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Board approves office reconfiguration to give victim advocate a secure front‑office workspace
Summary
The Board approved moving a door and installing card-swipe access to create a secure office adjacent to victim interview rooms in the prosecutor’s office; the prosecutor asked that some victims-rights funds be used for access hardware and defended recent conference reimbursements to a contracted employee.
Prosecutor Tom Genster asked the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners to allow a small structural change in the prosecutor’s office to create a secure office for the county victim’s rights advocate.
Genster said two adjacent conference rooms already serve for victim and witness interviews but that the advocate’s office is located farther down a secure hallway, forcing staff to escort victims back and forth. He proposed shifting a wall and door frame roughly 4½ feet to make the advocate’s office immediately adjacent to the interview area. The change would also allow installing a card-swipe mechanism to maintain required secure access.
Genster told commissioners that victims-rights funds (offender-assessment money) can pay for the card-swipe hardware and that about $39,600 of the current allocation appears likely to be returned to the state if unspent. He estimated the door/frame work at roughly $1,500 and said Johnson Controls will supply the card-swipe installation; commissioners discussed wiring and structural options.
The request drew broader budget questions because the prosecutor’s office had sought reimbursement for travel to a prosecutor-training conference on Mackinac Island. Several commissioners questioned the value of reimbursing a contracted employee, Betsy Hartley, for the trip; Genster defended the reimbursements, saying Hartley and others used the trip to meet statewide counterparts, renew contracts and coordinate on cold-case and interagency matters. The board’s controller confirmed that the Hartley reimbursement was allowed under the current contract language but said the wording could be interpreted in different ways.
Commissioners also discussed a recent CJIS audit and staff compliance. Genster reported material findings from a 2024 audit but said the office now appears almost fully CJIS-compliant and that only one staff member was finishing required training.
Action: Vice Chairman Peterson moved and the board approved the structural change and card-swipe installation to create the secure office for the victim’s rights advocate. Genster indicated the office would use victims-rights funding for the access hardware.
Ending: The board approved the office modification and accepted Genster’s assurance that the funds and compliance steps would be coordinated with the county controller and facilities staff.
