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County administrator outlines negotiations, ERP timeline, brownfields work and animal-shelter capacity
Summary
County Administrator Eric updated commissioners on labor negotiations, an October recommendation on ERP replacement, a potential Brownfield EPA grant application, upcoming landfill host-agreement negotiations with Waste Management and animal-shelter capacity constraints (27 dogs, about 50 cats).
County Administrator Eric provided a multi-item operations update at the Aug. 26 Barry County Board of Commissioners meeting, reporting on labor negotiations, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software replacement timeline, Brownfield grant planning, upcoming landfill negotiations and animal-shelter capacity concerns.
Eric told the board that four labor-union negotiations are active and that one remaining negotiation has yet to start; county negotiators hope to conclude agreements before year-end. He said the county will present an ERP software recommendation at the first October meeting because the current system is approaching end of life in early 2027.
On Brownfield work, the administrator said the county has spent roughly $400,000 from last year’s EPA Brownfield grant and that the Brownfield Authority is discussing applying for another EPA grant to support additional projects in Delton, Middleville, Hastings and townships.
He also said the county’s host agreement with Waste Management for the landfill is approaching renewal and that county staff — including the administrator and county counsel — will begin negotiations with the company; those talks are expected to start in the coming days.
The administrator reported the animal shelter is at capacity: about 27 dogs and roughly 50 cats, with some recent litters exacerbating the cat load. Because Barry County operates a no-kill shelter policy, he said fewer than 10% of animals are euthanized and the shelter relies on fostering when space is constrained. County staff and the shelter’s manager, Joel Morgan, are scheduled to provide a fuller update to the board in late October or early November.
The administrator said the county is monitoring health-insurance costs for 2026 and will have final figures after upcoming cost-containment meetings. He also encouraged commissioners to complete an annual performance review for the county administrator that will be distributed by email.
