Tie vote thwarts plan to have OCEA vacate county building

GAYLORD — A motion to have the Otsego County Economic Alliance vacate the organization's offices in the county building in downtown Gaylord by June 1 failed Tuesday on a four-to-four tie vote from county commissioners.

Commissioners Terra Deming, Henry Mason, Jonathan Turnbull and Dana Wingo voted in favor of the economic alliance (OCEA) moving while county board chairman Doug Johnson and commissioners Trevor Burroughs, Brett McVannel and Kyle Yohe voted no.

The county board's budget and finance committee said it was "in the best interest to recommend that the (OCEA) relocate to alternative office spaces by June 1 to allow for other county services at the downtown location."

OCEA is a nonprofit organization that provides economic development services to existing and new businesses in the county.

Johnson said it makes sense to have zoning and land use, which is now located at the J. Richard Yuill Alpine Center on Livingston Boulevard, move into the county building downtown although maybe not necessarily take over the OCEA offices. He noted that zoning deals with building permits which can be contentious.

"They (zoning) are in a tough position. They get a lot of people that aren't real pleased when they come into the office and aren't in the best of moods and quite often there is only one person in that office. They have had to deal with some difficult situations so it can be a safety issue. Having (the office) in the courthouse close to other people and the sheriff department would be beneficial," Johnson said as he called on both sides to come together and work things out.

Lisa McComb, executive director of the OCEA, said they didn't get much notice that this proposal was on the table.

"We weren't aware that this was going to be discussed until a week ago. We believe we can continue provide our services and bring in zoning and land use into the same building and we can all work together," she said.

McComb said the downtown location in the county building is advantageous for the OCEA.

"I think it is because we have been there for over 15 years and people know where to find us," she said.

Yohe said the economic alliance does a lot of good for the community and found the June 1 move out date troublesome.

"We need to work as the board of the commissioners with the public to find a better solution that makes sense for all of us. June is very close and (it) is too quick. They do too much good for the community just to have them out by June 1," Yohe said.

Some saw the proposed move as a threat to the economic alliance as business owners and municipal officials told the county board how beneficial it was to work with the group. Commissioner Dana Wingo said the proposal wasn't meant to attack OCEA but instead create more space in the county building for other agencies.

In other matters:

The county board approved transferring nearly $1.69 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to the county's general fund to be used for public safety payroll expenses. The maneuver will give the county more flexibility and time to decide on how to spend the funds.

"We will create a surplus in our general fund and we are released from the time constraints" that come with ARPA funding, said Mel Maier, finance director and assistant county administrator.

She said the move is not an attempt to circumvent ARPA funding limitations, as the county will still not be able to spend the funds on legal settlements or pension funding that are attached to the federal money.

Finally, Otsego County and the City of Gaylord will each receive $311,000 from the distribution of marijuana tax revenue.

The Michigan Department of Treasury said Tuesday that Michigan communities that allow recreational marijuana sales will share $59.5 million in tax revenue for the 2022 fiscal year.

Gaylord legalized the recreational use of marijuana two years ago. County administrator Matt Barresi said the county board has already decided to use the cannabis revenue to fund 911 operations.

Maier said the county "was at a point where it would have required general fund money to pay for our contract with the Michigan State Police to provide 911 services."

Utilizing the marijuana revenue means the county won't have to dedicate general fund revenue for 911 services or have an increase in the tax on people's phone bills for 911, added Maier.

— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Tie vote thwarts plan to have OCEA vacate county building