Benzie County commissioners approve Point Betsie change order, appoint District VI commissioner and authorize AED purchases

The Benzie County Board of Commissioners on May 13 approved a slate of routine and project-specific actions, including an $83,500 change order for the Point Betsie Shoreline Protection Project, the appointment of David Davis to represent District VI through Dec. 31, 2026, and authorization to spend up to $40,000 from the county’s Opioid Settlement Fund to purchase 20 LifePak automated external defibrillators.

Why it matters: the change order advances shoreline-protection work at Point Betsie, the AED purchase directs opioid-settlement dollars to countywide public-safety equipment, and the District VI appointment fills a board vacancy until the next election cycle.

The board unanimously approved Change Order #7 to the Point Betsie Shoreline Protection Project agreement with Barr Engineering for $83,500 after Chuck Clarke answered questions from commissioners. Commissioner Markey made the motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Trigg; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with Jeannot, Markey, Nye, Roelofs, Sauer and Trigg voting yes and none voting no.

Treasurer Kelly Long then answered questions about county bills before the board approved payment of $615,349.99 covering April 18–May 8, 2025 (motion by Commissioner Markey, seconded by Commissioner Nye; unanimous roll call).

In a contested appointment vote, the board named David Davis to represent District VI until Dec. 31, 2026. The motion to appoint Davis was made by Commissioner Sauer and seconded by Commissioner Markey. The roll call was 5–1 in favor: Jeannot, Markey, Nye, Roelofs and Sauer voted yes; Commissioner Trigg voted no. Commissioner Trigg said he preferred other candidates and noted some potential conflicts with Mr. Davis’s current elected positions, arguing that alternative nominees would bring different perspectives.

The board authorized up to $40,000 from the Opioid Settlement Fund to purchase 20 LifePak AEDs for county operations (motion by Commissioner Markey, seconded by Commissioner Nye; unanimous roll call). Undersheriff Greg Hubers answered questions about the procurement. Commissioner Nye suggested the county offer expired AED units to local schools and non-profit agencies, with recipients responsible for any costs to bring those units up to serviceable condition.

Other items approved included: - Acceptance of the Michigan State Police NCHIP reimbursement grant (Project NCHIP-2024-24) for $10,055 to buy a palm scanner and related computer for Live Scan (motion by Commissioner Nye, seconded by Commissioner Roelofs; unanimous). - A not-to-exceed $14,430 annual maintenance agreement with Hurst Mechanical for the Government Center HVAC (motion by Commissioner Markey, seconded by Commissioner Roelofs; unanimous). - Two Tribal Council 2% allocation grant applications — one for Benzie Area Christian Neighbors (BACN) and one for Mid-Michigan Honor Flight — authorized for signature by the board chair (motions carried unanimously). - Declaration of a 2019 Dodge Charger as surplus and authorization to sell the vehicle, with proceeds credited to the equipment replacement fund (motion by Commissioner Sauer, seconded by Commissioner Trigg; unanimous). - Reappointment of Donald Smeltzer to the Manistee–Benzie Centra Wellness Board for a three-year term ending March 31, 2028 (motion by Commissioner Markey, seconded by Commissioner Nye; unanimous).

The meeting closed with routine commissioner reports and administrative updates. County Administrator Katie Zeits noted the EMS Station 3 RFP was closing, that Animal Control building updates may prompt discussions about regionalization, and that the Crystal Lake Outlet/Betsie Valley Trail work will return to the board for further action.

Votes at a glance: - Change Order #7 (Point Betsie Shoreline Protection Project), $83,500 — Approved; mover: Markey; seconder: Trigg; vote: 6–0. - Payment of bills, $615,349.99 — Approved; mover: Markey; seconder: Nye; vote: 6–0. - Appointment: David Davis (District VI through 12/31/2026) — Approved; mover: Sauer; seconder: Markey; vote: 5–1 (Trigg opposed). - Authorization to use up to $40,000 opioid-settlement funds to purchase 20 AEDs — Approved; mover: Markey; seconder: Nye; vote: 6–0. - NCHIP grant acceptance, $10,055 — Approved; mover: Nye; seconder: Roelofs; vote: 6–0.

What’s next: the board set a June 10 study session invitation for Frankfort and Crystal Lake Township to discuss the Frankfort County City Airport MOU, and scheduled a special budget meeting for June 16, 2025.

(Reporting based on Benzie County Board of Commissioners regular meeting transcript, May 13, 2025.)