Board of health agrees on future grant evaluations, moves past recent rift

CHARLEVOIX — The Health Department of Northwest Michigan Board of Health took steps to clarify grant evaluations in its most recent meeting on Tuesday after a highly publicized school nutrition grant disagreement derailed their meeting on May 2.

The dissolution of the meeting on May 2 was the result of board members' dispute over a grant that would have funded training for school food service directors and staff on the use of local produce in public school cafeterias.

The grant issue has since reignited an ideological tug-of-war that first took hold of the health department during the pandemic when a school mask mandate was issued by then-health officer Lisa Peacock. Just as during the pandemic, members of the public have filled board meetings in recent weeks to voice their opinions on both sides of the issue.

The latest iteration of this push-and-pull started at the beginning of this year, when vice chair Jarris Rubingh of Antrim County spearheaded the activation of a committee designed to evaluate department grants, adding a level of oversight that had not previously existed.

The board of health is comprised of eight members, two commissioners each from the health department’s jurisdiction of Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties.

More: Northwest Michigan board of health meeting grinds to halt over agenda approval

At the June 6 meeting, several residents spoke about the school nutrition grant opportunity, which could not be applied for because the adjourned May 2 meeting caused them to miss the deadline.

Antrim County’s Ellsworth Community School Superintendent Aaron Gaffney spoke, asking that schools be consulted when the health department is considering a grant that would impact them.

“The nutritional grant would have been something that would have been very welcome in local school districts, especially a small district like the one I represent. I would ask that in the future if there are grants that come up that have an impact on schools, my suggestion to each of you would be to reach out the schools in the districts that you represent and ask them their opinion on that grant,” said Gaffney, also mentioning the “health department has been a fantastic partner for local schools with things like dental screenings, vision screenings and providing us with school nurses.”

Some of the other comments reflected the public’s continued frustration with the board of health, a sentiment that was elucidated in some recent health department “listening sessions” held in Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties.

More: Health department 'listening sessions' offer residents chance to provide input

More: Emmet County residents bring board of health concerns to commissioners

Early on in the meeting, the commissioners retired into a closed session with the health board’s attorney to receive advice on how to move forward with the department’s grant processes in the wake of the recent controversy.

“Based on everything that has happened over the past few months, we need clarity from the board as far as grants go and the board’s oversight,” said health officer Dan Thorell, explaining the importance of grants and how the 6-7 percent funding the Health Department of Northwest Michigan gets from local governments is one of the lowest rates in the state, with other health departments getting up to 50 percent of their funding from local governments.

“Going after grants to lessen the impacts on local governments is a good thing — rather than seeking it directly from the taxpayers,” said Thorell.

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Ultimately, Charlevoix County's Scott Hankins made the motion that the programs and evaluations committee would have authority to review potential future grants and make recommendations to the full board of health for approval or denial. The motion was approved 7-1, and clarifies that the authority for final decisions lies with the entire board. It was also noted that only new future grants would be going to the committee for evaluation, not longstanding ones.

Hoping to prevent future disruptions such as the one on May 2, Hankins also explained that per Roberts Rules of Order, a vote of approval for the meeting’s agenda was not a requirement — the very thing that had caused the meeting cancelation. Therefore, an agenda approval item would not be on future board agendas. However, Hankins advised that if any board member wishes to add or eliminate an item from the agenda that can be brought to a vote separately.

Next month's board meeting originally planned for July 4 was canceled, with Rubingh supporting a motion made by Antrim County's Dawn LaVanway and all the commissioners voting in favor.

The next board of health meeting will be at 10 a.m. on Aug. 1 at the Shirley Roloff Center in Charlevoix.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231)675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com. Follow her on Twitter, @adoylenews.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Health Department of Northwest Michigan board of health agrees on grant evaluation process