OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The future of Ottawa Food, made possible by the county, is still in limbo. Last year, the food assistance program lost its coordinator due to budget cuts.
Since then, the health department has been trying to get that position back, but the county commission hasn't put the proposal on its agenda.
Commissioner Doug Zylstra motioned to get talks started at Feb. 13's meeting. Zylstra proposed using around $75,000 from the general fund, which was $46,000 less than the health department requested in December.
The motion failed in a 7-4 vote.
Commissioner Gretchen Cosby, who's the finance chair, explained at the meeting that the health department has ten open positions.
"So, there is money available," Cosby said. "They have ample funding on how they choose to do their work. I don't know what their discretion is."
Commissioner Jacob Bonnema later mentioned those available funds to see if they could be moved around or if there were roadblocks.
"That is a very interesting question, and I'm not sure how to answer it. That might be more of a question for finance," Corporate Counsel Attorney Jack Jordan said.
Health Officer Adeline Hambley, who was there giving her annual report to the board, said, "Yes."
Later, Vice-Chair Sylvia Rhodea pointed to an apparent surplus in the health budget and questioned why that money couldn't be used to fund the role.
Hambley said lots of their money in the budget comes with restrictions and can only be allocated in which way.
Hambley explained that she would follow up with fiscal services to see about that surplus. Right now is typically when the Ottawa Food coordinator plans for the busy season, which is summer. At this moment, it's not clear what that will look like without a coordinator.
