDjYEqa3e84nbjEM3JMk35m1DstSL8uhrDDRIUwxfB2k4vWBuTOxijfIbIVfpeQ6njl2eI8hVxMvP9fOmbbRNbTbNVYXi9dSvLi9jnkwNFn4tOxwnt--mf5zdDcJDwoyXCdPC3YuJViDKI-4-32T51ULgsx2nshYdAHE036MMifEc49WyE4K8liFcWD-8zg6dEiZyntapjYQrGEZ6FRpekSvn7IkiV43wA-9gXgonG81HD8auP1uWUBCWI-lTYylNPNzXUI2FRlx9445ag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Van Buren County, MI","date","2025-05-27T15:47:24Z","article","Lisa, the county community services director, told the commissioners on May 27 that the county’s opioid steering committee had completed an assessment and developed a draft request for proposals that follows state guidance and the national settlement’s Exhibit E allowable uses.

Lisa said the committee plans to release the RFP in early June with an August application deadline and final award announcements in September, and proposed two-year grant cycles sized at $300,000 per cycle to preserve funding across the settlement’s 18-year duration. \"The funding priorities for this year will be transitional sober living, peer recovery support, medication assisted treatment, transportation assistance, and stigma reduction through youth and community education,\" she said.

She added that the committee reviewed settlement policies and administrative-cost limits and that staff will maintain required audits and semiannual reporting. The committee plans to evaluate applications and forward final recommendations to the board, which retains authority to approve awards.

A commissioner moved to approve the RFP process and timeline and forward the RFP package to the June 10 board meeting for final approval; the motion passed by voice vote. Lisa said the committee had five steering-committee appointees with diverse backgrounds and would circulate final materials to commissioners for distribution in local meetings.

County staff noted the national settlement specifies which program types are allowable (Exhibit E) and imposes reporting and administrative limits; funds cannot be used for items outside the settlement’s allowable categories.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5/27/2025 Board Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","Van Buren County staff presented a draft RFP and timeline for using opioid settlement funds, proposing biennial grant cycles and five funding priorities that align with the national settlement’s allowable uses.","taxTitle","Van Buren County, Michigan","taxId",52299,"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},6527902,"Community mental health agency asks Van Buren County to back state Medicaid funding fix",387,2738000,3125000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d&start=2738&end=3125","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d/thumbnail_2738000.jpg","/articles/6527902/Van-Buren-County/Michigan/Community-mental-health-agency-asks-Van-Buren-County-to-back-state-Medicaid-funding-fix","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6527902-dab21c985fc448c70f9ecb13c493745e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152017&Signature=QnTTvQkd8SRIGQ2wH5Q4LeyHDE-Cq-ialaqTqvWsjPJ08Kj6EWTQdRX583DVnmMHMx6lucxZT8~2WsKlBUyNxkoutGJFbwru9eQtdS164e6gFNtWwHlKwXOEK2o7Ml9zW9PLoMZVO6HM4yMA0jBsSWOjHmWgamcQkTQD5v7YeFTNM2lepesTQtSqVNlilDU5hRxqoPiv7hmF-nzUrkoG9s~gYZym0QNmoQhjqTgPwv7GbSfMkINW35bYSl53y77hDuOfOGxryPVk9Dc62si5uoiXciE3IaXn5mXPjTYEGw2s4gZxY87LlqLMABhbqw85CUll5Hbf7eWYluaj3FPZuA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Debbie Hess, representing Amherick County Community Mental Health, asked the Van Buren County Board of Commissioners on May 27 to endorse a resolution asking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Legislature to fully allocate appropriated Medicaid funds and to ensure capitation rates are actuarially sound at regional and county levels.

Hess told the commissioners that the public behavioral health system has seen rising service demand since the COVID-19 public health emergency, while local capitation payments to community mental health agencies have not kept pace. \"We have had 700,000 people drop off of Medicaid while the public behavioral health system has seen the numbers that we are serving lots,\" Hess said, and she described rising costs for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, residential services and applied behavioral analysis for autism as major cost drivers.

