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Board approves medical examiner contract renewal and directs controller to solicit bids
Summary
The board approved a proposed renewal with the county’s current medical examiner but also directed the controller to issue a request for proposals so the county can compare options; one commissioner cast a recorded no vote on the renewal.
The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners approved a multi‑year renewal with the county’s medical examiner and instructed the county controller to seek competitive bids for medical-examiner services.
Prosecutor Tom Genster presented the renewal agreement and noted the county has budgeted capital and operational needs tied to medicolegal operations. The proposed renewal included a 3 percent increase for the coming year and annual 3 percent increases for subsequent years. One commissioner publicly said they would vote against the renewal because of concerns about the vendor’s representations and past interactions.
After debate, the board approved the renewal by voice vote. Commissioner Johnson explicitly recorded a no vote and said he had trust issues with the provider based on prior personal conversations. Other commissioners said prior outreach had shown other providers to be more expensive in past solicitations; the board noted Sparrow and other providers had been considered previously and sometimes quoted significantly higher fees.
Separately, the board agreed to ask county administration to run a formal request for proposals (RFP) for medical examiner services, with results to be presented at the October meeting. Controller Brenda said staff would check contract terms for termination notice and prepare any required procurement documents.
Ending: The contract renewal was approved at the Sept. 8 meeting; the board also moved to solicit competitive proposals to confirm the county is receiving value for money.
