Ottawa County considers budget, capital improvement plans
OTTAWA COUNTY — Initial proposals for Ottawa County’s 2024-2029 capital improvement plan and fiscal year 2024 budget were presented Tuesday, Aug. 1.
Director of Fiscal Services Karen Karasinski presented the CIP plan during a planning and policy meeting and the budget during a finance and administration meeting.
The CIP details county projects that are, typically, over $50,000 and non-repeating expenses, Karasinski said. It was developed by leaders from the fiscal services, IT, facilities, strategic impact and county administrator's offices, who identified focus areas for the next five years.
Karasinski said the plan was developed with new goals and funding strategies to be more “proactive than reactive.” By using a combination of general fund allocations and remaining ARPA savings, the county hopes to set a yearly $5 million budget for the CIP.
Projects included in the CIP include building and parking lot maintenance, roofing, HVAC replacements, remodels and renovations in several buildings, plus security upgrades, technology upgrades, parks improvements and more. To view the full plan, visit miottawa.org.
Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea asked about ADA compliance efforts and whether those were considered in the CIP. Karasinski said it was discussed and the team is working on a plan to include it. Facilities Director Blake Upright added the county is currently working on an ADA assessment of all buildings to identify what work needs to be done and the most pressing needs.
The committee accepted the plan for review Tuesday. Roger Belknap, chair of the planning and policy committee, said a special meeting to adopt the CIP will be held Tuesday, Aug. 8, after the regular board meeting.
Karasinski also presented the initial county budget on Tuesday. The total budget is $269,253,254, a 5.6 percent increase from the fiscal year 2023 adopted budget. That includes the county’s general fund, special revenue funds, debt service funds and capital project funding.
Of the more than $269 million, about $112 million comes from the general fund and about $144 million comes from special funds. The budget outlines about $111 million in revenues and $1.2 million in reserves for the general fund.
Karasinski said 63 percent of the county’s general fund revenue comes from taxes, 14 percent from charges for services and 13 percent from intergovernmental revenues.
Expenditures are driven by employee costs, with 31 percent dedicated to salaries and another 17 percent to benefits. Fifteen percent goes to transfers to other funds to support programs in the county.
The finance committee will review the proposed budget in the coming weeks. Budget work sessions will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, and 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 21.
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A public hearing is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12.
On Tuesday, Sept. 19, the finance committee will hold another special meeting to recommend the budget to the full board, which would adopt the budget Sept. 26. Ottawa County’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Mental health campaign voted down
A contract for an $8,000 social media campaign with GRIT Media, tabled in July, was voted down with no further discussion Tuesday.
The campaign would have used funds from the state to promote Man Therapy to Ottawa and Allegan County residents in August and September, as the funds expire by October. Man Therapy is a website that uses humor to connect working-age men with mental health resources as a method of suicide prevention.
More: Ottawa County board tables mental health campaign, declines grant for OCDPH
Belknap, Rhodea, Joe Moss, Rebekah Curran, Allison Miedema, Jacob Bonnema and Gretchen Cosby voted against the proposal, while Doug Zylstra, Roger Bergman and Lucy Ebel voted yes.
In July, several commissioners expressed support for mental health programs in general, but said they needed more information on the website and voted to table the action. No further discussion was had Tuesday before the request was denied.
Zylstra also attempted to add a $10,000 grant from Wayne State University, voted down in July, to the agenda, but the motion failed. Zylstra said he felt concerns had been addressed via emails to the commissioners, but Cosby said she still had questions.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County considers budget, capital improvement plans
