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Hillsdale residents demand vote on $15.5M Lifeways bond; commissioners table motion to rescind
Summary
Hundreds of residents urged the Hillsdale County Board to keep a proposed Lifeways building bond (up to $15,500,000) on the August ballot. After sustained public comment and allegations of conflicts of interest, the board voted 4–1 to table a motion to rescind the prior ballot placement decision and asked Lifeways for written cost figures.
Hundreds of Hillsdale County residents packed the courthouse on Feb. 24 and urged the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners to let voters decide whether the county should guarantee up to $15,500,000 for a new Lifeways facility.
The public-comment period opened with a readback of a Lifeways memorandum that described a board decision and a separate closed session about possible real estate linked to county projects. Dozens of speakers then took the podium to oppose removing the bond from the ballot and to press commissioners for more transparency.
"This 15 and a half million dollar bond needs to remain on the ballot, so the voters can do exactly what we intend to do with it, to make it go away," said David Hamilton, a resident who identified…
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