Residents urge county action on poverty and complain of unanswered mental-health outreach

During the public-comment portion of the working session, Ebrahim Shunar (Ann Arbor) called on the Board of Commissioners to develop a plan to eradicate poverty in Washtenaw County and asked the board to partner with universities, charities and municipalities to draft and fund a long-term strategy. "Come up with a plan first, and then let's come and ask the community for the funding of that plan," he said.

Andrea Kruger (Ypsilanti Township) said she is a client of community mental-health services and that she emailed all commissioners on June 8 with concerns about community mental health but has received no response. "I am currently a patient of Community Mental Health. No one has responded to my email," Kruger said, asking commissioners—particularly the one she voted for—for an explanation and a response.

The chair encouraged both commenters to give fuller remarks at the full board meeting later in the evening or to submit written comments for the packet; commissioners did not take action during the working session on the public comments but some asked staff to follow up on outreach and constituent response processes.