As the Oceana County Board of Commissioners begins the process of drafting its 2027 budget, county departments and other recipients of funds have presented yearly and quarterly reports, highlighting the work they have done with their share, and some are making requests for increases to their budget. Presenters at the Sept. 10 commissioners meeting included Life EMS and the Oceana Conservation District. The county’s Emergency Management and the Oceana County Council on Aging also made requests for approval of state and federal funds.
Life EMS Supervisor Jim Herrema provided the organization’s quarterly report as positive, with a full roster of employees counting 728 transports and assessments for the several months, a slight increase from this time last year. One of the most significant events for Life EMS during the summer months is the Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury, for which they covered about 300 hours with the help of Montcalm County EMS. Throughout the weekend, Life EMS had 39 transports, which was 10 less than last year, and Herrema credits this to favorable weather conditions of neither too hot nor too dry.
The average response time was 12 minutes and 4 seconds, which has remained consistent for the last two years. Herrema did note that the compliance scores - which measure the organization’s following of operational, dispatch and clinical protocols - were “a little low.” In looking back through the organization’s recent trends, Herrema saw no changes in the last two years, which would account for the decrease, and chalked the score up to an anomaly, but assured commissioners the agency is still closely monitoring incoming compliance scores.
Perhaps the greatest improvement for Life EMS is at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and the work the Hart Fire Department has done staffing a dedicated unit to the dunes throughout summer weekends and holidays. As Herrema explained, “It doesn’t change our response times, but it reduced our on-scene times by a lot. We saw a drastic improvement there,” the reason being that “because the Hart Fire folks are medically trained, they’re able to get the person off the dunes and out to the parking lot to save us a lot of time.”
With a new average of 14 minutes from on-site to hospital, Life EMS staff are describing the collaboration with the Hart Fire Department as “a gamechanger.”
Oceana Conservation District (OCD) Manager Laura Ackerman introduced her presentation by expressing OCD’s gratitude for the county funds they received in 2026 and a desire to showcase where those funds were utilized. Ackerman segmented the programs into the five priorities - or as she put them, “our guiding principles” - as selected by the community in the OCD’s Conservation Needs Assessment survey every five years. Those priorities include enhancing water quality, managing invasive species, protecting and improving wildlife habitats, improving forest health and management, and protecting greenspace and farmland.
Of the programs designed to benefit conservation priorities, Ackerman highlighted several that received county funding, including the treatment and replanting of infected hemlock, invasive landscaping plant trade-in programs, and grant applications for additional funds to specifically target the management of certain invasive species. Also highlighted were the numerous education and outreach programs, which are the primary focus of county funding, ensuring limited barriers for residents of all ages to learn about and appreciate Oceana County’s natural resources.
Some of the most impactful programs led by the OCD are the household waste and scrap tire collection events. These collections are the result of state grants and local donations from the community, which has now expanded throughout both the west and east sides of the county. However, in 2026 the OCD saw this program’s budget fall into a deficit, as the cost of disposal rises every year, now at $1.20 per pound. For instance, the 10,000 pounds of oil collected in the program this year requires over $10,000 to dispose of. Not wanting to turn people away due to budgetary constraints and risking that the waste be disposed of improperly, the OCD requested an additional $2,000 from commissioners for the program.
The importance of the program was highlighted by Commissioner Joel McCormick, though he questioned whether the residents utilizing the program were chipping in at all to help mediate the budgetary stress. As explained by Ackerman, the program does ask for a suggested donation of $20, but the inconsistency with which residents donate makes it difficult to predict a budget. Said McCormick, “We need to have it. It's part of our area. We support it, but if users can pay for it, that's better.”
During department head reports, Garry McKeen, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, praised the work of OCD and its frequent collaboration with the county parks and, likewise, made a request for an increase in funds. The request was for $3,000 to $4,000 extra, though McKeen admitted other department board members had asked for upwards of $400,000 dedicated to county parks. Following years of receiving less than initially requested, McKeen has learned to manage expectations, saying, “I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re able to pretty much handle the amount of money that we get from the board or from the county to make our parks safe and secure and make them go forward in a positive way.”
The requested raise in funding was initiated by increased costs on items such as portable toilets and an increased fee to the Stony Lake Improvement Board.
Also during department head reports, Sheriff Craig Mast provided an update on the new Hart Public Schools school resources officer Owen McGuigan, who hit the ground running as the school year started, attending to several different school-related investigations and a student going AWOL on the first day. Said Mast, “He’s learning a lot; he’s settling in. [He] had a busy week, but it's working well.”
For resolutions approved by the board, commissioners were presented the annual local emergency management program agreement for Oceana County’s Emergency Management, of which the funds provide a portion of Manager Troy Maloney’s salary. Commissioners approved the item unanimously. Maloney also provided an update on FEMA damage filings following the heavy rainfall and flooding this spring, which closed with about 17 Hesperia residents filing claims and receiving approximately $150,000 in reimbursements for household repairs and improvements related to flood damage.
The Oceana County Council on Aging (OCCOA), likewise, presented approvals necessary to receive funding from MDOT for the organization's specialized services. The first approval was for minor changes to the agreement with MDOT, aligning with new regulations passed in Lansing. The second approval was to receive recently redistributed funds from MDOT, which awarded OCCOA with additional funding of $61,832, more than double the funds received initially for 2026. Commissioners approved the item, though they made note of the tight time frame MDOT had given to approve the receipt. Considering the frequency of similar occurrences, the board granted the county administrator signing privileges for similar approvals, so long as the items are conferred with either the finance department or board chairman, and the item is post-approved at the following next board meeting.
Commissioner Paul Erickson requested an update on the construction of a new, grant-funded bus garage, as commissioners were made aware of issues regarding approval for land to build. OCCOA cannot build the garage on their current property, as no National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) approval was given to the property prior to the grant’s awarding. Erickson was assured that appeals had been made at the state and federal levels to grant an exception, but to no avail. A potential property adjacent to the council has been earmarked for the construction, with OCCOA waiting on NEPA approval before taking the next steps to acquire the property and begin construction.
