Lapeer County Committee of the Whole 11/12/26

The Lapeer County Committee of the Whole met November 12, 2026. Commissioners approved several grant and contract items, including the FY26 Community Corrections grant renewal at the same award amount; renewals with TriCap and Lapeer County Community Health (amounts changed or were reallocated, but figures were not stated); and a Tuscola County jail agreement allowing Tuscola to run its own Thinking Matters program. The Health Department received approval for a $10,000 regional grant to continue its safe program and a $13,270 special-projects grant for emergency-preparedness equipment and training, including radios, a trailer air-conditioning soft start, CPR mannequins/AED trainers, and radio batteries. The commission also approved an FY24 Homeland Security grant agreement covering three projects—among them search-and-rescue jackets and incident-command pocket guides—with each project under $3,000 and purchases subject to FEMA approval and a December 1 deadline. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Crime Victim Rights grant was approved with a plan to cover an approximately $13,000 shortfall caused by a 10% federal funding reduction from the department’s contingency line. Other approved spending included the annual BS&A drain-assessment program invoice and renewal of the online budget-book service, at the same amount as the prior year; the new service had saved $5,000 compared with its predecessor. A budget amendment addressed taxes and utilities for the unsold former Register of Deeds building, budgeting $4,200 for taxes and $3,200 for utilities, along with late-arriving bathroom-remodel bills. The sheriff’s department property item was added to the agenda but deferred to the full Board for action.

The commission authorized the County Clerk to consult corporate counsel regarding the election-commission appeal, with discussion emphasizing that the approval was for limited legal advice rather than representation or broader legal work. Commissioners described the county’s existing approval process as a safeguard on legal spending, with the administrator serving as a gatekeeper for further counsel requests. The meeting also included election and department updates, public comment, and commissioner comments; it concluded with a vote to enter closed session for labor negotiations and other matters.