Board of Commissioners approve restructuring in-home care program
James Moreno, District 5 representative, reads the updated park ranger compensation from the agenda at the Isabella County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 3, 2026.
The Isabella County Board of Commissioners approved to accommodate the growing elderly population by restructuring the In-Home Program on Feb. 3, 2026.
The in-home services program is through the Commission on Aging, which provides various services, such as in-home care assistance and caregiver training, for adults over 60 years old, according to the Isabella County website.
The restructuring would help the program meet people’s needs, Tobin Hope, District 7 representative, said. Adding an in-home services program supervisor would help with the increase in work from serving more clients.
“In 2015, our In-Home Program served 505 clients and provided 9,680 hours of service,” according to the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) by Jennifer Crawford, Commission on Aging Director. “In 2025, our In-Home Program served 658 clients (26% increase) and provided 13,266 hours of service (31% increase).”
The cost to restructure the program is about $50,000, including salary, fringe benefits and the addition to the program supervisor position, according to the COA. The estimated balance after the restructure is planned to be around $28,000.
The board also approved updating the compensation for seasonal part-time and full-time park employees.
Since park rangers are not on the Isabella County Wage Scale and instead are put on a pay grade scale, this would accommodate Michigan raising the minimum wage at the beginning of 2026, James Moreno, District 5 representative, said.
