Bay County Board of Commissioners holds organizational meeting, elects 2025 officers; land bank grant, housing plans discussed

The Bay County Board of Commissioners convened an organizational meeting Jan. 2, 2025, where commissioners completed roll call, conducted nominations and unanimous ballots for officers for 2025, and heard brief announcements about local projects and a demolition grant for former market properties.

The meeting opened at 4 p.m. with Diane Yavorski, chief deputy county clerk, calling the session to order and asking commissioners to answer roll call. Yavorski then announced that the first order of business would be the appointment of the chief deputy county clerk as temporary chair to conduct the election of officers for the year, and she presided over the nomination and voting process for chair, vice chair and sergeant at arms.

Nominations on the record included a nomination of Tim Bonaczek for chair and a nomination of Bob McGick for vice chair. The clerk asked for motions to close nominations and for a unanimous ballot to be cast; the clerk announced the motions carried and several commissioners said “aye.” The transcript records inconsistent name references during the chair and vice chair announcements: the clerk’s motion text asked that a unanimous ballot be cast for “Commissioner Banaszak” as chair and for “Commissioner Begett” as vice chair, and later the clerk offered “Congratulations to Chairman Wenatchek.” The board also confirmed Commissioner Chris Rupp as sergeant at arms after a floor nomination for Rupp and a unanimous ballot.

The meeting record shows the officer elections carried by unanimous ballot among commissioners present. Roll call at the start of the session recorded Commissioners Nemec, Buenavac, Begick, Beeson, Rupp, Docket and Kree as present. The meeting did not include public comment; the clerk closed citizen input after a brief waiting period.

Under announcements, a speaker identified as Jim (role not specified in the transcript) spoke about the recent death of Aaron Kernstock, a Meals on Wheels driver, and noted plans to consider a spring commemoration. Jim also outlined county priorities he said would continue for the new board: finishing a health services center and a new animal shelter, continuing work with Bay Future on economic development and recruiting business investment, and coordinating with neighboring Saginaw and Midland counties on affordable housing.

On housing and redevelopment, Jim said the city housing commission plans roughly "104, a 108" new apartments at the former Bay County Market site and that the Bay County Land Bank received a $2,050,000 grant to demolish contaminated structures that include asbestos, work he described as a necessary step to clear parcels for redevelopment. The transcript attributes those project details to Jim’s announcement; no formal vote or resolution on the projects was recorded during the meeting.

The organizational meeting ended after the announcements and a motion to adjourn was carried.