Public Safety & Transportation Committee Meeting - October 12, 2026

The Jackson County Public Safety & Transportation Committee met on October 12, 2026, and approved several contract and spending items. It recommended Diane Ashby for the indefinite Sheriff’s designee appointment and approved a one-year Grass Lake Township law-enforcement services contract; the contract amount is garbled in the transcript. The committee approved MDOT sponsor agreement 2026-0790 for airport apron and taxiway design work at $147,700, with a reported county share of $4,293, and a related consultant design contract for $141,200, with a county share of $7,060. Members discussed that the consultant had been selected through a five-year selection process and that a new selection process was forthcoming. The committee also approved an AIS repair to JTA’s flow-boy equipment for $26,538.02 and a separate hydrodig repair; the latter’s amount is not captured in the transcript, and staff said AIS was the only known provider familiar with the specialized equipment.

Additional approved spending included a $100,000 increase to the contracted road-patching budget, an exception to the current funding policy for culvert replacements using NERF funds, and a three-year farmland lease to Rapley Farms for $29,609.30 per year from January 2027 through December 2029, with annual extension options. Staff reported $3.19 million in NERF funds received and about $3.64 million still estimated, and said the available funds would support paving approximately 5.5 miles of South San Francisco and Hill roads. A second year of state funding for the Mental Health Court was reported and the report was accepted; no grant amount was stated. The committee also approved payment of claims.