Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting 10-6-26

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ Public Health and Safety Committee met on October 6, 2026. The committee considered a partnership to provide biometric gun safes through community events; after an amendment, the county’s Purchasing Department would procure the safes rather than funds going directly to the partner organizations. Officials reported that quotes for about 100 safes were approximately $7,200–$7,300, with county pricing matching the partner’s quote. The committee also considered accepting the FY2025 FEMA Homeland Security Grant, which increased by $346,000 from the prior award. During discussion, commissioners directed that the proposed drone-program project be excluded for now; the amendment passed 5–0. The transcript does not clearly capture the final vote on the grant or the gun-safe item. For housing programs, staff presented the FY2026 annual action plan covering CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds, which support housing services and 21 positions. The committee considered changes to CDBG allocation and recapture policies, including more application-based flexibility and the ability to direct recaptured funds to projects such as home repairs. The allocation-method item drew one nay; the recapture-policy item was reported as passing with four ayes and no nays.

Other grant and purchasing actions included a DOJ JAG award of about $76,000 for a countywide hate-crime prevention, response, and victim-support initiative, including about $10,000 for prosecutor’s-office technology; it passed 4–0. The sheriff’s office accepted a Michigan State Police forensic-science grant of more than $75,000, including $44,000 for opioid test kits and the balance for firearms-testing lab equipment, and a $26,000 DOJ grant for Kevlar uniforms; both passed 4–0. The committee also approved a DEA memorandum formalizing a law-enforcement partnership. Public commenters raised concerns about Flock surveillance technology, alleged searches by a former employee, oversight, access controls, and contracts; no related procurement action was recorded. The final item, a grant for a northern-border helicopter patrol, is cut off in the transcript, so its amount and disposition are not clear.