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Keith Van Beek and I attended the funeral of Rockford City
Manager Michael Young earlier today in Rockford. Michael was a 1985 Grand
Haven High School graduate and started his public administration career at
Spring Lake Village under Eric DeLong as I had done some years
previously. Michael was just finishing his year as President of the
Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGM A) and would have presided
over the conference later this week. One measure of a person’s impact in
life is how they are missed when they are gone. There has been a
tremendous outpouring of grief at Michael’s passing in Rockford, where he
served for 20 years, and from throughout the region and state as well. Michael was a top professional and a good friend and he will be missed.
A group of city, county, and school officials, predominantly
from the east side of the State, filed a case in the United States District
Court for the Eastern District of Michigan – Southern Division seeking to have
PA 269, (perhaps more commonly known as Senate Bill 571) declared
unconstitutional. Judge O’Meara will hear the case Wednesday morning at
10:00 a.m. and is expected to render a decision, at least on an injunction or
stay of the law, at that time. The plaintiffs claim that the law violates
1st Amendment Free Speech protection and that it “is an
unprecedented gag order on public bodies and public officials that prohibits them
from communicating with and informing their constituents about ballot questions
in an objectively neutral way during the two months before an election.”
The
outcome of this hearing will impact the ability of the Ottawa County Community
Mental Health Department to answer questions and to provide educational
information to the public prior to the election. Ottawa County
Corporation Counsel Greg Rappleye has provided County Commissioners with his
opinion that recommends County officials and employees refrain from providing
information and even discussing this matter until either the Legislature
clarifies the wording of the law, an Attorney General’s opinion is received
that clarifies the law or a court clarifies the situation.
 Click the image to view the most recent episode of West Michigan Issues and Impact with D./F./Lt. Andy Fias, Section Commander of WEMET (West Michigan Enforcement Team)
 Every five years, Ottawa
County Parks develops a long-range plan to guide the work of the Parks Commission
and to provide the public with a clear road map of the future of the parks
system. Input from Ottawa County residents and park visitors is key to building
this plan, and it is gathered in a variety of ways: in-person, telephone, and
online surveys, comment cards, and public meetings. The Parks Commission aims
to give the general public as much opportunity as possible to share their
desires for park land and outdoor recreation. They are also given the
opportunity to critique what is offered, so the Parks Commission can continue
to make improvements. Ottawa County
Parks is proud of the very high level of support for the parks system from
residents and park visitors alike.
Parks
Plan Overview: 2016-2021
- Continues emphasis on high
quality maintenance and operations with projections of long-term capital
renovation needs. Roughly half of
discretionary (non-operating) funds area dedicated to renovations of current
park facilities.
- Calls for further improvements
at the Grand Ravines, Paw Paw Park, Ottawa Beach, and completion of the Grand
River Greenway. It also anticipates
modest growth in other land and facilities to accommodate the growing county
population and to complete existing initiatives.
- Continues efforts to meet and
exceed ADA accessibility guidelines at all lands and facilities.
- Provides flexibility to
consider other unexpected opportunities and expand existing park properties.
- Continues focus on providing
nature education programs throughout the park system.
- Expands emphasis on
communications to residents of available opportunities for optimal park use.
Project
Funding
The Parks Plan also includes
detailed budget projections and a capital improvement plan. The plan notes that
the millage combined with grant funds has allowed the Parks Commission to
provide a large and high-quality park system to serve residents and visitors. With
a higher percentage of millage funds devoted to operations and maintenance
there will be a greater reliance on other funding for new and existing initiatives,
including the Grand River Greenway. The newly formed Ottawa County Parks
Foundation was created to secure more private funding.
Public
Input on the Plan
The Ottawa County Parks and
Recreation Commission approved the draft of the plan on January 6, 2016. Public
comment is being accepted through February 8 and will be discussed at the February
10 meeting. Comments may be sent via email to ocparks@miottawa.org or by mail:
12220 Fillmore St., West Olive, MI 49460.
We appreciate the efforts
of the local media in sharing the plan and encouraging public comment.
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The call volume and
incident numbers handled through Central Dispatch for January 2016
were:
Total Incidents – 8,817
down 7.2% over January 2015
Fire Incidents – 1,170
down 5.5% over January 2015
Law Incidents – 7,647
down 7.4% over January 2015
911 Calls – 7,610 down 9.9% over January 2015
911 Hang Up calls – 802 down 5.4% over
January 2015
Wireless 911 calls – 93.3% of 911
calls for January 2016
911 calls answered in 10 seconds or less – 94.3% for
January 2016
(NENA recommended standard is 90% within 10 seconds)
Smart 911 Measures:
Profile Pops – 103 down 14.8% over January 2015
Hang up calls resolved by texting – 81 up
11.1% over January 2015
Cost avoidance via texting – $1,863 up 24.7% over January
2015
Chat success rate – 18% down from 25% in January 2015
Click here for the most recent update, for older updates click here.
 Since 1978,
Michigan law (PH Code: 333.9208) requires that each student possess a
certificate of immunization or valid immunization waiver at the time of
registration or no later than the first day of school upon entry into
kindergarten, 7th grade, or into a new school district involving grades 1-12.
A student
who fails to meet the immunization requirement or have a valid waiver, shall
not be admitted to school.
Students entering Kindergarten/DK/Pre-K/Young 5s
need to have the following immunizations by the start of school:
-
4
doses of DTP or DTaP, one dose must be after 4 years of age
-
4
doses of polio. Only 3 doses of polio are required, if dose 3 is given on or after the 4th birthday
-
2
doses of MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine at or after 1 year of age
- 3
doses of Hepatitis B vaccine
-
2
doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine at or after 1 year of age OR evidence of immunity (blood test) OR reliable history of having had chickenpox
The Advisory Council on Immunizations (ACIP) also recommends the following immunizations for children:
- Hepatitis
A
- Flu (seasonal)
Students entering 7th grade and students
entering 8th-12th grades in a new school district, need
to have the following immunizations by the start of school:
-
4
doses of DT/DTP/DTaP/Td OR 3 doses, if the first dose was given after the first birthday
- 1
dose of Tdap
-
4
doses of polio OR 3 doses, if dose #3 was given after the 4th birthday
-
2
doses of MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine at or after 1 year of age
- 3
doses of Hepatitis B vaccine
-
1
dose of MCV4 (quadravalent conjugate meningitis vaccine)
-
2
doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine at or after 1 year of age OR evidence of immunity (blood test) OR reliable history of having had chickenpox
The Advisory Council on immunizations (ACIP) also recommends the following immunizations for pre-teens and teens:
- Hepatitis
A
- HPV
-
Flu
(seasonal)
If a parent is waiving one or more vaccines, which are required for
their child to enter school, the parent will need to make an appointment at their local health department to obtain a NEW waiver
prior to the start of school.
A student, who fails to meet the immunization
requirement or have a valid waiver, will not be admitted to school.
For questions and additional
information, please call 616-396-5266.
More information at
www.miOttawa.org/immunize
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