Barry County committee recommends contracts, $2.43 million sewer amendment, grant application and medical examiner appointments

At a June 7, 2022 Committee of the Whole meeting in Commission Chambers, the Barry County Board of Commissioners recommended approval of several contracts, a sewer fund budget amendment totaling $2,428,915, authorization for a recycling grant application, and appointments to deputy medical examiner positions.

The Committee recommended that the Board approve an Inmates Administrative Services Contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan covering July 2022 through June 2023. Commissioner Catherine Getty moved the recommendation and Commissioner Howard Gibson seconded; the Committee recorded "all ayes" and the recommendation carried.

A proposed intergovernmental agreement for police services between the Village of Middleville and Barry County (Resolution #22-09) was introduced by Jason Sixberry and initially tabled because no representative from the sheriff’s office was present. After a recess and later return to the agenda, Commissioner Howard Gibson moved and Commissioner Vivian Conner seconded a motion to lift the item from the table; the Committee again voted "all ayes" and recommended adoption of Resolution #22-09.

The Committee recommended approval for Rachel Frantz, the recycling coordinator overseen by the Solid Waste Oversight Committee (SWOC), to complete a Materials Management Community Engagement (MMCE) grant application to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and authorized the chair to sign a letter of commitment. That motion had been tabled earlier when Frantz was not present and was later lifted and approved by the Committee.

Commissioners also recommended amending the expenditure budget for Fund #475 (2021 BPW Middleville Sewer Construction Fund), increasing line 475-000-700-000 from $0 to $2,428,915. The motion was moved by Commissioner Howard Gibson and seconded by Commissioner Catherine Getty and passed by unanimous committee vote.

Finally, the Committee recommended appointing Dr. Anna Tart, M.D., and Dr. Edmund Donoghue, M.D., as Deputy Medical Examiners for Barry County. Commissioner Dave Jackson moved the recommendation and Commissioner Jon Smelker seconded; the recommendation carried with unanimous committee support.

All motions reported in the minutes were carried by the Committee with unanimous recorded committee support. These recommendations were forwarded to the Barry County Board of Commissioners for final action. The Committee recessed several times during the meeting and adjourned at 10:18 a.m.