OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich — People in Ottawa County are rallying at the county health department Wednesday to show their support for the embattled department and its health officer.
The crowd is showing support for a health department they feel needs their encouragement.
This comes after weeks of heightened tension between the health department and some county leaders who have requested they make large cuts to their proposed budget for next year to return to what they say are pre-pandemic levels.
While the department had requested upward of $6 million from the county’s general fund, County Administrator John Gibbs requested last month that they bring that number down to just $2.5 million — a figure that the health officer said could force the department to close its doors weeks into the new fiscal year in October.
In a rare sight, Tuesday’s meeting of the county finance committee saw Hambley answer questions under oath, as commissioners have asserted such claims from Hambley about closure and cut programs were untrue.
Organizers said Wednesday's gathering is not about the politics, it’s simply to show support as residents for a department and programs they depend on.
"My message today is that we support our health department. We need our health department. So many residents of Ottawa County rely on them for multiple types of services," said Kim Nagy, the Executive Director for the Ottawa Integrity PAC.
"This is not about the politics today, it's about showing the folks in that building that we appreciate them, we love them, we support them, and we want them to keep their jobs and keep doing them."
Hambley has said the newest version of the budget did include more general funding, about $4.3 million according to a department spokesperson.
The new proposal, however, did not include input from department leadership and given inflated costs and a growing county to serve, it could still lead to reduced funding for multiple programs.
This protest is scheduled to last until about 6:30 p.m.
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