Ottawa County Finance & Administration Committee approves bond, software, fee and budget measures; wage-study vote draws extended debate

The Ottawa County Finance & Administration Committee approved a slate of administrative, procurement and budget actions and forwarded them to the full Board of Commissioners. Key approvals included authorization to proceed with a water-system bond resolution, procurement for a new prosecutor case-management system, adoption of new Register of Deeds remote-access subscription fees and approval of a county wage-study contract that drew the meeting’s most extensive debate.

The committee approved the following motions and forwarded them to the full Board of Commissioners (items summarized; packet attachments had full motion text):

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve the agenda: approved (voice vote). - Approve consent resolution to accept minutes from 01/14/2025: approved (voice vote). - Approve statement of review: approved. - Approve accounts payable roll-call (general claims) for period 12/23/2024–01/31/2025 and general claims totaling $24,624,710.45: approved (roll call). - Approve and forward 2026 budget calendar to Board of Commissioners: approved. - Receive for information the detailed financial statements for the General Fund and Mental Health Fund and summary for Special Revenue Funds through Q1 FY25: received for information (roll call). - Approve new Laredo remote-access fee structure for Register of Deeds online subscription: approved (roll call). - Approve agreement with Carpo/Carpool Solutions and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan for a new prosecutor case-management system: approved (roll call). - Wage-study contract with Baker Tilly: a motion to table the contract was proposed and failed on a roll call; the original contract motion to approve Baker Tilly for wage and compensation services (contract total $107,400) then passed on roll call after debate and a request by several commissioners for additional documentation of the RFP respondents. - Approve resolution authorizing issuance of not-to-exceed $37,600,000 principal of Ottawa County Water Supply System Bonds, Series 2025 (Wyoming transmission main and surge suppression financing): approved (roll call). The project total described in staff remarks was $84,500,000; the bond authorization is the financing step discussed at the meeting. - Approve adoption agreement to close the MERS judge division DB plan and move judges into the county’s defined-contribution plan: approved (roll call). - Approve increase to full-time (1.0 FTE) of the corporate counsel administrative assistant position at a stated annual cost of $1,996: approved (roll call). - Approve FY2025 budget adjustments per the attached schedule (includes grant and capital adjustments discussed in packet): approved (roll call). The budget adjustment packet included state/public-health grant amendments and facility capital items; several attempts to table or remove individual lines were considered and failed during committee votes.

What drew the most debate: The Baker Tilly wage-study contract prompted the longest discussion. One commissioner raised concerns about Baker Tilly’s public positions and affiliations; other commissioners and staff said the firm was selected through a competitive process (the HR director said there were 16 initial bids, four or five finalists) and that Baker Tilly’s local office serves Michigan. A motion to table the contract (seek a Michigan-only vendor and exclude firms with specified affiliations) was made and failed; the contract was then approved. Commissioners asked HR to provide a list of the RFP respondents and other procurement documentation after the vote.

Other committee notes: Finance staff flagged a larger-than-budgeted health-insurance rate increase (presentation to be reflected in March budget adjustments), continued monitoring of federal grant revenue and a multi‑million-dollar community mental-health budget pressure that staff said they are monitoring closely. The committee also approved the prosecutor’s move to a state-supported, lower-cost licensing arrangement for the case-management system; staff said initial county costs would be limited to enhancements for the first three years and then a maintenance charge thereafter.

Ending: All approved items will go to the full board for final action. Committee members asked for follow-up briefings on (1) detailed procurement documentation for the wage study, (2) status of landfill agreement/tipping-fee renegotiations and (3) short-term funding options for the county’s sustainability/household hazardous waste sites.