The Oceana County Council on Aging (OCCOA) and My Friends House adult day services were, once again, the subject of public comment for a local governmental board.
Following her participation at August 26th’s OCCOA Board meeting, Mary Sloan voiced her dissatisfaction with the reception she received to the Oceana County Board of Commissioners. “I am coming to you as a board, because I really do not know what to do. I believe, as commissioners, you need to be aware and involved in what is happening over there at the Council on Aging.” Sloan said, and requested to know how this issue could be put on future board meeting agendas for further discussion.
Following Sloan’s remarks, Lori Suttner of the OCCOA Board took to public comment to reiterate to the commissioners the statement provided previously by Executive Director Stephanie Moore: “The Oceana County Council on Aging does not comment on personnel matters. All services provided by the agency, including Our Friends House, will continue without interruption, ensuring seniors in Oceana County receive the highest quality care delivered with compassion.” Suttner also told the Board of Commissioners that “we [are] dealing with the situation.”
The OCCOA was added to the agenda for the meeting by Board Chair Robert Walker to approve a grant for the organization awarded by the Department of Transportation. This grant is financed through funds leftover from the 2025 annual budget that was earmarked for “specialized purposes.”
Also on the agenda was the discussion and approval for a bid to replace the HVAC units at the County Services Building, which was awarded to Anderson Mechanical for $61,987. Anderson Mechanical was chosen, as they are the current HVAC service providers, and their quote included a warranty. Commissioner Joel McCormick voiced his want for the board to approach the competing bidder to see if they’d offer a quote that included a warranty. Walker said this was unnecessary and inappropriate to ask of the provider, as if they wanted to offer a warranty, they’d have put one in the original bid. The motion passed 4-1, with McCormick as the dissenting vote.
The board also decided on the sale of a forklift and cardboard bailer, formerly used by the transfer station. The forklift will be sold through CAT, with a consignment rate of 10%. While CAT originally planned to price the forklift at $8,000 due to a deteriorated tire, the board will request to CAT that the sale price be raised to $12,000 at the recommendation of McCormick. The bailer will be sold to a company that specializes in the restoration of such equipment. Both motions were passed unanimously.
During the Department Head Reports before the adjournment of the meeting, Walker discussed his and Commissioner Paul Erickson’s recent trip to the District 10 Health Department meeting. He commended the work that the department does, especially considering that they are the state’s largest geographical health department, and that their satisfactory management was a testament to its director and staff.
He also spoke about how the department is actively working to cut their budget in alignment with expectations from the state and federal governments. “Our district and health department (have) done everything they could do to cut expenses. And the other [health departments] are looking for all the rest of us to help them. And they have not cut expenses.”
Erickson spoke of the importance of the District 10 Health Department meetings, “There’s [20] county commissioners in the meeting, so we exchange a lot of ideas… There are a lot of ideas going around the table at those meetings.”
The next Board of Commissioners meeting is Thursday, Sept. 11, at 11:30 a.m. in the boardroom of the Oceana County Building, 100 S. State St. in Hart.
