Washtenaw County board approves a package of grants and contract amendments; one commissioner votes no on USDA forest grant

Washtenaw County commissioners on Thursday approved a series of contracts and grants and authorized county officers to sign the agreements, while one commissioner voted against a forest-service grant to draw attention to public-safety and access concerns.

The board approved a motion to change an early-morning meeting location and then moved through a consent-style slate of items. The board approved a 2026 USDA Forest Service grant agreement (the chairman was authorized to sign), a marine-control grant for $9,800, a 24‑month retainer renewal with a consulting firm, an amendment to a prosecutor’s-office agreement with Impact Solutions, and an amendment with MGT Solutions LLC. The measures passed by roll call votes recorded at the meeting.

Commissioner Nelson cast the sole recorded dissent on the USDA Forest Service grant. Nelson said he voted no "because I want to shed light on ... trails on our federal land and state land that are being closed off and we had no access for fire departments" and cited a camper fire on federal land about a month earlier as an example of the risks posed by restricted access. No additional formal action on trails or access was recorded at the meeting.

The marine-control grant was approved unanimously by roll call. The board also approved a 24‑month consultant retainer (transcript: retain fee $725) and two contract amendments — one described in the packet as for the prosecutor’s office with Impact Solutions and another with MGT Solutions LLC — all with recorded affirmative roll-call votes. Where the transcript listed a party name as "New Mexico County" in the retainer item, the board materials and authorization indicated the contract pertains to the county and county staff are authorized to sign on the county’s behalf.

Roll-call tallies were recorded on the floor for each motion; recorded votes in the transcript show the same set of members participating across items, with Nelson’s lone no on the USDA item noted in the meeting record. Meeting materials referenced a budget-condition printout and an upcoming budget calendar, which staff said would be circulated to commissioners.

The chairman or vice chair was authorized to sign the approved agreements as noted in each motion. The meeting concluded after brief recognitions and administrative updates; no further committee action on trails, data centers or the other operational concerns discussed was recorded during the session.