Health administrator presents safety manual, fee updates and possible vaping, wastewater ordinances

Elizabeth Townsend, Genesee County (as identified in the meeting) health administrator, updated the Jackson County Board of Supervisors on departmental items on June 3 and asked the board to approve a county safety manual.

Townsend said the safety manual was reviewed by the safety committee and that large sections of disciplinary language had been removed to avoid overlap with the county handbook. The board approved the May 2025 Jackson County safety manual revision as presented.

Townsend also reported that the state updated Chapter 69 concerning on‑site wastewater; county staff plan to revise the county on‑site wastewater ordinance and draft an ordinance specifying installer requirements. She said the Board of Health is also considering an ordinance to expand clean‑air rules to vaping in public spaces where cigarette smoking is already prohibited; staff will prepare draft language and return to the board or Board of Health for consideration later this summer.

Other department notes: the county received a $6,000 reimbursement from the DNR for commercial septic tank cleaner inspections; the county’s private program funds for FY2026 decreased by about $5,000 (reflecting large reimbursements in the prior year); the health department is evaluating whether to add public pool inspections as a contracted service (staff estimated it would require roughly two weeks of staff time annually, based on data from a neighboring county); and the county ordered a hydraulic probe with an estimated 10‑month lead time.

Townsend said the department is pursuing trainings and grant‑funded continuing education and that the soil analysis program continues to generate revenue for the county.