Hess said the state had appropriated additional funds but that those dollars had not flowed through to local community mental health providers, and she urged the county to ask state officials to address distribution and to account for new cost drivers such as sick leave, minimum-wage increases and added administrative requirements. She also said the county should oppose any federal reductions to Medicaid.

A commissioner moved that the county pass a resolution urging state action on the financing shortfall; the board approved the motion and directed that the resolution be finalized for full board consideration on June 10. Commissioners voiced general support during the motion; the record shows the motion carried by voice vote.

The presentation included requests for (1) immediate allocation of appropriated Medicaid funds to community mental health agencies for the current fiscal year, (2) actuarially sound capitation rates that reflect regional/local costs, and (3) recognition in funding formulas of recent legislative and cost changes that increase service and administrative costs. Hess said negotiations with the state department and supportive legislators were underway but that implementation details remained unclear.

The commission did not adopt a final resolution on May 27; it moved the draft forward for formal approval at the June 10 meeting. The county did not take any binding action beyond forwarding the resolution for final consideration.","A representative of the local community mental health authority asked the Van Buren County commissioners to endorse a resolution urging Michigan officials to fully allocate appropriated Medicaid funds and ensure capitation rates reflect local costs; commissioners voted to forward a resolution for final approval on June 10.",{"_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},6527890,"Votes at a glance: Van Buren County Committee of the Whole, May 27, 2025",1081,2655000,3736000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d&start=2655&end=3736","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d/thumbnail_2655000.jpg","/articles/6527890/Van-Buren-County/Michigan/Votes-at-a-glance-Van-Buren-County-Committee-of-the-Whole-May-27-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6527890-43d53e8498045415df635f781ea9da3a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152017&Signature=fSpikwtQZSd~vzCXWhInuoMuGkvCjCI~fvNxZNr1voaDNNXTDMIxVLP2Lb3AL6-EosBZad17e0281ejJWPGr4G4jTYo4ZWYCvSa6vNlxtuqttAwUWVFf5apfykF8NTQQkyigbJzj8~7IHUQO4csr79XAOTTqDWXMKCBy17dfZ6NqiMYq4V~2amDMUD-GF~t809eAKKw713ECYfu4y7pv05tfosItCsVB1X2AecTKmChqvpqVOuduQ2VQqq~Lmu0tP8pQzGIz7nZ-0HV3eqmMtoYzI12DZTqNQniorR1mEdN2cvVinO308xARwyPTNA1s6UkZdBji~UQ24dZ5y6~0Ww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Van Buren County Committee of the Whole took a series of routine and substantive actions on May 27. Below are the actions recorded on the meeting transcript and their outcomes.

- Forwarded behavioral-health resolution for full board consideration (final approval scheduled for June 10, 2025). Motion to forward the county resolution urging the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Legislature to address Medicaid capitation funding shortfalls was approved by voice vote.

- Approved and forwarded the opioid settlement request-for-proposals process and timeline to the June 10 board meeting for final approval. Staff plans an early-June RFP release, an August application deadline and award announcements in September.

- Approved the jail courtyard repaving CIP project and a related fencing project (security fence). The projects were discussed as tied CIPs; bids were received and county staff reported the asphalt rebid left the project about $25,000 over an earlier estimate but within revised CIP planning. Motions to approve both projects carried by voice vote.

- Approved the continuation of the parks millage process and moved to file the Michigan Department of Treasury form L-4029 (2025 tax rate request) that, if adopted, would include the parks millage on the summer tax bill; motion carried by voice vote.

- Authorized payment of legal invoice to FosterSwift for litigation services incurred in April, in the amount stated in the meeting as $9,422.50; the invoice will be split with Covert Township per the transcript. Motion carried.

