[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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],{"_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",6533683,"mediaKeyId","3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5","parentId",3677570,"title","Board approves first reading of ‘older persons village’ plan, including office of aging services and base funding for senior centers after long debate","audioSeconds",12776,"startMs",17224000,"endMs",30000000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5&start=17224&end=30000","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5/thumbnail_17224000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6533683/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Board-approves-first-reading-of-older-persons-village-plan-including-office-of-aging-services-and-base-funding-for-senior-centers-after-long-debate","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6533683-fd9f22b7b027ced3bcd3530a82a6fab9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775255737&Signature=FN18nYIPB3837cVfgDwTQpFvJ5uIvf96GHHLTJouB5TC6BzOZ502E9U3~~bN6BzyJX~8VcsGJdA8f05Up48QO~VbeCF9-ngcJRx0D8XICOYW-tzMfsDi~xe8NTmWxuiy4mvvIr09lRgA85d2~3p4Bet-yky7hwM9bM5ZIijncsaXmDCztbLh4IjIu7d3qd~LK1MauzDWqPzjQ6PkkI51sgzp6rXPABPiJhDplAJoq8CTQwHtpbUdUEKNsJxJVCVTwvewawrh98ec6Xo53CAdoAoBasj5jQlHHU8QRSh~QKI4Z1MQVZtbCMY~csOj3TS7jq2OeapLTDUTkEjXaRSpWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washtenaw County Government","date","2025-06-05T12:23:37Z","article","The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners on June 4 approved first reading of a package to create an “Older Persons Village” framework funded by the county’s new senior millage.

The package would establish a new Office of Aging Services, authorize a director position, and set a framework for how the county will distribute and oversee millage funds intended to expand services for older residents. After extensive debate and multiple amendments, commissioners agreed on language that does the following:
- creates the Office of Aging Services to oversee implementation of the older‑persons millage and authorizes county staff and governance structures to manage funding and reporting;
- sets a foundational (minimum) annual allocation of $200,000 to each qualified senior center in the county (the board voted to maintain a $200,000 minimum figure for qualifying centers); and
- establishes an Older Persons Millage Review Committee with technical membership (commissioners, county staff and representatives including at least three members aged 60 or older) to provide oversight and review awards.

Commissioners and members of the public debated several detailed issues during the working session. Key points raised by the board and the public included:
- How a “qualified senior center” should be defined: some commissioners wanted strict county oversight and a narrow definition tied to municipal designation; others wanted a broader approach that includes centers run by nonprofits or non‑municipal entities that serve seniors countywide.
- Whether the county should require recipient organizations to display county signage and acknowledge the source of funds. Some commissioners worried such requirements would deter well‑established nonprofit partners; others said transparency about public support is important for taxpayers.
- How the county would treat existing county‑run services, and whether millage dollars could be used to replace expiring state or federal funding. Commissioners asked administration for details on how county operations (for example, nutrition or community action programs) would be handled before final adoption.

Several amendments were proposed and voted on during the session; among the outcomes commissioners adopted on first reading:
- language clarifying that the oversight committee must include at least three members age 60 or older; and
- language requiring recipient organizations display the county logo and acknowledge public funding in public materials, subject to administrative guidance.

Commissioner Caroline Somerville, who led portions of the drafting effort, said the work was intended to give a baseline for senior centers while preserving a competitive programmatic grant process for targeted services, and she urged quick action so communities can get funding into service delivery this year. “I think we made a lot of progress today,” she said.

Next steps: the measure was approved for first reading and will return to the board for final reading and adoption; administration will be asked to clarify how county operations (for example, nutrition or community action programs), community‑based providers and any required signage or reporting will be operationalized and administered.

Ending: Commissioners split on several policy choices, but the first reading passed and the board directed staff to provide the additional fiscal and operational details commissioners requested ahead of a final vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Washtenaw County Working Session & Board of Commissioners Meeting June 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners on June 4 approved first reading of a package to establish an Office of Aging Services and a framework for the county’s new senior‑services millage, including a minimum annual allocation to qualified senior centers.","taxTitle","Washtenaw County, Michigan","taxId",2833,"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},6533686,"Sheriff details staffing shortfalls and rising jail medical/food costs; community providers say grants ended and programs were paused",7884,4496000,12380000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5&start=4496&end=12380","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5/thumbnail_4496000.jpg","/articles/6533686/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Sheriff-details-staffing-shortfalls-and-rising-jail-medicalfood-costs-community-providers-say-grants-ended-and-programs-were-paused","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6533686-8230a77ab07f7c0263df2f546143b759/orig.mp4?Expires=1775255737&Signature=aqvWEd9-F5lK7N9FGq0S~tQ6z8~toDtIMNG2eJJjePAanoUJy-zdGMT3w-56EB8O~x8R~gGsvjWFiKJgCYRMNoJNhQwRdkrAF8nHZ6mBnW3vfGUKa5JjS7bZvg-8Ye~QvODAMmatLG2tqyBDli79hp-YBzrc12uPQicGYVpEP3U~X~mMhlLoQ0XSu38m5b-gNevY8I33Uq1mv2Bg5VfSS8ATGmkEML-gWJtk719ORKn0BIXtQoI6UGs6BxJp7stjb85972Tw1nSUkHhh6yGyAIYxLM8DydAIyqAv3CVljI8P5GrJ9MHz5k60War0O57vcLpf0FJL-tpO-A~q-K2umQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sheriff Alicia Dyer told the county Board of Commissioners on June 4 that her office is facing persistent staffing vacancies, higher-than-expected contracted medical and food costs in the jail and a constrained public‑safety millage that limits flexibility for unplanned overages.

