Livingston County commissioners indefinitely postpone appointments to Human Services Collaborative Body

The Livingston County Board of Commissioners voted 7–2 on April 28 to postpone indefinitely a resolution to appoint members to the county's Human Services Collaborative Body, after commissioners said they lacked a key 1996 letter and additional information about candidates.

The postponement motion, moved by Commissioner Nick Fiani and seconded by Commissioner Ponovich, followed roughly 30 minutes of discussion during which several commissioners said they were still waiting for documentation from the state and asked for clearer information about which positions the county is required to fill.

The issue stemmed from a county resolution and bylaws that reference an apparent 1996 letter specifying mandated positions on the HSCB. County staff and the board's legal counsel told commissioners they had been unable to locate that letter and that a FOIA search returned no retained records. Director Bolling and Connie Conklin, who serves as acting chair of the HSCB, described the collaborative body's membership and activities, saying the board routinely includes representatives from public health, community mental health, EMS, courts, schools and local human services organizations and that the group meets monthly to coordinate services and prepare funding recommendations and letters of support for grants.

Several commissioners supported postponing appointments until the state's guidance or the missing letter could be located. Commissioner Nick Fiani said he had asked for state information and additional documents and moved to postpone indefinitely until the board had the state's letter that the bylaws and the 1996 resolution reference. Commissioner Gross opposed postponement, saying the matter had been on the board's radar for months and that the candidates described in submitted materials appeared to be strong. Other commissioners expressed concern both that the board should exercise appointment authority responsibly and that the HSCB's work would be hampered by gaps in its membership.

Connie Conklin and staff described the HSCB's purpose as a cross-agency collaborative originally tied to children's services and since expanded to include housing, transportation and senior services; they said the body generally does not allocate funding but prepares coordinated recommendations and letters of support for grants. County legal counsel said the HSCB was created by a past county resolution that retained appointment authority for some positions with the Board of Commissioners; absent a change to that structure, the county retains that appointment role.

The motion to postpone indefinitely passed on a voice vote recorded as 7 in favor and 2 opposed. The board did not set a date certain for reconsideration. Commissioners said they expect to revisit the matter after locating the missing 1996 letter or receiving the state guidance they sought.

The board's discussion clarified that the HSCB includes a mixture of permanent county department members and at-large community representatives; a list read aloud by staff named public health, the department of human services, community mental health, prosecutor, family and juvenile courts, the area agency on aging, the local educational service agency superintendent, planning, substance abuse coordinating agency director, hospital representative, community consumers and other at-large seats.

The postponement leaves the HSCB operating with its current membership; staff said the collaborative continues to meet monthly and produce coordinated work across agencies.

Commissioners did not adopt or reject the candidate appointments at the meeting; the resolution remains postponed indefinitely pending retrieval of the referenced historical documentation or state clarification.