Woodhull Township's Rolling Hills rezoning tabled to October

The zoning change that would clear the way for the Rolling Hills development in Woodhull Township did not get a decision Wednesday night. The Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to table it until the board's October meetings, according to the draft minutes of the Sept. 16 meeting in the Commissioner Chambers at the Surbeck Building in Corunna.

The Current reported Tuesday that the rezoning — from R1B to PUD-2, listed as Ordinance No. 26-09-02 — was on the 5 p.m. agenda with a recommendation for approval from the county Planning Commission. Commissioner Brad Howard moved to accept that recommendation, seconded by Chairman Gregory Brodeur. Before that motion was voted on, Commissioner Josh Haley moved to table it until October, seconded by Commissioner Gary Holzhausen. Haley, Holzhausen, Cindy Garber, Howard and Brodeur all voted yes. Commissioners Bill Johnson and Matthew Shepard were excused from the meeting. The minutes do not state a reason for the delay.

A second rezoning did pass. On a 5-0 roll call, commissioners adopted Ordinance No. 26-09-03 changing the zoning on a parcel in Section 21 of Bennington Township. The minutes describe the change as B-1 to A-2. The ordinance text attached to the minutes is inconsistent on that point: it says Turack & Hitchcock Property Holding LLC petitioned to move the land from B-1, Neighborhood Commercial, to B-2, General Business, but the Planning Commission recommendation and the resolving clause both say A-2, General Agricultural/Rural Residential. The Planning Commission held its public hearing on the request Aug. 19.

The board's largest single action was routine in form and large in amount: a 5-0 vote approving nine batches of invoices, three payrolls and wire transfers for a grand total of $11,825,043.09, with warrants drawn from the Treasury for the same.

Commissioners also came out of a 14-minute closed session — held under Section 8(1)(e) of the Open Meetings Act to consult with legal counsel — and voted 5-0 to adopt counsel's recommended trial and settlement strategy in Henderson v. Shiawassee County. The minutes do not describe the strategy or the substance of the case. The board went into closed session at 5:21 p.m. and reconvened at 5:37 p.m.

Other spending and staffing approved Wednesday, each on a unanimous roll call: two new boilers and installation from Mechanical Services, LLC for no more than $64,115; a $86,890 Michigan Mental Health Court grant contract and a $135,822 Michigan Drug Court Grant Program contract; $25,000 from opioid settlement funds for the 35th Circuit Court's Swift & Sure Sanctions Probation Program in fiscal 2027; Option 2 of a renewal with Combined Public Communications for inmate communication and technology services, including a $90,000 Technology Investment Grant; a renewed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan administrative services contract for the county inmate program running Oct. 1, 2026 through Sept. 30, 2027; a $16,706 contract renewal with the Shiawassee Regional Educational Service District for hearing and vision screening; and a $103,084 EGLE grant agreement for environmental health services at the county health department for the same 12-month period.

The board filled or authorized several positions: a replacement Probate Court Administrator at Grade 12 for a non-attorney or Grade 13 for an attorney, an assistant prosecutor and a chief assistant prosecutor, and two sheriff road patrol deputies at no more than Step 1. Commissioners also voted to terminate the county's PayIt agreement and authorize a Gov Pro contract, pending negotiations by the county administrator and county attorney, and approved a three-year auditing contract with ACM CPA's LLC. The last four of those votes were 4-0; Haley left the meeting at 6:20 p.m. In a separate item that carried by voice vote, the board approved a rehabilitation mortgage discharge for a property at 315 E. Williams St. in Corunna.

County Administrator Dr. Boggs told the board that 2027 budget preparation is underway, that union contract negotiations are coming, that grant and project updates will be reported more often, and that a groundbreaking ceremony for the veterans garage is coming. The Current reported this month that the final minutes of the board's Aug. 12 meeting said the garage project needed a sign-off from the City of Corunna before a groundbreaking could be scheduled; Wednesday's minutes do not say whether that approval has been granted.

What happens next: The Rolling Hills rezoning returns at the board's October meetings, which begin with committee meetings before the regular session. The minutes do not list dates. The board adjourned at 6:27 p.m.