Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

November 18th, 2025 at 7 p.m. This time we'll have Pledge of Allegiance with the invocation led by Earl Pleski. All rise, please. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Let us be in prayer. Dear heavenly father, thank you for safe travels coming here tonight and we pray for safe travels going home. We pray also for grace and wisdom as we consider the needs of our community and implementing those solutions to those needs. Now we ask that you put your hand upon those who need healing. Let it be a healing hand. If it cannot be a healing hand, let it be one of comfort and calming and welcoming. All these things we pray. I pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Madame clerk, could you call the role, please?

Yes, Mr. Chair. Commissioner Bear, present. Commissioner Walls, here. Commissioner Kennedy, present. Commissioner Duckham. Commissioner Pleski, here. Commissioner Willis here. Commissioner Williams, present. Commissioner Snell here. Chairman Shhatwell here. We have a quorum. Thank you. At this time, could Commissioner Tony Bear meet me at the podium? [clears throat] They need to have a motion to approve the agenda. So move out the agenda. We have a motion and support. All in favor? I.

Those opposed. Now awards and recognition. Could Commissioner Bear meet me at the [clears throat] At Commissioner Tony Bear for his outstanding support and service to the older adults in the adults with disabilities of Jackson County. Commissioner Bear has represented the board of commissioners on the Wellwise board of services while they built a new building and redevelop their whole situation within the Wellwise services. With this plaque, Anthony Bear, we recognize you with your service. Thank you, sir, very much for it.

Thank you.

Yep. You'd like to say something? Go ahead. [applause] Well, this was a good group to work with, good organization, great uh community outreach. It was a privilege working with them. Any communications or petitions? Please present to the clerk. Seeing none, any Do we have no special orders or public hearings this evening? We've arrived at the first opportunity for public comment public comment guidelines. Each individual will state their name. You will have three minutes to address the board. You may only address the board once under this public comment opportunity and you may not yield your time to others. Board members will not debate nor answer questions at this time. Public comment is now available.

Good evening. My name is Barb Fryinger and I am searching appointment to the health and human services board. I just wanted to take a quick second to introduce myself. I have um been in the behavioral health and human services business since well I don't want to give myself away since 1978 really but [laughter] we'll just say 1982 in my current um uh position. So I started working at a uh well actually Lyall Torrren Center and I actually worked with Kit Young and Kit was the board president at that time for potential development homes and he recommended that I come um and work for that organization. That organization was actually developed to um accommodate people that were moving out of the institution. It was incorporated 1972 which actually predated the mental health code. So I have been around for system changes, organizational um mergers. I worked with department of mental health which turned into department of community health which then turned into the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. So um it's been quite a road. I'm very familiar with internal and external systems. um all the systems that are necessary to um run an organization that started off with one little home and ended up becoming a multi-county um program that had nine different locations and seven different service um service categories. So I just feel that [clears throat] my experience will be

very helpful and I'm very excited to participate in this wonderful um committee. So thank you. Good evening, commissioners. David Elwell, Blackman Township Clerk here to speak. uh not representing Blackman Township, but my piece on the resolution on the consent agenda from MDOT regarding the road diet. Want to say thank you to the transportation and public safety committee commissioners for passing it on to the full board. I know it's on the consent agenda. Hopefully it'll breeze through. Uh our township board passed a similar resolution unanimously in opposition to it. Uh we're not big fans of road diets anymore, as you can guess. Uh MDOT originally agreed to not do the road diet, then they backtracked and said they're still considering it. Uh they've taken some other things into consideration. It's just not right for us and I appreciate you giving it consideration. Thank you. Any other public comment? Any other public comment? Public comment is now closed. We have no special meetings of standing committees. This time I'll entertain the minutes for the October 21st, 2025 meeting.

So moved. Support. I have a motion and support, any questions, corrections, comments? All in favor, please say I. I. Those opposed. [clears throat] We've now arrived at the consent agenda and entertain a motion for the consent agenda. I have a motion in support for the consent agenda. Yes, sir. 10 E consent. Mr. Remove 10E from the consent agenda.

Yes, sir. 10 10E Yes sir. That is the third party administrator of the CD BG grant. Yes sir. I'm asking to remove that so that I I can abstain from that vote. I am a employee of the city of Jackson and on the board of director for community action agency. Any further items for consideration?

It will move to 14A. Vice Chairman Walls, do you understand? Yes. Thank you, ma'am. Any further items for consideration hearing? None. All in favor of the consent agenda, please say I. I.

