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Benzie County board approves bills, opioid-settlement payment for dispatching, animal-shelter grant application and Motorola Rave subscription
Summary
On Jan. 13, 2026, Benzie County commissioners approved payment of $864,295.60 in bills, authorized up to $3,060 in opioid settlement funds for emergency medical dispatching, authorized a $10,000 animal shelter grant application, approved an amended apportionment report, and authorized a five-year Motorola Rave emergency-notification subscription at $4,500 annually; all measures passed unanimously.
The Benzie County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 13, 2026, moved through a slate of routine but operationally significant items, approving payment of $864,295.60 in bills, authorizing limited opioid-settlement funding for emergency medical dispatching, approving a grant application for animal-shelter repairs, adopting an amended apportionment report, and authorizing a five-year Motorola Rave emergency-notification subscription integrated with Smart911.
By roll-call vote, the board approved payment of bills from Dec. 12, 2025, through Jan. 8, 2026 in the amount of $864,295.60. The board then authorized use of Opioid Settlement funds to continue emergency medical dispatching operations for fiscal year 2026 in an amount not to exceed $3,060, payable to Priority Dispatch (motion by Tim Markey, seconded by Len Mathieu). The board also authorized application to the Two Seven Oh, Inc. foundation for a $10,000 grant to replace kennel doors at the county animal shelter and authorized the county administrator to sign the application and implement a budget amendment if awarded (motion by Rhonda Nye, seconded by Christina Trigg).
Commissioners approved an amended 2025 Apportionment Report to correct the transit authority levy after review by Equalization Director Michael Beach. The board authorized a five-year subscription with Motorola Rave for emergency notification services with Smart911 integration at an annual cost of $4,500; funds were identified in the General Fund Emergency Management Department, Central Dispatch Fund, and Ambulance Fund with partial reimbursement from specified entities per an Emergency Management memo.
The board also completed a slate of committee appointments, reappointing Shaun Johnson and Barbara Skurdall and appointing Rose Roelofs to the Parks and Recreation Commission (terms to Dec. 31, 2028), accepted the 2026 commissioners committee appointment list, and named members to a Personnel Ad Hoc Committee and an EDC Interview Committee. All motions on these routine items carried on unanimous roll-call votes recorded in the minutes.
County Administrator Katie Zeits provided administrative updates including a government-center closure for Martin Luther King Day, a Tax Limitation Advisory meeting scheduled for the following evening, and status notes about the MDHHS lease discussions. Public comment at noon included remarks from Annie Browning on medical marijuana and edibles and a comment from Eric VanDussen regarding the MDHHS RFP and local bidding.
