Leaders from 22 of Ottawa County's 24 cities, villages and townships spent October 20 at the Pigeon Creek Golf Course Event Center in West Olive working through the same set of problems: a county that has grown by a quarter since 2000, and the strain that puts on housing, roads and pipes, groundwater, transportation and farmland. More than 120 people attended. They went home with a draft resolution to bring to their own boards.
The resolution would sign each community up for a new 24ward Vision Task Force, a standing group with up to two representatives from every local government. Members would share information and talk through what their communities are facing, agree on a countywide vision for managing growth, and carry it back home, where growth policies and decisions are actually made. County administration and the Department of Strategic Impact would run the meetings. The county will form the group and set a first meeting once the resolutions are adopted, according to the county, so expect the question on city council and township board agendas.
In live polling at the summit, half of those who answered named housing demand and affordability as their top concern, and nearly three in four put infrastructure first or second. Asked whether to form the task force, 85 percent said yes and the rest said they weren't sure. No one said no.
"We've consistently been one of the fastest growing counties in the state. That growth has resulted in challenges that span jurisdictional boundaries," said Paul Sachs, who directs the Department of Strategic Impact.
"No individual city council, village council, or township board has all of the answers," said Josh Brugger, chair of the county Board of Commissioners.
The summit presentation and a recording of the day are on the county's 24ward page, and the full survey results will be shared over the next few months. Questions go to plan@miottawa.org or 616-738-4852.
