Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Report

From the Thursday, June 15, 2023 Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Meeting

At the June 15, 2023 Board of Commissioners meeting, the following items were approved on the consent agenda: a deed for the sale of 799 West Michigan Ave, appointment and reappointments to the Calhoun County Planning Commission, local road improvement agreements with Emmett and Sheridan Townships, Senior Millage contract extensions and bylaw revisions for the Senior Millage Allocation Committee (SMAC), May 2022 financial statements for information only, The County Road Department’s engineering reimbursement from the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the petition to abandon a portion of a county road.

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

In new business, the Board approved,

the FY2024 County Road Department local funding resolution for the Battle Creek Area Transportation Study (BCATS)
contracts for Senior Millage 2023 strategic projects
bid award for soil removal near the County Justice Center
Senior Millage supplemental funding contract amendments for ramps, minor home repair, and home heating programs
a new policy, #372, infectious disease control and protective safety measures
a grant application for Calhoun County Charging and Fueling Infrastructure

A message from Calhoun County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott

This coming weekend we celebrate Father’s Day, and I wish all of our fathers and grandfathers and father figures a happy and stress-free day!

We also celebrate Juneteenth, next Monday, June 19, now recognized by the County as an official holiday that represents the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, although it had been celebrated informally since 1865.

This weekend, there are activities in both Albion and Battle Creek honoring Juneteenth. Learn more about those in the links below. And keep in mind that County and Court offices will be closed Monday, June 19 in honor of the holiday.

A Senior Millage Allocation Committee (SMAC) meeting took place on Friday, June 2. Senior Services intern McKayla Byrd gave a presentation about programs funded by the Calhoun County Senior Millage. An update was also given about the success of this year’s Senior Expo, which took place on May 18 with over 700 attendees and 200 vendors. In new business, SMAC approved recommendations for 2023 Joanne Konkle Awards, a mini-grant request for a senior social in Eckford and Marengo Townships, and supplemental funding requests for contractual spending, which are on this Board of Commissioners meeting agenda.

The Calhoun County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) met on Tuesday, June 6. The EDC discussed EDA funding opportunities, and received an update on the Justice Center mound cleanup efforts. Each community represented, including Albion, Homer, Marshall, and Springfield, gave updates on economic development efforts across the county.

A Calhoun County Broadband Task Force meeting took place Tuesday, June 13. County staff provided an update on Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) education and the development of a new digital equity subcommittee. Updates were also provided about the county's Federal Communications Commission map challenges, as well as strategies to prepare for the upcoming federal Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Grant program.

The final FireKeepers Local Revenue Sharing Board (FLRSB) meeting for 2023 took place on Wednesday, June 14. At this meeting, the Board approved to disburse checks for Tier 3 PILT allocations and Tier 4 formula allocations, which were both approved at the June 1 meeting. During 2023, the FLRSB distributed to schools and other local governments nearly $6.1 million from the 2% payment of FireKeepers Casino Hotel’s net win from electronic gaming in 2022. The 2022 financial audit was also presented and accepted. The next meeting of the FLRSB will take place in Quarter 1 of 2024 once the net win payment from 2023 casino operations is received.

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