Sheriff Eric DeBoer opened the meeting on April 22, 2025, by celebrating two Ottawa County deputies.

• With prompt and decisive use of CPR and other life-saving measures, Deputy Daisy Sanchez and Deputy Greg Wolski saved the life of a woman on February 16, 2025, in Spring Lake Township.

• “I just wanted to make sure everybody knew exactly what kind of heroes we have working for us,” DeBoer said, “and the impact that they have in the lives of the people of Ottawa County.”

• The deputies were given a standing ovation by those in attendance.

The first action item on the agenda was a motion to approve a Brownfield Plan Amendment for The Landings in the City of Hudsonville. Economic Development Coordinator Becky Huttenga explained that this would be the third Tax Increment Financing (TIF) presented by the City of Hudsonville.

• Commissioner Joe Moss shared that the TIF expansion happened last year and was spearheaded by a Democrat-led Michigan House and Senate and signed by Democrat Governor Whitmer. The TIF changes made it easier for local government to give taxpayer funds to developers and private corporations to build housing.

• Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea said that according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan is the fourth highest across the US in the amount of corporate handouts given, whereas Indiana is the fifth lowest. Instead of authorizing $4.5 billion in corporate incentives during a single legislative term, Michigan could have completely eliminated business taxes in the state. Subsidies like these are often called “corporate welfare” and “picking winners and losers.”

• Commissioner Jim Barry said that County government cannot solve the housing crisis by itself and that the County needs to find partnerships that can work together.

• Commissioner Josh Brugger weighed in. “This project creates out of nearly thin air enough tax base to help offset already expensive building costs.”

The motion to approve the Brownfield Plan Amendment passed.

Yes votes: Commissioners Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, Doug Zylstra, Josh Brugger, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, and John Teeples.

No Votes: Commissioners Joe Moss, Allison Miedema, Kendra Wenzel, and Sylvia Rhodea.

Commissioner Jordan Jorritsma read a motion to approve amending Robert’s Rules so that a call to question would require a simple majority. Zylstra moved to amend the change to require a three-fifths majority rather than a simple majority.

• Moss and Miedema questioned why the item was on the agenda.

• Brugger said, “Deliberations that should take minutes take hours. Meetings that should take hours take an entire day.” He added that changing the ability to call a question with a simple majority will speed up the business of the County and keep things moving. “Our votes are our voice as elected officials,” he added.

• Chair Teeples said that he thought the amendment would serve to remind the Board that they are a member of a body, and that no one person, regardless of who that commissioner is, should dominate discussions. He continued that the amendment is there to create a structure that moves things along.

• “We have Robert’s rules in place for a reason,” Moss said. He read the section that would be removed, pointing out that it specifically says in ordinary bodies the requirement of a two-thirds vote for ordering the question is important in protecting the democratic process. “We don’t have a problem that you’re trying to solve,” Moss said. “The problem that you’re trying to solve is limiting debate.”

• Miedema asked what would have happened had this motion been brought up last year. What would the reaction have been in public comments and in the headlines?

• Wenzel questioned how it made sense to follow all of Robert’s Rules but one, the one that protects the minority. She asked how many rules they would be plucking out once this precedent was set, adding that this was a “squashing” of freedom of speech.

• “One way to shorten agendas is to stop putting ridiculous items on the agendas,” Rhodea said. She added that “good governance,” which many of the commissioners ran on, does not mean half hour meetings. Rather it’s providing oversight and giving the opportunity for transparency.

• Brugger listed off ways they could have chosen to shorten meetings, such as removing commissioners from subcommittees and community appointments or requiring commissioners to speak at the podium instead of giving time for commissioner comments.

• Zylstra implied the Board had deviated from Robert’s Rules in the 2023-2024 term, claiming the prior Board allowed adding items to an approved agenda by a “simple majority” vote, rather than requiring a two-thirds majority. In actuality, Robert’s Rules does not require a two-thirds majority for adding items to an approved agenda. Board Rules for 2023-2024 followed Robert’s Rules (by requiring a majority vote of the total members elected and serving to amend an approved agenda, according to RR 41:63). It was unclear why Zylstra made the claims.

• Moss responded that there’s a big difference between adding items to an agenda and stifling or ending debate which is what this is about.

The motion to amend Robert’s Rules passed.

Yes votes: Commissioners Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, Doug Zylstra, Josh Brugger, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, and John Teeples.

No Votes: Commissioners Joe Moss, Allison Miedema, Kendra Wenzel, and Sylvia Rhodea.

