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Residents raise law-enforcement complaint and seek change to drain loan terms during public comment
Summary
During public comment, residents described a local law‑enforcement dispute and requested the county revisit a $600,000 drain project loan due June 1, asking that the loan principal be reduced to $300,000 to avoid accruing interest for inactive project work.
Public comment at the May 13 Van Buren County Board of Commissioners meeting included two substantive matters: a lengthy complaint about local law-enforcement conduct presented by a Bangor resident and a request from a Porter Township official related to the VanCast Intercounty Drain project.
Jeff Rowe of Bangor described a dispute he said began with a noise complaint and escalated into a disputed trespass notice and interactions with local officers and municipal officials. He said he sought records and video to show his behavior was lawful and complained that deputies and city officials did not provide updates and that an encounter at a March 3 meeting left him publicly embarrassed. “I was humiliated,” Rowe said, asking the board why his requests had not been addressed. The transcript records his statement as public comment; no board action was taken during the meeting on his complaint.
Heather Smith, identified as a Porter Township clerk and District 6 resident, spoke about the VanCast Intercounty Drain project. She said the drainage board had received a legal opinion stating the project cannot proceed with permitting (EGLE, DNR and EPA had denied permit paths) and that the project cannot be abandoned until September 2026 under the drain code. Smith said a $600,000 loan taken to fund project costs is due June 1, 2025. She told commissioners the project has spent roughly $300,000 to date and asked the county to consider renewing or extending the loan at a reduced principal — $300,000 — so residents would not pay interest on funds that are not being used while permitting and legal issues are resolved.
Chair and staff said they would forward Smith’s request to the drain commissioner for consideration; no formal board vote was recorded on the request during the meeting.
Ending: Commissioners and staff acknowledged the public comments and committed to forwarding the drain-loan request to the drain commissioner; no immediate board action was taken on the law-enforcement complaint.
