Missaukee of Commissioners Public Hearing Missaukee County Courthouse Courtroom February 16, 2016 @ 4:00 PM Meeting Called to Order by Chairperson Vanderwal, who opened the Public Hearing. All present except Commissioner Vivian. Roll Call of Districts: Public Comment: Don Sears wondered what would happen if the Board did not vote to put a millage on the ballot. He asked if it could be placed on a ballot by a petition. Natalie Davis said in a rural community like Missaukee County, it is not viable for people to walk or ride their bikes to work, especially in the winter. She believes the best idea is to let the voters decide if there is a need for public transportation. Jean Swaffer believes there is a misconception that only seniors are in need of public transportation and that there is a need for transportation for people of all ages. Rebecca Reinink said in her position with the Cadillac Housing Commission, she often refers working citizens to Missaukee County for housing but that option is usually turned public transportation to get back and forth to work. down because they don’t have representing the Footprints In Time Program, said it is unfortunate many Chris Klein, people who could benefit from the program are not participating because they can’t find rides to get there. Klein also said there is a part of the County population who could gain a sense of independence if they have transportation available. Stacie Lawson, Admissions Director at Autumnwood, said she believes there are several reasons public transportation is needed. The biggest problem is individuals needing alternate medical care who are not able to follow up with their physicians because they have no transportation and end up back in the hospital because of it. Lawson also said that people are choosing to send their family members to Cadillac facilities because they have transportation to visit them there, when they could instead be sending them to a facility in Missaukee if they had transportation to visit them. Chris Patterson said the Lake City Chamber of Commerce receives calls year round from individuals asking if there is public transportation available. Mandy Vogler, who works at the Health Department in Lake City, said she sees over and over again, mothers facing the struggle of getting to and from doctor appointments for themselves and their children. Children may be sick for days before they receive
Missaukee of Commissioners Public Hearing Missaukee County Courthouse Courtroom February 16, 2016 @ 4:00 PM Meeting Called to Order by Chairperson Vanderwal, who opened the Public Hearing. Roll Call of Districts: All present except Commissioner Vivian. Public Comment: Don Sears wondered what would happen if the Board did not vote to put a millage on the ballot. He asked if it could be placed on a ballot by a petition. Natalie Davis said in a rural community like Missaukee County, it is not viable for people to walk or ride their bikes to work, especially in the winter. She believes the best idea is to let the voters decide if there is a need for public transportation. Jean Swaffer believes there is a misconception that only seniors are in need of public transportation and that there is a need for transportation for people of all ages. Rebecca Reinink said in her position with the Cadillac Housing Commission, she often refers working citizens to Missaukee County for housing but that option is usually turned down because they don’t have public transportation to get back and forth to work. Chris Klein, representing the Footprints In Time Program, said it is unfortunate many people who could benefit from the program are not participating because they can’t find rides to get there. Klein also said there is a part of the County population who could gain a sense of independence if they have transportation available. Stacie Lawson, Admissions Director at Autumnwood, said she believes there are several reasons public transportation is needed. The biggest problem is individuals needing alternate medical care who are not able to follow up with their physicians because they have no transportation and end up back in the hospital because of it. Lawson also said that people are choosing to send their family members to Cadillac facilities because they have transportation to visit them there, when they could instead be sending them to a facility in Missaukee if they had transportation to visit them. Chris Patterson said the Lake City Chamber of Commerce receives calls year round from individuals asking if there is public transportation available. Mandy Vogler, who works at the Health Department in Lake City, said she sees over and over again, mothers facing the struggle of getting to and from doctor appointments for themselves and their children. Children may be sick for days before they receive
February_16_2016_Public_Hearing.docx