Those opposed to the consent agenda the same sign. Consent agenda passes unanimously. We would now arrived at standing committees. Standing Committee, Public Safety and Transportation, chaired by Commissioner Corey Kennedy, also the Vice Chairman, Commissioner Kennedy. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do not have any business tonight. Thank you, Vice Chairman Kennedy. Standing Committee, General Government, uh recognized chairman for the evening is vice chairman of the committee, Marjgerie Walls. Commissioner Walls, your meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The only thing we have on the committee today is um administration thirdparty administration services for the CDBG grant. I'll be looking for a motion to approve. Move to adopt the committee recommendation. Support. Any commissioner comments? Starting with Commissioner Bayer and going to Commissioner Kennedy. Commissioner Bear, any comments at this end of the room? Thank you.

Thank you, Chairman. I had mentioned in committee that I had a problem with part of the document um that the community action agency had developed and I had mentioned if we go to page four of 17 in their document there's the part I object to is page four of the fourth page of It's page number three under approach towards the end of that paragraph in brackets it says it is unclear at this time how this will how this process will be completed. I cannot support a I cannot support a signing an agreement a contract that says they're unclear on how they will proceed. I asked our administrator if it would be okay if I called the CEO of Community Action Agency and he said that would be okay. So I did and expressed my concerns and it appears that the community action agency has amended that language that I found that I could not support. The problem I see tonight is the what I will call the corrected language isn't corrected in this document that is on board docks that we're being asked to vote upon. The only way where it appears is in the administrator's standard Friday uh confidential update to commissioners. So in his regular Friday email, the

original language is listed. The what I will call the corrected language is in here, but the corrected language is not in the document we are being asked to sign. So I would like somebody to help me out. How do we tonight, right now, get this corrected language appended into this document or I can't support it. So, somebody help me out. How are we going to get this language corrected right now? That's my comment, sir.

Administrator Controller Overton, please.

Sure. The uh situation is we had a competitive bid two entities uh submitted proposals and I can't uh just ask one to change their proposal without opening up necessarily to the other to change their proposal. Uh I uh and I understand what happened when she when they submitted this. the state had not had their um what do you call it their training session. They had an online uh training session that I know uh Debbie or excuse me u Toby was involved with and I know a number of people were from around the state uh as well as Deborah had listened in on that as well. But that's after they uh explained it all then it became clear as to how CAA would be uh moving forward on this. I'm very comfortable with the proposal as it stands. Granted, the language is not ideal, but I am confident that they will do the job as we've asked. They're currently one of our they already currently do this work for us. Uh they're administering the former U block grant that we had some years ago. They also do the work for Lenway County currently. So while the language is not perfect uh and I understand why uh they put it in the way they did because at the time the state had not finalize the guidelines but they have now and uh I'm comfortable with moving forward the way it is.

Commissioner Kennedy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. [clears throat] Just for clarity sake, I wanted to let the public know that an RFP was created and advertised by COPRO. We only got two bids. One's Community Action Agency, and this is literally what they do, as the administrator just said. The other's the city of Jackson. This specific grant is for townships outside of the city in Jackson County. So, I don't really feel comfortable with the city of Jackson administering it, and I believe the uh community action agency is the best choice by far. Thanks. Any further comments? Commissioner Bear, I have in my professional life written these requests for proposals. Community Action Agency was responding to the requests for proposals that Jackson County wrote. I have written these requests for proposals. In my professional career, I have also responded to requests for proposals from other agencies and I have and I have created our proposals. Once you've selected your preferred candidate, you can do some minor negotiations with them to take out things that are not acceptable, add things that you want to see in there. And you can do that negotiation on minor things without opening the entire request for proposals to be rebided. So it can be corrected. I think saying we'd have to reopen it to everybody is I don't believe that is a correct statement. I haven't experienced that in my professional career. So I'm going to ask again, help me modify this contract so I can vote yes

if I may. Yes, sir. They haven't been selected yet. When you guys vote on this tonight and select them, we'll go ahead and change that. And you could you can you you can say that it is I mean it's not unclear anymore. It's clear. They you've seen the language. I will ask them to make sure that's what is appropriate. But you haven't selected them yet. The board has to vote on that to select them. I don't get to select them. To negotiate before that would be a violation. Okay, we're ready to vote. [clears throat] Madam clerk, could you post the vote? Yes,

the vote has been posted. He's a 61. Motion passes 611.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That concludes our business. Thank you. We've arrived now at human services chaired by Commissioner Earl Pleski. Commissioner Pleski. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have one item this evening. It is the appointment of the public member to the DHHS board for a term expiring October 2028. The current member is Kenneth Price. He has not applied. The applicant was Barbara Fryinger and he is the committee recommendation. Mr. Chair, do we have any nominations from the floor? All in favor of Barb Fryinger, please cast a ballot.

