Ways and Means Committee approves parcel listing amendment, grant application and several budget and insurance items

The Muskegon County Ways and Means Committee on Nov. 12 approved a slate of routine and programmatic actions, including authorizing public marketing of a county-owned parcel, applying for a housing-readiness grant and renewing insurance protections.

Chair Nash called the meeting to order at 4:34 p.m. and the committee unanimously approved the meeting agenda and the Oct. 8 minutes. The committee then moved through agenda items that were each approved by voice vote.

The committee authorized an amendment to the county's listing agreement with Core Realty to include parcel 610610140000100 so it can be advertised on public listing services. A county administrator's representative described the parcel as effectively landlocked by US 31, said title work is complete and explained the county intends to advertise the parcel and bring any negotiated deals back for approval.

The committee also authorized staff to apply for and accept a housing readiness incentive grant of up to $50,000 and to amend the budget if the award is received. The grant was presented as supporting the recently authorized housing coordinator role and efforts identified in the county's housing study to address zoning and planning barriers to development. Presenters said no local match is required and that roughly 10% of grant funds would cover administration.

Insurance items included continuing county membership in the Michigan transit pool for general and auto liability coverage (annual contribution stated as $53,216) and approving an excess workers' compensation proposal to provide an additional layer of coverage for high claims. Justin Wade, the human resources director, said the county is self-insured for workers' compensation and purchases excess coverage to limit risk from large claims.

Procurement actions included awarding RFP 24-2515 to Filcher Engineering Corporation for $50,689.37 through fiscal 2027 and authorizing the board chair to sign the agreement. The committee also approved a routine accounts-payable batch and year-end payments; the finance director said year-end AP is the primary driver of the month's large report and noted the top seven items account for roughly $25 million of about $43 million on the listing.

Other approvals included creating a full-time executive operations administrator position to reflect expanded duties performed by an existing employee and approving county appointments to the multi-county materials management planning committee as required under the revised Part 115 rule.

All motions were approved by voice vote; no recorded roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript. The meeting adjourned after final business and a call for public comment produced none.