Oakland County's Board of Commissioners voted to accept two non-budgetary amendments to 2024 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants to allow the county's Neighborhood and Housing Development (NHD) staff to allocate hours across multiple HUD grants and the general fund, and to authorize a separate application for a Michigan marijuana operations and oversight grant totaling $436,716.

Kate Guzman, speaking for the county's Health and Human Services Neighborhood and Housing Development program, told commissioners that amendment 1 to the 2024 HOME Investment Partnerships Program and Emergency Solutions Grant is administrative: it allows 11 special revenue positions to have their hours charged across HOME and ESG grants based on the work performed. Guzman said the proposed change to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) similarly adjusts staff billing so positions can be charged to the grants they work on instead of fixed allocations; that will allow an accountant in NHD to be billed at appropriate rates across grants and the general fund.

On the marijuana oversight item, Guzman said the county's fiscal-year 2026 application amount is $436,716. The county receives an allocation tied to the number of medical marijuana cards issued locally. Guzman said the funding would pay for a public health educator II to deliver an evidence-based Michigan model curriculum to youth, purchase roughly 10,000 lock boxes and lock bags for distribution through outreach partners, and fund a paid advertising campaign including billboards, buses and social media.

Commissioners moved and supported the combined items; the board recorded five votes in favor and none opposed and carried the motions.

Guzman said the marijuana grant award is based on the county's medical card count and that the fiscal-year 2026 grant runs from November through September of the following year. The HUD amendments were described as internal, non-budget revisions to staffing allocations rather than requests for additional funds.