Those opposed? Duly carried. Congratulations, Miss Fryinger. You're on DHS. Commissioner Pleski, that is all the business we have, sir. Thank you.

We have no unfinished business to come before the board tonight and we have no new business to come before the board tonight. We have a public comment second one public [clears throat] comment guidelines. Each individual will state their name. Have two minutes to address the board. You may only address the board once under this public comment opportunity. You may not yield your time to others. and board members will not debate nor answer questions at this time. Second, public comment. Uh hello. Um my name is Ellis Scott. I live in Blackman Township. Um, and I am a little bit concerned because, um, I think it was back in March, uh, our county sheriff signed on to the 287g, uh, deal with ICE. Um, but so far, um, at least two different areas have signed the agreement and then pulled out. Um, and I'm worried that their reasonings for doing so are also very real concerns for our county as well. Uh, the main my main thing is uh, Jennese County uh, they rescended their agreement because they were too short staffed for it because of the amount of training that they needed officers to undergo and just simply not having the officers to devote to it. Um, and in an interview with Fox 47 last week, one of the police captains confirmed that the county police are having staffing problems. Um, and I'm concerned that um, in an attempt to also be a part of this agreement, uh, our officers would be spreading themselves too thin.

Um, also just as kind of a minor thing, uh, Centerline was the other area to pull out of out of it after I think 75 people filled a city council meeting about it. I just wanted to point that out because that was 75 people, but a month ago on October 18th, a few hundred people marched through downtown Jackson to the county sheriff's office specifically to uh, protest this. So, I feel like it's also relevant. Um, I can confirm that this happened. I have footage. That was everything. Any other public comment? Seeing none, we've arrived at commissioner comment. Any commissioner comments?

Commissioner Bayer.

Thank you, Chairman. I would have preferred that our vote on the contract with Community Action Agency had been a voice vote. I don't know if everybody could read the votes that were cast. I couldn't. But I just want to let everybody know I voted no. I stand by my convictions. If a contract isn't worded right, I don't care what kind of nonsense somebody tries to give back to say it's okay. It's still just nonsense. So, I'm proud to say I voted no. That's all.

Any other commissioner comments? Commissioner Pleski. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I just uh want to tell you how proud and pleased I was with uh the sheriff's crew on Saturday at Paul's at on Ferguson's corners. Uh I was out there with see Detective Tucker was there and Captain Hiller and other deputies and the explorers and uh they were they seem to be having a good time. I know they uh I had a good time picking up a few odds and ends and contributing it to the to the cause. So, uh, nice job to the sheriff and his crew and, um, I hope everybody has a pleasant Thanksgiving. Thank you,

Commissioner Kennedy.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a couple things. First, um, [clears throat] I just wanted to get put my thoughts out and prayers to Commissioner Duckham, who's having some health issues. I just wanted everyone to know what's going on. and he's in the hospital again. So, his your thoughts and prayers from your colleagues would be welcomed. I know that. Um, second thing is out in the township, one of the townships I represent, Leone, there is a longtime golf course named Pine Hollow that's surrounded by uh residential homes out in a rural section of Leone. They um their planning commission proposed reszoning it. It's over 29 acres to heavy industrial, which is pretty much the most invasive type of zoning you can have. Um, the county planning commission unanimously voted to not recommend it, but that will be on their board agenda for next month. It's something to pay attention to. Uh, it will affect the people's lives around it and their property value. And the last thing is I will be heading down to Jamaica for the hurricane relief effort next Friday. Um, we're still looking for any kind of help, donations that the public's willing to give. I want to thank all my colleagues up here that have donated to the cause and to Jackson County uh people that have done it, private citizens. I really appreciate it. The the suffering that's going down in Jamaica right now is really unimaginable. if you uh look at some of the footage that's going on. Thank you.

Any other commissioner comments? Seeing none, we have no closed session. Entertain a motion to adjurnn. So move. We have a motion and support. All in favor, please say I. I those opposed.