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Board weighs Central Michigan District Health data request as county defends GIS fee policy
Summary
Commissioners discussed a Central Michigan District Health Department request for GIS parcel data, the county's $226 internal charge for GIS access, and inconsistencies with other jurisdictions that use a direct-access Fetch system; controller said county GIS is not statutorily required and the fee structure is a consistency issue.
The board revisited a dispute over provision of county GIS parcel information to the Central Michigan District Health Department and other agencies. Commissioners described varied practices in neighboring counties and townships: some use the Fetch system (which allows direct access and avoided fees), while Roscommon County historically charged a fee for equivalent services.
Commissioner commentary emphasized fairness and consistency. One commissioner said other counties get the data “for free” because they use Fetch and do not route requests through the county’s GIS process, while Roscommon County has a fee structure that charges external users and sometimes internal departments. Controller Jody clarified that GIS mapping is not a statutory requirement, that the county once funded a full‑time GIS position but trimmed it during earlier budget cuts, and that the equalization office now handles mapping functions. The transcript records a figure of “226” for a county charge; controller and staff said some outside projects secured alternate funding or donors to pay for parcel‑level imagery when needed.
The board agreed that policy consistency is a priority and asked staff to identify what specific GIS data external requesters need so they can budget for it appropriately or provide a written policy on who receives data and at what cost.
