Fiscal Services Director Karen Karasinski presented the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), and Interim County Administrator Gary Rosema joined her to present the draft FY2026 Operating Budget.

• At the beginning of the CIP discussion, Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea explained to the newer commissioners the Board’s role in the process. She said that this would be like strategic planning in that they would be making decisions about how to allocate taxpayer dollars collected by the County. Rhodea shared an example of when the 2023-24 Board adjusted numbers and priorities of the CIP plan in order to address the County’s ADA noncompliance. “All to say,” Rhodea said, “it can happen right now, during this process, to actually make adjustments… It is our job to make those decisions about priorities.”

• Rhodea asked about whether information could be included on when a mental health pod would reasonably happen and what the potential costs would be.

• Sheriff Eric DeBoer told Rhodea that perhaps the mental health pod could be put in the CIP plan for 2027.

• Karasinski shared a statistic that Ottawa County is one of seven counties (out of 83) that levies less that it’s authorized, according to 2024 data. This is good because it keeps taxes lower than allowed, but also has room to grow in the event of an emergency.

• The FY26 recommended budget is $305,340,437, which is a 7.7% increase from FY25, or $21.5 million higher. Karasinski explained that the proposed number for FY26 includes about $1 million for the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund which wasn’t displayed in FY25, making the increase about a half a percent higher year-over-year.

• Health and Welfare spending represents about twice of the amount allotted for Public Safety, and combined the two departments represent about 61% of the total budget.

• 32% of all funding comes from taxes. Looking specifically at the General Fund, 62% is funded by taxes.

• Karasinski said she will be making a recommendation for the Excess General Fund, which has a policy that suggests where the funds should be allocated. In 2024, the County had an excess of $8 million. Rhodea pointed out that amount must mean the County wasn’t going bankrupt as was claimed by some in 2024.

• Commissioner Jim Barry remarked that a projected 3% increase in health insurance costs seemed low. Karasinski responded that anything over 3% is split between the employer and employee, and the county works hard to minimize increases in health insurance.

• Commissioner Jordan Jorritsma asked how the County would be affected if there were a partial state government shut down. Karasinski thought some offices would be affected a great deal, but eventually the state budget would be passed and everything would work out just fine.

• To make sure the Board was aware, Commissioner Joe Moss pointed out that the approximate $300,000 allocation for Ottawa County CAA would not just be a one-time cost, but rather a fairly long-term commitment of that amount per year, increasing every year.

• Commissioner Allison Miedema asked Karasinski and Rosema to share the problem solving and thoughts they had around asking the Board to allocate to CAA from the General Fund for the first time ever.

• Chair John Teeples commented that he was feeling “pretty ignorant,” and that he would appreciate Moss, Rhodea, and Miedema filling him in. “You guys are talking over my head, and I don’t like not knowing what I don’t know.”

• Miedema suggested Paul Sachs the Director of Strategic Impact lead a group to study the allocation for CAA.

• Rhodea agreed that people CAA serve may have urgent needs, and her intention was not to minimize the needs. She added that CAA’s work reminds her of non-profit work than traditional County work. She, too, liked the idea of Strategic Planning weighing in on what would be the best avenue and whether CAA should be the responsibility of County government.

• Moss furthered that he’d liked to know the locale of the work being done, and if it was primarily Holland and Zeeland, as well as what portion of CAA’s work the General Fund would be supporting.

• Commissioner Jacob Bonnema shared that as a congressman recently told him, departments should prepare themselves for cuts and the be thankful when they don’t happen. He recommended commissioners provide stability so others can plan.

• Sheriff DeBoer shared his plan for the three-district model for the Sheriff’s Office. It would happen over three years, setting up three divisional offices with a lieutenant in each to supervise the townships. The townships would continue to pay for their deputies, but the County would pay for their supervision.

Commissioner Moss made a motion set a public hearing on the 2026 Ottawa County budget for Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

The motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Josh Brugger was absent.

August 5, 2025 Ottawa County Board of Commissioners Special Meeting.

Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Special Meeting
Tuesday, August 5, 2025

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