Ottawa slips $200K into budget for new veterans department

OTTAWA COUNTY — A copy of Ottawa County's currently proposed budget shows an increase of more than $200,000 for the Veterans Affairs Department, listed under supplies but intended to create a new department altogether.

An increase of $242,872 is listed under "supplies" for County Administrator John Gibbs. A description states the money is intended to “create (a) veteran’s department and increase overall budget.” Under the Veterans Affairs portion of the budget, the supply number differs by a little over $3,500.

The move would involve hiring a full-time director of veterans affairs. The overall budget for the Veteran Affairs Department is proposed to increase from $64,106 to $288,498.

The possibility of creating a new veterans department was first mentioned by Board Vice Chair Sylvia Rhodea during a budget work session meeting Aug. 10. She proposed the board “take a look at bringing on a veterans department and looking at serving them in a way similar to Muskegon and Kent."

Muskegon County and Kent County have millages to support veterans programming.

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Board Chair Joe Moss and Rhodea said veterans in the county are being referred to or choosing to go to other counties for services. Rhodea said, if the county is going to do more outreach toward veterans, there will need to be more staff and services in place.

But not everyone views the county’s services as lacking.

Veteran Counselor Loren Snippe, who leads the county’s current department, said — while there's always room for improvement — he and his team provide the services required in Ottawa County. As for supporting the establishment of a new director, Snippe said it would depend on the job description.

“I’d have to wait and see what that job description of that person is,” Snippe said. “I know myself and the colleagues I work with have put a lot of work into establishing what does exist and I think we’re covering the bases pretty well.

“We’re certainly covering the county’s responsibilities by statute and probably doing a little more than that. Pretty much any service that’s available in another county is available in Ottawa.”

Commissioner Jacob Bonnema said the budget increase doesn’t fall in line with what’s actually needed.

“Ottawa County already provides unmatched services to our local veterans, and our current team does so efficiently and effectively,” Bonnema wrote in a statement. “If Joe and Sylvia had actually listened to the needs of veterans services staff, they would have realized that the greatest need is a simple street sign telling visitors where the veteran services office can be found.

"That’s a thousand dollar expense compared to a $130,000 expense for a new director who will radically expand the bureaucracy.”

Rhodea and Moss said a new department wouldn't replace the work of the current Veterans Affairs Department. They claimed during the Aug. 10 meeting they'd spoken with Snippe about the idea.

Snippe said, after Patrick Waterman resigned as deputy county administrator, he met with Gibbs, Moss and Rhodea to discuss his department’s work. He said it was “more informational, questioning about what we do and statistics.”

Since the topic of establishing a veterans department was introduced, Snippe said he’s spoken to two commissioners — Bonnema and Doug Zylstra. He said Gibbs and Moss indicated they’d like to meet again, but that hasn't yet happened.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health's budget appears to be unchanged from a version released earlier this week.

Health Officer Adeline Hambley has said, although the budget — which she didn’t help create — is larger than first suggested by Moss, deep cuts to individual programs will still put services at risk and could result in state intervention.

Hambley said in a statement Tuesday that, although the total general fund allocation from the county has increased over the past two weeks from Moss’ original target of $2.5 million — it’s now at $4.356 million — it's still a significant cut to the original $6.4 million budget Hambley proposed in May, which would've kept the budget at the same level as this year.

More: Hambley: Newly proposed budget is better, but nowhere near enough

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In the latest manifestation, 13 of 16 department programs would see their budgets cut — some by more than half, which Hambley said would “continue to put all public health services at risk.”

“To be clear, these proposed cuts reduce services to the most vulnerable residents in Ottawa County, including women and children, at a time when the county is collecting record tax revenue,” Hambley wrote in her statement.

The “maintenance of effort,” or federal regulations governing grant programs, stipulate the state or locality receiving a grant must maintain or contribute a certain level of financial effort in a specified area, which cannot include administrative costs, which totaled over $1.5 million last year.

In the 1992-93 fiscal year, Michigan set that funding level for health departments at $2,039,774. The county, in the proposed budget, raised funding after administrative costs to $2,040,000 — $226 above the minimal funding requirements set by the state.

Hambley, however, said that isn’t the only consideration, as minimum service level requirements also need to be met for the county to comply with state law and receive funding from the state. She says the current budget could mean state intervention.

The state has the authority to take control of a local health department under certain circumstances. That could mean combining Ottawa County's department with a neighboring county, such as Kent County, or taking over delivery of services directly.

Lynn Sutfin, a spokesperson from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, told The Sentinel in February public health code authorizes MDHHS to step in.

"This has happened in limited instances in the past," she said. "These actions have been to add to local health department capacity and to support the ongoing provision of services."

Hambley is currently locked in litigation with the board. She sued commissioners in February, claiming the board's OI majority repeatedly interfered with her ability to do her job and overreached their authority by attempting to limit her state-authorized health duties.

The case is currently with the Michigan Court of Appeals and is scheduled to be heard Oct. 11, after the board appealed a lower court’s ruling granting Hambley a preliminary injunction until a trial on the broader issues could take place.

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Last week, Hambley asked the Michigan Court of Appeals to intervene, saying Moss and Gibbs appeared to be making a strategic, albeit rushed, case to legally fire her. Gibbs ordered Hambley to attend Tuesday's finance and administration committee meeting, although he didn't say why. She was not fired.

Just after the finance meeting concluded, the COA issued an order denying Hambley's request, saying it had already been considered. However, the court added, "All the parties are cautioned ... that they proceed at their own peril if they take substantial actions before this court hears oral arguments on Oct. 11, 2023, and subsequently issues an opinion resolving the issues presented in defendants' application for leave to appeal."

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Contact editor Sarah Leach at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa slips $200K into budget for new veterans department