During the Planning & Policy Committee meeting on May 13, 2025, members discussed the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission’s resolution for continued and increased federal funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

• Commissioner Joe Moss said he was not against the GLRI, but he’s not comfortable with recommending an additional increase from approximately $300 million to $500 million per year—a blanket $3.5 billion in federal spending over seven years. He could not find detailed plans for the spending, which could include anything from algae blooms to climate change. Moss noted that the EPA’s budget has been increasing significantly, and he doesn’t support spending money the federal government doesn’t have.

• Commissioner Jordan Jorritsma pointed out that President Trump supported the program in his first term and recently was in the news supporting the Brandon Road Lock and Dam against the takeover of Asian Carp. In 2019, President Trump attempted to slash the program budget by 90%, but was unsuccessful.

• Commissioner Allison Miedema commented that when something comes before the Board as action item, there should be a clear understanding of what the money is going towards. She added that she would like more time to see the fundamentals before voting.

• Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea also wanted more details, adding that in recent months a lot of federal money has been flying out the doors with little scrutiny and few checks and balances.

• Commissioner Jim Barry said the GLRI has been underfunded for years, and that the increase could be effective to manage the critical issue of the Asian carp. To which Moss asked if the Asian carp project is included in the plans for the funding because he understood that was a separate project. Barry could not answer with certainty. (Simply American confirmed the Asian carp project is separate.)

Finance Director Karen Karasinski gave the Finance update, providing details on the General Fund, Mental Health Fund and the Special Revenue Funds through the end of the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2025. She explained that her department is monitoring federal grants—some of the grants have been lost due to DOGE cutting wasteful and harmful spending.

The statement starts at 20:15 in the video below.

In March when we went to Washington DC, several of us met with the Deputy Director at Health and Human Services and discussed, among other things, wasteful and harmful grants, including the escalation of Public Health grants and funding related to the Covid 19 pandemic, which as we all know is long past. This Board tried to rectify our Public Health budget [in 2023-2024] to reflect that.

HHS agreed with us, and they assured us that Covid-19 grant funding would be discontinued—including the grants that this Board had just previously approved [in 2025]. HHS has now cut these wasteful grants, and we’re still waiting on the cuts to the harmful grants, which more specifically, are going to NGOs. We also informed them about the importance of their careful work as we as a County are being hit with an increase in autism services and that targeted funding is important.

When we’re careful about waste and fluff, we have more money for critical needs, of which there are many. We’re seeing some cuts to grants and specific funding, I do think that there’s a heart there for specific needs of people, like autism services. I talked to several people about that, and I do think there is some watchfulness going on, like with Medicaid-specific funding.

• Commissioner Moss added to Rhodea’s statement that it was Commissioners Rhodea, Wenzel, Miedema, and he who had gone to D.C. During meetings in Washington, the commissioners explained to HHS that the Covid grant had been rejected in 2024 by the previous board, was held over, and then approved by a new Republican majority board in 2025. The four commissioners asked HHS to terminate the $900,000 grant. Moss was grateful that they did and said he would continue to work against wasteful Covid spending and harmful grants approved by the Republicans on the Board of Commissioners.

Finance Director Karasinski discussed millage rates for 2025, which are rolled back .9906 of the prior year because total taxes dollars exceeded the amount allowable under the 1978 Headlee Amendment.

• Commissioner Teeples said he thought it should be emphasized that there’s essentially no increase in these mills and that there’s a slight decrease across the county. Karasinski clarified there is no increase in the millage rates, a slight decrease in the rates, and an increase in the taxable values. Teeples responded that holding the millage rates is a good thing.

• Commissioner Moss asked whether the Board would be interested in reducing the rate. While maintaining is good, Moss explained that taxes have gone up for residents because they’re related to property values, and values continue to increase significantly every year, especially the last few years. Schools continue to pass bond proposals and additional millages get put on Ottawa County, including the one for the OAISD.

• Finance Chair Jacob Bonnema agreed that a millage reduction conversation would be a “fantastic” topic to add to the strategic plan discussion when they hire the new administrator.

• Moss acknowledged waiting for the new administrator would mean postponing the discussion for a year. He asked if the Board could consider the reduction for 2025.

• Timing would be difficult, according to Karasinski. The county is six months into the year and the tax bills are printed July 1.

• Rhodea suggested looking at where the Board can begin pulling back and have more savings so that the reduction can be discussed for 2026.

• Miedema supported a reduction and requested that Fiscal bring periodic updates, so the Board can see the intention toward reduction is moving forward.

• Commissioner Phil Kuyers said in the past the Board cut the budget too far and it “came back and bit them.” He cautioned the Board to remember that the population is growing, and it’s their responsibility to serve them.

• Moss agreed but added, “We have increasing taxes across the county,” he said, “from school districts and other areas. It does not seem like they are seeking to maintain their rates, necessarily, or look for ways to be creative to cut. Taxes per family are going up.” His desire was to set an example by reducing the millage rate, and encourage other local governments to do the same, instead of adding taxes.

The Board held discussions on FY2025 budget adjustments regarding Covid funds and a Public Health training.

• $8,153 was spent by the Health Department out of the $900,000 Covid grant that Moss, Rhodea, Miedema and Wenzel asked HHS to terminate.

• Miedema commented that the money spent was a misuse of funds, since it had been approved for Covid/emergency use and there has been no emergency.

• Rhodea stated that this was Covid funding and when a pandemic is over, Covid funding is no longer needed. She went on to say that billions of dollars are being rolled back by DOGE for unnecessary federal funding, and that this grant falls into that category.

• Moss had concerns about a line item for a $10,000 training for the Health Department provided by the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), which he described as a “radical, far-left, DEI-promoting, racial-social-justice promoting and gun-violence-as-a-public-health-emergency promoting organization.” Additionally, he said MPHI is pushing “very harmful ideology” publicly on their website and in their materials, and questioned why the Board would want that organization to train Public Health staff. He moved to have the line item removed but the motion was not supported.

• Commissioner Barry said the issue had “already been settled.”

May 13, 2025, Ottawa County Planning & Policy Committee meeting.

May 13, 2025, Ottawa County Finance & Administration Committee meeting.

Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Planning & Policy and Finance & Administration Committees
May 13, 2025

Ottawa County Administration Building
12220 Fillmore Street
West Olive, MI 49460