Residents press Ottawa County commissioners for transparency over CMH talks and closed‑session plan

Several residents used public comment at the Nov. 21 special meeting to press the board for open deliberations and clearer notice about the agenda. William Pettit, a former Michigan attorney general office attorney, urged the board not to go into closed session and argued review of a legal memo by itself is not a valid basis for closing discussion under the Open Meetings Act.

Rebecca Patrick Allendale and others asked why a special meeting was scheduled two business days before a regular meeting, argued the public deserved to "see and hear" the discussion, and raised concerns about staff and commissioners using phones during public comment. Chantal Martineau and others noted there was no packet for the meeting and asked who directed the legal opinion that was the stated subject of a potential closed session.

After presentations were made in the open, some commenters praised the airing of the information but reiterated demands for guarantees that millage dollars remain protected and that board actions not undermine continuity of care. The comments underscored community skepticism about confidentiality in prior closed sessions and asked the board to hold multiple public hearings across the county if it proceeds.