Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Report

From the Thursday, March 2, 2023 Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Meeting

At tonight's Board of Commissioners meeting, there was a proclamation recognizing the senior program Meals on Wheels and its benefit in the community. There was also a public hearing for the proposed new County Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Ordinance. On the consent agenda, Commissioners approved the Road Department's 2023 bridge program submission for federal funding for four critical structures.

To view the agenda or meeting recording, visit the Agendas page of the website.

In new business, the Board approved,

a Road Department bid award for pavement markings
a Road Department bid award for asphalt emulsions
the sixth American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) appropriation of $1M for local road projects and $1M for broadband expansion

A message from Calhoun County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott

Calhoun County welcomes Ford Motor Company to our community with the announcement of the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall. Announced on Feb. 13, this project is a long-envisioned development on industrial-zoned land that has been marketed to international companies for decades. Based on strategic master planning by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA), the City of Marshall, and Marshall Township, this site was chosen by Ford for their new electric vehicle battery plant. The plant will give Ford the ability to produce electric vehicle batteries in the United States, instead of importing them from foreign countries where they would otherwise be manufactured. Ford is investing $3.5B and expects to add 2,500 new good-paying jobs in our community, plus thousands of spinoff jobs and a significant boost in sales for established and new businesses. The BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall will have numerous economic benefits throughout Calhoun County, boosting property values, improving infrastructure and adding to the overall vitality of our region for decades to come.

The County’s primary role in this effort over the past two years has been to administer approximately $2.8 million in grants for site preparation work, including environmental, traffic, archeological and other studies to ensure that our community can handle such a large development, and that the owners will be good stewards of the land. These site readiness grants did not come with compensation to the County; rather, we accepted the work for its value to the community regardless of what company ultimately chose this site for development. The thorough results are documented in reports available on the County’s website within our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) public portal, and clearly shows the due diligence that state and local leaders have insisted upon for the benefit of our residents.

Now that we have Ford as our named partner as the owner of the site, County officials have been meeting with the company along with our other local municipal leaders to help encourage communications, community involvement and the consideration of how change will affect our residents. Ford has expressed a strong commitment to all of these efforts.

The County is also in discussion with Ford officials regarding 245 acres at the southern edge of the site that the company has announced it will place into a conservation easement. We look forward to the potential of a new county park and/or trailway, and appreciate the opportunity to ensure the land is preserved and used in a positive way to enhance recreation options for County residents and visitors. We will also continue to evaluate and address potential impacts from the standpoint of public safety, public health, planning and road maintenance efforts, along with tax revenue implications. Additionally, countywide efforts around housing, workforce development, internet expansion and the creation of a new countywide public transportation system will continue as planned, with the BlueOval park now underscoring their importance.

I’ve heard since the beginning of my 14-year role as County Administrator/Controller about the challenges of developing this property within Marshall Township, which has been a key discussion among economic development agencies across our region. We’ve had to convince to bond credit rating agencies that the County’s economy has remained relatively strong, while they’ve continued to rate it as “weaker” based on job losses and lower household income over the years. This new growth will give our economic outlook a whole new trajectory, and it makes sense for Calhoun County and specifically the Marshall area, which has lost jobs in the last two decades with the departure of State Farm and Eaton.

The County stands ready to work with local and state leaders to do our part in the short-term, to ensure we have the proper infrastructure, services and support for the Ford BlueOval Battery Park, and for our residents. We recognize the challenges of change, and encourage our community to commit to positivity over the next few years as we anticipate the transformation of the former “megasite” into a valuable asset to embrace.

On Friday, Feb. 24, a Joint Internal and Board of Commissioners Budget Committee Meeting was held to discuss allocating additional ARPA funds, which were approved at tonight's Board of Commissioners meeting. The Budget Committees are comprised of elected officials, including Sheriff Steve Hinkley and Treasurer Brian Wensauer, as well as representatives from the Courts. Commissioners on this year's budget committee are Chair Kathy-Sue Vette, Vice Chair Steve Frisbie, and Commissioner Derek King. Ultimately this committee approved the recommendation made tonight for $2 million in appropriations: $1 million to the Road Department for lost revenues not reimbursed by the federal or state governments and $1 million to Broadband expansion efforts, possibly including a match for federal or state grant funds.

A Calhoun County Planning Commission Meeting was held on Monday, Feb. 27. The Commission recommended for approval two PA 116 farmland preservation applications—one in Newton Township and one in Marengo Township. We also received the 2022 Annual Report and heard updates from Community Development Director Jen Bomba.

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