Commission approves third-year contract with Mediation & Restorative Services for social-equity youth and family outreach

The Muskegon City Commission approved a contract with Mediation and Restorative Services to continue community outreach and youth/family mediation work funded from the city’s social equity allocation of marijuana excise tax revenue.

Mike Franzek, the city’s planning director, told commissioners the organization requested slightly less funding than last year because its overhead has fallen. "This is the third year we'll be working with them. They actually are requesting $5,000 less from the contract last year because they have lower overhead cost," Franzek said. He said staff will sign the contract so the nonprofit can begin billing and receiving funds.

Jackie Hallberg, executive director of Mediation and Restorative Services, and Ari Jacobs, the program’s youth and social-equity coordinator, described their work. They said staff operate weekly office hours at the Community Resource Center and at Muskegon Community College’s student hub, attend vendor events and neighborhood meetings, distribute educational materials and provide conflict-resolution services. Hallberg said program staff do not record identifying information when tracking outreach; they count interactions, lockbox distributions and referrals to services.

Commissioners disclosed relationships with the nonprofit during the meeting. Commissioner German said he volunteers as a mediator for Mediation and Restorative Services and made a public disclosure. Vice Mayor St. Clair said she serves on the nonprofit’s board of directors and that legal counsel advised the board role did not create a technical conflict for her vote.

Commissioners asked about timing and payment; Franzek said no payments had yet been disbursed this fiscal year and the nonprofit bills monthly or bimonthly after the contract is executed.

The motion to approve the contract passed on roll call with all commissioners voting yes.

Why it matters: city officials said the nonprofit’s outreach focuses on preventing youth cannabis misuse, connecting families to resources and offering mediation services that can reduce escalations that otherwise might require law enforcement or child protective services involvement. The contract continues a local use of marijuana-related excise funds for social-equity and public-health related programs.

What the contract will fund: program outreach, school and family engagement, neighborhood office hours, distribution of safety materials and lockable storage bags, and mediation services. The exact contract amount was discussed as reduced from last year but the specific dollar amount was not specified in the meeting record.