Community members raised concerns regarding the Isabella County Board of Commissioners' transparency when it comes to the renovation of the administration building. The board acknowledged the concerns prior to moving forward with Progressive Companies (architect, design and engineering firm) for the administration building design-build at the meeting on Jan. 20, 2026.

Isabella County resident Jeff Tuma said the board should be more transparent to the public about the renovation process. He wanted step-by-step details for choosing and deciding contractors, and said the county should be able to produce that.

"You have to make this whole presentation community to the public," Tuma said. "They need to know why, and in all fairness to them, they should know why."

He urged the board to put together a public forum, and that it would help the community know the process for the administration building.

The board decided to renovate the old administration building that was left vacant after asbestos was discovered two years ago. Since then, the board has been working to hire contractors to get the building functional again.

Aaron Pestel, an Isabella County resident, also addressed his concerns with the county and said that the administration building work could have started sooner and been cheaper. He said that the county should use its own capital, as it can afford it, instead of an expensive loan.

“I've never seen even a simple attempt from this board or administration to consider that option (paying without a loan) beyond offhand comments,” Pestel said.

The county acknowledged that it has not been very transparent about the administration building.

“I agree, we don't do the best job informing our public on a decision,” Jerry Jaloszynski, District 3 representative, said.

Closing the administration building was the safest action for the county to take after asbestos was discovered, Jaloszynski said. There have been many challenges the county has faced since then, such as deciding whether they should renovate or build a new administration building.

Brian Smith, county administrator, said that it would be a great idea to do something, like giving a presentation, to be more transparent to the community about the renovations.

He explained that by voting for Progressive Companies, they are getting the architectural design to get a general contractor, which will help determine an estimated cost for the total renovation.

“This is going to give us a more transparent number for the community, so they can actually see the plans, they can see the numbers and that they can feel, hopefully, more comfortable with how we came up with these numbers,” Smith said.

They received 13 proposals that were reviewed by staff, followed by Zoom meetings, and the two most favorable gave presentations, Smith said. Progressive Companies was chosen because they were most responsive to the county’s needs.

He said that the price for the contract is roughly $400,000 and was the best value.

In other news:

Dayna Altom gave a presentation as the new CEO of the Region 7 Area Agency. Isabella County is one of the 10 counties Region 7 serves. Altom explained that they provide home-delivered meals, personal care, caregiver training and more services to older and disabled adults.

Approximately $1.7 million is accessed annually through the agency's Medicaid, Altom said. She said its goal is to help older adults stay in their homes and out of retirement homes for as long as they can.