Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Report

From the Thursday, April 11, 2023 Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Meeting

Tonight's Board of Commissioners meeting is the annual statutorily required Equalization Session, which is held on a Tuesday as mandated by the State. Deputy Equalization Director Tom Scott presented highlights of this year’s report, including a very significant 10% increase in assessed property values countywide. Also at this meeting, there were proclamations celebrating National County Government Month and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. On the consent agenda, Commissioners approved a Local Road Agreement approved by Newton Township to return failing road sections to gravel, the County’s 2023 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Employee Health Insurance Administrator Renewal Documents, a reappointment to the County Economic Development Corporation board, and an appointment to the Summit Pointe Board.

To view the agenda or meeting recording, visit the Agendas page of the website.

In new business, the Board approved,

a contract amendment for inmate boarding in the County jail, with the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
a Road Department bid award for countywide hot mix asphalt (HMA) paving
an easement request from Semco Energy to replace a natural gas pipeline in Emmett Township

A message from Calhoun County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott

The National Association of Counties (NACo) encourages us to celebrate during April, as National County Government Month, the important services our 700+ county employees provide to residents and visitors. I am proud to support the critical and innovative work that County government provides in mandated services, as well as other initiatives that respond to what Calhoun residents needed—such as transportation and broadband. This year’s theme is “Counties RISE!" with RISE standing for Resiliency, Inclusion, Solvency and Empowerment. The exclamation point after RISE speaks to the enthusiasm and passion that we, as county officials, try to share when making our community more aware of how county government services can help them in their lives.

We offer a number of ways for you to stay informed about what County Government does. Our website is a key resource for finding information and interacting with County Offices. Some online forms that we offer include: requesting a C&C Landfill pass so you can recycle for free; requesting from the Treasurer’s Office a hardship extension if you are facing property tax forfeiture. There's also a Contact Us form that can be used for any communications to county officials.

For regular updates from County government, follow one or more County offices on social media, listed within the Social Directory on our website. You can also receive emailed news, including this report sent after Board of Commissioners meetings, and other updates between Board meetings with headlines of what's going on across County departments. Anyone can sign up for these updates under Stay Informed on our homepage, calhouncountymi.gov.

With leadership in our County government, we have prioritized communicating the work we do and making it convenient to find out about events, projects and news from within our departments. We are committed to "RISE-ing" to the occasion by continuing to serve and respond to the needs of our residents, during National County Government month and every month!

A Parks and Recreation Commission meeting was held on March 23. In new business, the commission heard a presentation about the 2022-2023 park millage allocation, as well as an update on the Ott Preserve Maintenance and Management Plan. In the department report, Community Development Assistant Director Doug Ferrall provided an update about the completion of construction in Kimball Pines, recruiting a new member for the commission, and an update on parks staffing for 2023.

The third Local Government Leaders Forum was held on Wednesday, April 5 on the topic of solar developments within our townships. Geared for municipalities that are fielding applications from solar companies and developing or strengthening solar ordinances, local government leaders heard from the County Planning Department and lawyers from the law firm Bauckham, Sparks, Thall, Seeber, & Kaufman. This is a precursor to an event for the public about solar planning and zoning hosted by MSU Extension. Learn more about the MSU Extension event here,

https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/planning-and-zoning-for-solar-energy-systems-calhoun-county

On April 10, the Calhoun County Planning Commission met. It discussed five items of township planning and zoning coordination, including two PA 166 applications—one in Athens Township and one in Clarence Township, a zoning map amendment in Emmett Township, and zoning text amendments in Burlington Township and Marengo Township.

A Broadband Task Force meeting was held on Tuesday, April 11. The Task Force discussed ongoing education efforts related to the Affordable Connectivity Plan and created a subcommittee on digital equity that will focus behind the scenes on increasing efforts across industries like health care, education, and libraries to help people access the internet, and use it effectively, even before we have countywide coverage to all homes available.

Project Page Available Regarding Transit Authority

At the next Board of Commissioners meeting in early May, Commissioners will be asked to vote on articles of incorporation for the Transit Authority of Calhoun County (TACC). This would set in motion the unification of the transit services that currently exist in Calhoun—in Battle Creek and Marshall—and make it possible for the consideration of expanding an on-demand service for people in rural communities as well. A countywide transit authority has the benefits of being able to consolidate administrative costs, increase efficiencies with dispatching, and leverage state and federal transportation funds to benefit more residents.

A project website was created to provide an outline of the plans to come, provide updates about next steps, and eventually receive feedback from residents via a survey or discussion form. Check it out and sign up for updates at https://calhoun-county-mi.civilspace.io/en/projects/transit-authority.

Visit Project Website

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