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Allegan nonprofit seeks increased municipal contract to sustain legal-assistance services
Summary
Allegan County Legal Assistance Center board president Betsy Peterson and finance director Linda Teter asked council to consider increasing the city's contract from $2,500 to $3,500 for FY 2026-27, reporting the center served 208 Allegan city residents since March 2025 and served 2,742 people countywide last year on a $129,000 budget.
Representatives of the Allegan County Legal Assistance Center outlined the organizations services and requested continued municipal support during the councils April 13 meeting.
Betsy Peterson, the centers board president, said the center guided residents through civil matters such as divorces, child custody cases and personal protection order paperwork; she said since March 2025 the center has served 208 residents in the city of Allegan. Linda Teter, director of finance and fundraising, said the center has five part-time staff, a roughly $129,000 budget and 16 municipal contracts that together produce about $38,000 in revenue. She asked the council to consider increasing Allegans contract from $2,500 (approved last October through June) to $3,500 for the 07/01/2026–06/30/2027 contract year.
Peterson emphasized the center cannot provide legal representation in civil cases but offers crucial guidance, court paperwork assistance and referrals; Linda Teter noted the center provides free therapy and medical referrals when children come to the center and coordinates with law enforcement and Child Protective Services.
Council members asked clarifying questions about the requested increase and whether they wanted more time to consider it before final budget adoption; staff clarified no budget adoption was required that night. Council signaled it wanted more time to review the full budget packet before deciding on the proposed contract increase.
