Board approves one‑year AI pilot for nonemergency dispatch, advances central operations design with geothermal and signs several spending items

The Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday authorized a one‑year pilot of an automated assistant for the county’s nonemergency dispatch and moved the county into the design phase for its Central Operations Building, including direction to incorporate geothermal heating and reserve room for a mezzanine.

The AI decision follows a demonstration from vendor Aurelian (Aurelien/Aurelion), whose representative Leah Hornacek said the managed system can answer routine informational calls, detect emergent language and transfer urgent calls immediately to telecommunicators. “We can detect emergencies and transfer you to a dispatcher in 18 seconds,” Hornacek said during the demonstration, contrasting that with the current 45‑second IVR on some lines.

Why it mattered: County staff and dispatch leaders said the nonemergency line receives tens of thousands of calls a year — many routine — and the agent would reduce routine workload while triaging true emergencies to human responders faster. Commissioners who raised procurement and public‑trust concerns asked for safeguards including a prorated first‑year exit option and weekly quality‑assurance review with vendor staff.

Board action and process: Commissioners voted by roll call to approve the one‑year pilot contract with the vendor; the contract was presented as a managed service with pricing scaled to estimated call volume and a first‑year “off‑ramp” if the county is dissatisfied. Several commissioners asked staff to run a short competitive procurement or confirm sole‑source justification; administrators said they had reviewed market alternatives and estimated higher risk with less‑mature vendors.

Central Operations Building: Consultants reporting on “Project Alpha” advised the board that an initial department review showed about 1,400 square feet of consolidated storage need, though much of that would remain colocated with departments and the net new shared storage needs could be closer to 500 square feet. Consultants recommended sizing columns and minor footprint shifts so a future mezzanine can be added without structural changes. The board voted to proceed to the design‑development phase and to include a geothermal system in the design package so mechanical engineers can design to the chosen system.

Other approved items: The board also voted to: - Approve renewal of a communications contract with Grand Bay Promotions (consent calendar item removed for discussion and then approved). - Authorize up to $30,000 from existing CIP funds for the sheriff’s office to buy a UTV/ORV and related program equipment (trailer, accessories) to restart county ORV patrols. - Accept a settlement in the Pace North litigation and authorized the county administrator to execute settlement documents following counsel review.

What’s next: Staff said they will return to the board with metrics, quality‑assurance reports and a fall update on the AI pilot; Project Alpha will proceed to design development with geothermal as a design direction; the sheriff’s office will report back at the end of the ORV season with usage and staffing metrics.

Votes at a glance - AI nonemergency assistant (one‑year pilot / managed contract): Motion passed by roll call (majority yes). (Motion: authorize central dispatch to purchase Aurelian AI system on a one‑year trial; mover: Commissioner Nelson; second: Commissioner Ansel [support]; formal roll call recorded.) - Project Alpha design & include geothermal: Motion passed (voice vote followed by direction to staff). (Motion: move into design and development for central operations building and include geothermal and minor footprint shift for mezzanine; mover: Commissioner Henschel; second: Commissioner Andrews.) - Grand Bay Promotions contract renewal (consent calendar item B4): Approved (voice vote after discussion). - Sheriff ORV program purchase (not to exceed $30,000): Approved by roll call (includes trailer/program expenses). (Motion: authorize up to $30,000 for ORV program purchase for sheriff's office.) - Pace North settlement authorization: Approved by roll call; county administrator authorized to execute settlement consistent with counsel review.

Who said what (selected): Leah Hornacek, Aurelian: “This is the dashboard that we provide…we can collect information and present it to a dispatcher that they can review quickly.” Lana Payne, director of the Commission on Aging, who presented earlier in the meeting, described program spending and new initiatives but did not oppose the contracting items; Sheriff Mike Shea said the ORV vehicle will help reach remote areas for rescues and enforcement.

The board asked staff to return after implementation milestones — a mid‑trial or fall review for the AI pilot and a post‑season metric report for the ORV program — before making longer‑term financial or staffing commitments.