The Isabella County Commission will be closing on a $13.7 million bond for renovations on the county administration building next Tuesday, Nov. 10. This was announced at the Commission meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The commissioners are in the process of accepting a bid on a contractor for renovations. Currently, Commissioner Frank Engler said the county is deciding between seven or eight contractors.
“I’m excited to get going on (the project) because it’s been too long,” Commissioner Frank Engler said.
“Everything will be back in one place, so you can do everything in one building. So it’ll be more efficient.”
The commissioners proposed the bond to fund the renovations at an open discussion on Aug. 28. The building has been vacant since October 2023, after asbestos was discovered.
Engler said the commissioners will have a better idea on what the timeline for the renovations will look like when they decide on a contractor.
The commissioners approved 13 different motions at the commission meeting, including three different grants that deal with substance abuse in the community.
This year, the county saw $49,129.50 less than what was originally requested in the Community Corrections Grant. The Michigan Department of Corrections provides this grant annually to the county to support rehabilitative programs for those battling with drug addictions. According to documents from the Isabella County Trial Court, the goal is to send more individuals to rehabilitative programs instead of through the prison system. This year, the county received $100,000 in the grant.
Commissioner Steve Swaney said the reduction in the amount of funding from this grant will mean the county will have limited available programming for rehabilitation.
“In the past, we have been able to utilize the corrections grant to fund six or eight people to go to a rehab facility where it’s like fully immersed drug rehab facility where you check in and they work through a treatment,” Swaney said. “We’ve had zero recidivism with people who have gone through that program.
“Now with the reduction in this grant, we’re only going to be able to send three people instead of eight every year.”
Now with less money from the grant, Swaney said the county will have to be “a bit leaner” on treatment options.
“It’s a real disappointment that this grant was not fully funded,” Swaney said.
The county also approved three other grants and funding contracts on substance abuse programs in the county including:
- $158,974 to the Adult DWI and Drug Court Grant Contract, for adult programs surrounding substance abuse
- $107,163 to the Juvenile Drug Court Grant Contract for the 2027 fiscal year for juvenile programs surrounding substance abuse
- TRI-CAP Agreement between the county and the Tri-County Community Adjudication Program to not exceed $39,060.
The TRI-CAP Agreement gives Isabella County Community Corrections Program funding to support programming for Opiate and Methamphetamine addiction.
- The lease for the Prosecutor’s office to be placed on Main Street in Mount Pleasant has been renewed with a 5% renewal increase
- Commissioners approved to inrease the revenue, salaries and wages for workers for theAgency on Aging