In response to Commissioners Moss, Rhodea, and Miedema using County letterhead to send individual letters to the president of GVSU, the Board proposed a motion to require commissioners to use individual letterhead stamped with “From the desk of” and a disclaimer.

• Wenzel asked if the rule would require commissioners to use a disclaimer every time they spoke in public or wrote an email.

• Teeples responded that, in his opinion, prudence is better than confusion.

• Moss pointed out that it’s unprofessional to have disclaimers in letters and that he has never seen any elected official use a disclaimer.

• Rhodea mentioned no one had raised an issue with Zylstra using the County logo on his Facebook page where he shares personal opinions. Rhodea said, “I think this all comes down to people not agreeing with the content of the letters and wanting to squash the speech of those individuals, or to minimize the impact of the speech by putting an unprofessional disclaimer on whatever letter head they use.”

• Jorritsma shared that letterhead used by state legislators has the seal of Michigan, the title of state representative, and the person’s name.

• Moss offered an amendment to the motion to use the letterhead as presented, to include “From the desk of” and the commissioner’s district number, without the disclaimer.

The amended motion passed.

Yes votes: Commissioners Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, Josh Brugger, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, John Teeples, Joe Moss, Allison Miedema, Kendra Wenzel, and Sylvia Rhodea.

No Vote: Commissioner Doug Zylstra.

Commissioner Miedema moved to approve litigation to seek to delay the closure and demolition of the Campbell Plant.

• Zylstra said he thought it was a stretch to say that Consumers Energy and their ratepayers are responsible in some sense for the MISO grid in its entirety.

• Moss shared that there is a difference between the speed at which local government and the federal government can act. He added that the Trump Administration might be able to use the County’s intervention to their advantage.

• Teeples agreed that the Board has the authority to commence the lawsuit, but that he didn’t support it because there would be an unknown budget with an unknown assessment of the merits of winning or losing. “How can we prudently say we’re going to give a blank check to our litigators and move ahead without a full analysis of this case?” Teeples asked.

• Rhodea explained there are 11 grids in North America and others will be affected by the closure, saying it would be great if others would join the Board’s efforts. “I think it is very concerning that there’s a huge risk of this affecting our businesses and our industry,” she said, “and they can’t afford to be losing their power.”

• Rhodea addressed Teeples’ concerns about cost: “This is not our money… This is the taxpayers’ money that they have paid into our County from their property taxes over a long period of time.” She explained that $53.9 million of the County’s finances is unrestricted and may be used to meet the government’s ongoing obligations to citizens. “We’re not going bankrupt.” Rhodea said. “You know that was a narrative created by our news media over the last few years for political reasons… So for us to say we do not have the financial ability to take on this case and to advocate for our people over something that has the potential to devastate our agricultural industry and other businesses, that is simply not true… It’s our job to protect them and to step in and advocate on their behalf when it’s needed…”

• In agreement with Moss, Rhodea said she wants their lawyers involved in pursuing a lawsuit and proactive advocacy.

• Moss clarified that the Constitution says the Board can enter or intervene in any action of any privately-owned public utility. “The County is authorized,” Moss said. “We’d actually, based on that, have excellent standing” based on the Michigan Constitution.

• Moss asked Teeples if his view would change if there was an amendment to restrict litigation cost to $20,000 or $40,000.

• “No,” Teeples said, “I think the County has done enough.”

The motion to approve the resolution to initiate litigation on behalf of the citizens failed.

Yes votes: Commissioners Joe Moss, Allison Miedema, Kendra Wenzel, and Sylvia Rhodea.

No votes: Commissioners Phil Kuyers, Jim Barry, Doug Zylstra, Josh Brugger, Jacob Bonnema, Jordan Jorritsma, and John Teeples.

Prior to the start of the commissioner comments, Chair Teeples asked the commissioners to keep their comments to less than three minutes. As of yet, this has not been voted into the rules.

• Miedema used her comment time to clarify remarks made by Commissioner Rhodea at the prior Planning and Policy Committee meeting. Rhodea had shared during the Health Department update on measles that Vitamin A is important to include in the protocol. Her comments were not supported. Miedema stated that the WHO website affirmed Rhodea’s comments and that vitamin A supplements can potentially reduce the number of measles deaths.

• Miedema went on to say that an informative website shared with her by a local doctor is called justtheinserts.com. Within the website you can obtain information on ingredients in the MMR vaccines, limitations of the effectiveness, contra indications which according to the FDA are conditions in a recipient that increases the risk for a serious adverse reaction, etc.

April 22, 2025, Ottawa County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Regular Session
April 22, 2025

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