Dyer opened by reading the sheriff’s new mission statement: “Together we are committed to creating a safer or just and compassionate Washtenaw County for all.” She said that renewed community engagement, revised traffic‑stop policy and a new internal wellness team have been implemented in her first 100 days. Dyer said the department has focused on recruiting local hires and improving training and mental‑health supports for first responders.

But she told commissioners persistent vacancy and cost pressures remain. She said the sheriff’s office budgeted 359 FTEs and had roughly 70 current vacancies, with the largest gaps in union‑mandated areas: about 29 vacancies in the jail, 27 in road patrol and eight in dispatch. Dyer said those vacancies drive overtime and that vacancy savings were not available last year to balance the sheriff’s general‑fund budget.

Dyer also called attention to long‑running increases in the jail’s contracted meal and medical costs. She showed a multi‑year trend in which contracted medical and meal costs rose from roughly $1.8 million in 2021 to much higher levels as average daily jail population increased after the pandemic. She said the county faces a structural need to identify sustainable funding for the jail’s food and medical contracts; she said costs previously not anticipated left last year’s bottom line strained and that “this makes the food and medical issue extremely important.”

Dyer asked the county to consider:
- sustainable funding for jail food and medical contracts (she cited the food/medical area as a major budget pressure);
- revisiting attrition assumptions that affect department vacancy savings; and
- identifying sustainable approaches for community corrections and electronic monitoring caseloads.

The sheriff emphasized efforts to reduce other costs, such as renegotiating Axon (body‑camera) contracts, cancelling costly special arrangements with other municipalities, and updating pursuit and vehicle policies to reduce fleet damage. Dyer said she’s working with county finance and other partners to identify cost savings and longer‑term solutions.

At the same time, several nonprofit community providers and reentry program leads told the board they had experienced abrupt changes to their county funding or to grants that supported jail programming. Multiple speakers from late‑night public comment and the working session said state or federal grants — notably a multi‑year Innovative Reentry Initiative (IRI) Bureau of Justice Assistance grant that funded reentry work inside the jail — had been fully expended and that, in some cases, organizations were required to stop providing services inside the jail when the grant ended.

Dr. Ariana Gonzales, who identified herself as the founder/executive director of the reentry nonprofit Life After Incarceration, told the board: “Our recent experiences with the current administration had left us disheartened and disappointed,” and asked for transparent transitions so clients aren’t left without services. Others from groups that had provided therapy, life‑skills and harm‑reduction programming told commissioners they had been asked to stop in‑jail work when grant funding expired; several said they were allowed to complete some sessions in May but were concerned about ongoing continuity.

Dyer and county staff said some of the interruptions came because multi‑year grant funds had expired and could not be extended; she also said the sheriff’s office has sought alternatives and that county leadership is working to help identify ways to sustain services while the department deals with budget and contractual constraints.

Ending: Commissioners pressed for more detailed numbers and asked county administration and the sheriff to bring back options for one‑time and ongoing funding; they also asked for details on how county contract processes and grant transitions were handled so that community providers and clients could be transitioned with fewer service gaps.","Sheriff Alicia Dyer told the Board of Commissioners on June 4 that the sheriff’s office faces significant staffing vacancies and rapidly rising jail food and medical contract costs while the public‑safety millage fund’s unallocated balance is constrained.",{"_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},6533692,"Washtenaw winter-shelter task force asks county for targeted funds to shore up prevention, family shelter, hoteling and rapid rehousing",1357,1236000,2593000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5&start=1236&end=2593","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3677570-bcde6ef8d289e3b637c8a054477f8dd5/thumbnail_1236000.jpg","/articles/6533692/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Washtenaw-winter-shelter-task-force-asks-county-for-targeted-funds-to-shore-up-prevention-family-shelter-hoteling-and-rapid-rehousing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6533692-3c0e053d4ea5dfdb072a709d4f979aa8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775255737&Signature=mzp3hqHcYwb4DKgXjJLKeX17SSZ~zc30HOhWeKhefuDf~WYNKSAZITdLjcN-dKH7LtdQdV9S4uPIyDDi87LIWQt3ZKW13bOKG33fnBcFpW8cud9QREhCZ3DCCMn56L9OhInuWF3wRNeiQM8quz9BxC98E3P4NVGKvoIP~L~1wf5XKSfjy1FciHjcKdc473mZQCPFmg1Pqp67Y4Fmn94HzHNsN-PA5IQI8o0sCB9NCI2zgSb6gh5Mcg~vAaW~F6bh~1gN8BUJtbzJfpAFfl1EFX1FZr67548vx3sJD0PxoKXNI-JiFo05HPAEktxY4Q9i2XooQWl6Z5Wlh2UfUQ0-ug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of Washtenaw County’s Winter Shelter Taskforce told the Board of Commissioners on June 4 that the county’s winter response this past season kept people safe but strains persist and more targeted money is needed to hold gains and prepare for next winter.

