Benzie County commissioners adopt hazard-plan update, approve contract and spending measures
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Summary
At their Feb. 13 meeting, the Benzie County Board of Commissioners adopted the county's five-year Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, approved a jail mental-health contract amendment and a deputies' 12-hour-shift agreement, and allocated $20,565 in opioid settlement funds across three local programs.
The Benzie County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 13 adopted Resolution No. 2024-008 authorizing the 2023 Benzie County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan five-year update and approved a series of contracts, personnel adjustments and spending measures during a regular session in Beulah.
The board's actions included an amended agreement with Manistee Benzie Community Mental Health Organization (Centra Wellness) to permit a bachelor's-level clinician in the county jail to act as a conduit between inmates and master's-level clinicians; approval of a Letter of Agreement with the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, Deputies Unit, to permit 12-hour shift rotations; and an amendment to the county's Credit Card Use policy adding an Accounts Payable credit card with a limit not to exceed $20,000.
The board also allocated $20,565 in opioid settlement funds across three local requests: $4,465 to a joint Benzie County District Court/Centra Wellness proposal for assessment, testing and monitoring; $6,900 to Almira Township Fire & EMS for an airway trainer, two CPR/AED training manikins and instructor training; and $9,200 to the School and Youth Resource Officers program to fund two school speaking engagements by Tony Hoffman on mental health, addiction and recovery. (The transcript records Tony Hoffman as the speaker for those engagements but does not specify his formal title beyond the School and Youth Resource Officers reference.)
On budget and personnel matters, the board approved payment of $716,242.23 in bills for Jan. 28–Feb. 12, 2024, authorized a $3,000 budget adjustment for Treasurer's Office wages from contingency, and accepted the resignation/transition announcement by County Treasurer Michelle Thompson, who said she will become Executive Director of the Michigan Land Bank Associations effective March 4; the transcript records that Kelly Long has been appointed to replace her upon retirement.
The meeting included a committee appointment: the board accepted Circuit Court Judge David A. Thompson's recommendation and appointed Dawn Olney to the Benzie County Jury Board to fill an unexpired term ending April 30, 2027.
Why it matters: the hazard mitigation plan adoption is recorded as the official five-year update for the county; the opioid fund allocations and the jail mental-health amendment direct county resources toward local behavioral-health, emergency-response and youth-education efforts.
Votes at a glance: - Approve agenda (motion: Warsecke; second: Markey) — unanimous approval. - Approve minutes of Jan. 23, 2024 (motion: Nye; second: Cunningham) — unanimous approval. - Payment of bills $716,242.23 (motion: Warsecke; second: Cunningham) — unanimous roll call recorded Ayes: Cunningham, Jeannot, Markey, Nye, Roelofs, Sauer, Warsecke. - Scrap Tire Cleanup Grant acceptance, $12,000 (motion: Warsecke; second: Nye) — approved. - Amend jail mental-health agreement with Centra Wellness (motion: Sauer; second: Markey) — approved. - Deputies 12-hour shift LOU with FOPLC (motion: Sauer; second: Warsecke) — approved. - Credit card policy amendment to add Accounts Payable card, limit $20,000 (motion: Sauer; second: Cunningham) — approved. - $3,000 contribution to Benzie Human Services Collaborative from contingency (motion: Jeannot; second: Cunningham) — approved; Commissioner Sauer recorded a Nay. - Adopt Resolution #2024-008 (motion: Warsecke; second: Markey) — approved. - Opioid fund allocations: $4,465 (court/Centra Wellness, motion: Sauer; second: Nye), $6,900 (Almira Fire & EMS, motion: Markey; second: Jeannot), $9,200 (school engagements, motion: Nye; second: Cunningham) — all approved. - Treasurer's Office budget adjustment $3,000 (motion: Jeannot; second: Cunningham) — approved. - Appointment of Dawn Olney to Jury Board (motion: Jeannot; second: Warsecke) — approved.
What the record shows and limits: most votes were roll-call and recorded as unanimous unless noted. Several items were described only briefly in the transcript (for example, the Internet-for-All presentation was recorded as an update with no substantive details in the minutes), and the transcript does not provide further implementation dates or grant contract language beyond what is summarized above.
The board adjourned at 11:11 a.m. and moved a scheduled 1:30 p.m. study session to start at 11:25 a.m.