- Approved the county’s 2025 personal computer refresh purchase request: staff sought approval to buy 46 desktops (amount stated in meeting materials); motion carried.

- Approved a starting-salary exception request for a prosecutor candidate with approximately 20 years’ experience; the motion carried and staff said there is no immediate fiscal-year budget impact because of vacancy savings.

The transcript records these motions being made, supported and carried by voice vote; detailed roll-call tallies were not provided in the meeting record. Items that were forwarded to the full board (for example, the behavioral-health resolution and the opioid RFP) will return to the board for final action on June 10, 2025.","A summary of motions and voice-vote outcomes from the May 27 Van Buren County Committee of the Whole meeting, including forwarding a behavioral-health resolution, approving an opioid RFP process, authorizing jail courtyard paving and security fencing CIP projects, and other administrative approvals.",{"_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},6527895,"Road commission reports paving, bridge and maintenance schedule ahead of summer work",353,6891000,7244000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d&start=6891&end=7244","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516100-b26419fb3a8b99a501e9ad7ea544687d/thumbnail_6891000.jpg","/articles/6527895/Van-Buren-County/Michigan/Road-commission-reports-paving-bridge-and-maintenance-schedule-ahead-of-summer-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6527895-04c64f72e3dee63c95534a9d4f187d16/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152017&Signature=EbChvekKyR5pb9mAEXt2qxkXjCYoxY7VWB8t9GejlplmRHJZSf9BjRKP6gnWUzGNT-y7nEA5Vjc0Z~svUtqAZSDx4wQtBYAMwbTaB-~cjWzSrt4IPQpj8Tr6y33o1Np7V~y2TPwHKsJPadY1RPeHZ0n6mIXYSmKC2JWyhL352HimZV0~A4hiorJaBCP731IJRbQZEcpjtFo0NLnthNZn49s1ORZgfIRqiUDB1NzlG-nTt5IC8kXPcYfM9h~pg6nPRji3ZkO8eShaPuyaQNq6yv8G0YZUtWt~5zvwIyfJC6mj8z2ptvvdGWdvDcm0hQoIcDDlxKoz3Zxh5uh4od1MGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Van Buren County Road Commission briefed commissioners on May 27 about planned asphalt and bridge work, facility maintenance and recent storm-response activity.

The commission reported that seal coating work will begin June 9, with a subsequent application of a final bog seal layer two to three weeks later to improve timing and reduce traffic conflicts. Staff said they have completed roadside mowing in five townships and have prioritized keeping more projects in-house to control costs. The Western Garage renovation in Bangor will start next week and membrane roof replacements are scheduled for older structures.

Multiple bridge projects approved in 2022 are slated for construction this year, including Thirteenth Avenue over Deer Lake Creek (South Haven Township), Baseline Road over Black River (South Haven Township), 405th Street over the Paw Paw River (Paw Paw Township), County Road 215 in Hamilton Township and County Road 665 over the Paw Paw River. The commission also said it performed in-house timber bridge work on a 69th Street bridge in Bangor Township to save township costs.

Staff described a recent storm that downed many trees; crews reopened several affected roads and coordinated with electric providers when power lines were involved. Commissioners were briefed on changes to the federal urban-mile calculation, which reduced Van Buren County’s urban miles and cost the county about $50,000 according to road staff; staff traced the change to the federal method switching from population to residential housing growth counts.

No formal vote was taken; the session served as an informational update and a request for commissioners to be aware of timelines and public outreach around seal-coating and bridge work.","The county road commission updated commissioners on sealing, bridge repairs, garage remodels and storm response; staff said seal coating starts June 9, multiple bridge projects are planned for the season, and crews continue preventive maintenance and storm cleanup.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County opioid steering committee readies RFP timeline, priorities for settlement funds

Community mental health agency asks Van Buren County to back state Medicaid funding fix

Votes at a glance: Van Buren County Committee of the Whole, May 27, 2025

Road commission reports paving, bridge and maintenance schedule ahead of summer work