A small group that has been meeting since April 2023 — Dan Kelly and others from the Shelter Association, Rhonda Weathers and Shona Tarusa from SOS Community Services and partner agencies — reviewed what worked in 2024–25 and where gaps remain. They described three pillars of the winter strategy: prevention and diversion; emergency shelter operations; and rapid rehousing and permanent housing supports.

“The needle’s greatest in December, and then it tapered down to about March,” Kelly said of shelter use this winter as sites opened and outreach increased. He thanked county and municipal funders and private supporters for enabling a countywide response.

The presenters described a set of funding requests and program changes they say are required to keep the system from being overwhelmed next winter:
- Eviction prevention: Taskforce partners asked the board to continue a large-scale eviction-prevention pool. Last year the county allocated about $700,000 for eviction prevention; SOS reported it served 428 households last year and allocated about $2,076 on average per household to stabilize them. Presenters asked the board to fund the prevention program at a comparable level again so staff can schedule assessments and make payments when needed.
- Hotel stays for medically complex families: SOS said the county allocated about $110,000 last year for short-term hoteling for families with complex medical and behavioral-health needs; the task force asked for $15,000 in county support this year to supplement other commitments and reduce the need for emergency hoteling.
- Family shelter expansion: IHN and SOS are bringing new master-leased units online and a new congregate site. The county was asked for $280,000 to help operationalize a congregate family site that could house up to 30 families and to support master-leasing that will add units for larger families.
- Rapid rehousing: The task force asked the board to fund $120,000 to stabilize capacity in rapid rehousing after the county lost a share of a tiered federal grant. Task force members said the community lost about 28% of rapid-rehousing funding and this request would prevent losing roughly 40 units.
- Day and overnight shelter for individuals: For single adults the task force asked for $215,000 to help secure and operate daytime and overnight sites across the county in winter 2025–26, supplementing city and private support. They said individual shelter sites have to be secured earlier than in prior years and local governments and donors will also need to provide funds.

Task force members described program innovations that reduced hoteling demand this winter, including Alpha House’s weather-amnesty program and a larger family overflow model that reduced use of paid hotel rooms. Members also described a record rise in need: the individual overnight census high watermark rose from about 100 a few winters ago to more than 200 on peak nights this winter.

County commissioners asked questions about oversight, fundraising done by partners and administrative costs. Commissioner Sanders urged task force members to include detailed fundraising and administrative percentages in future packets so commissioners can explain decisions to residents; he also asked that proposals always include the share that would go to staffing.

Task force leaders said several new state and HUD awards are coming to the community: a HUD homeless demonstration program for youth and a Supportive Services Only grant to help young people with housing navigation; master-leasing grants from the state (NVHHS) awarded to SOS and IHN that will bring additional family units online without a county funding ask for the lease dollars. They said those new resources — plus county, city and private funds — are expected to expand the system’s capacity but that timely county decisions will still be needed to secure sites and staffing ahead of the next winter.

Ending: Task force members asked the board to consider the requests at upcoming budget and millage discussions so the community can finalize shelters, hire staff, and identify daytime spaces for people in crisis. They said the goal is to avoid turning away people in winter and to continue the prevention work that has reduced hotel stays compared with prior years.","A task force of nonprofits and county partners described lessons from the last winter and urged the board to approve a bundle of targeted requests including eviction-prevention dollars, family shelter operations, rapid rehousing and money to secure daytime and overnight space for single adults.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves first reading of ‘older persons village’ plan, including office of aging services and base funding for senior centers after long debate

Sheriff details staffing shortfalls and rising jail medical/food costs; community providers say grants ended and programs were paused

Washtenaw winter-shelter task force asks county for targeted funds to shore up prevention, family shelter, hoteling and rapid rehousing