Hayek students urge Holland council to examine rental application fees; county official outlines eviction‑diversion plan

Several youth members of Holland’s Hayek program used the council’s public‑comment period to raise housing and community concerns, and an Ottawa County commissioner provided a county update.

Anders Traver, a junior at West Ottawa High School serving on the housing commission subcommittee of the Human Relations Commission, presented research into rental application fees in Holland. Traver said fees in the city range from about $25 to $100 and are most commonly about $50. "Our research clearly shows that the rental application fees create a barrier to housing that disproportionately affects low income residents," he said, urging the council to look into the practice. Traver noted 13 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted restrictions and that Michigan cities including Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor have taken action.

Other youth speakers praised downtown community assets. Joseph Lee (Hayek student) described formative experiences around downtown businesses and the library. Isaac Camara urged continued investment in recreation facilities including the aquatic center and pickleball courts. Tan Tran praised the recently opened Holland Ice Park as a family recreational resource.

Doug Zielstra, identified in remarks as an Ottawa County commissioner, used his public comment to report county actions: the county board appointed Patrick Waterman as county administrator, the board settled two lawsuits involving closed‑session minutes, and the county is discussing the CMH system’s possible conversion to an independent regional authority but has not initiated that process because of legal risks. Zielstra also said the county plans an eviction‑diversion investment of roughly $300,000 with Good Sam using remaining ARPA funds and that similar investments in prior years have helped keep families housed.

What happened next: Council did not take formal action on rental application fees during the meeting. Public comments were recorded and two written comments were accepted into the meeting record; staff or council may follow up at a future meeting.

Representative quotes
- Anders Traver: "Most commonly, it's about 50 ... The rental application fees create a barrier to housing that disproportionately affects low income residents."
- Doug Zielstra: "I voted against initiating this conversation process at this time because the legal risk and full ramifications have not yet been sufficiently clarified."