Organizational Meeting Notes 1-2-26
Meeting Notes from the January 2 Organizational Meeting of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Meeting Packet: https://boards.miottawa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Agenda-Packet-2026.org_-1.pdf
Meeting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iH-BtB0Ezc
ONN Tweet: https://x.com/ONNLeach/status/2007111264158535975?s=20
Sentinel Meeting Roundup: https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/politics/county/2026/01/02/josh-brugger-phil-kuyers-will-lead-ottawa-county-board-in-2026/87957938007/
Resolution Adopting a One-Year Term for the Board Chairperson: The Board approved a Resolution establishing a one-year term for the position of Ottawa County Board Chairperson.
I moved to amend the Resolution at the “Be It Further Resolved” clause to clarify that Chair terms end at the close of the calendar year in which they are elected and do not “hold over” into the following year. That motion was not approved.
I voted against the overall Resolution because, even with Commissioner Moss’s amendment—which addressed Chairs leaving the Board entirely—the language did not fully ensure that terms would end at the calendar year’s conclusion.
Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson Election: The Board elected Josh Brugger as Chair and Phil Kuyers as Vice Chair. Congratulations to both.
I voted for myself for Chair.
For Vice Chair, I voted for Commissioner Miedema. I was impressed by her floor speech, highlighting her commitment to collaborating with all members of the Board and her focus over the past year on developing strong, effective processes for how we conduct our work. Additionally, as a member of the minority Republican group, I believe she could bring valuable balance to the Board.
My nominating remarks below:
2026 Meeting Times: The Board approved the 2026 Board and Standing Committee meeting schedule as shown above.
I moved to amend the schedule to add an additional Board of Commissioners meeting each month from February through October, believing that extra meeting would help the Board manage its workload more effectively and efficiently. I later amended that motion to instead establish four quarterly work sessions. That motion was not approved.
