Antrim County
Thu., Nov. 5, 10 a.m. · Board of Commissioners: public hearing on the FY2027 county budget, Room 209, Antrim County Building, Bellaire
That meeting (Thu., Nov. 5, 10 a.m.) has passed. We’ll post what happened when minutes are out.
What the county board decides
The five-member Board of Commissioners doesn’t zone land around the lake; the townships do. But several decisions that touch Torch Lake run through it. Each commissioner is elected from a district to a four-year term.
- Sheriff, cameras and marine patrol. The board sets the Sheriff’s budget and accepts grants for it. On April 2, 2026, it accepted $15,000.03 in tribal 2% money “for assistance towards Township approved Flock … camera leases,” 4–0. On July 2 it let the Sheriff’s office apply for a federal grant that would pay for traffic patrols and replace a 1999 marine patrol unit, unanimously. Record →
- Lake levels and dams. The county’s drain commissioner handles lake-level work. On May 21, 2026, the board approved, 5–0, an agreement with Elk Rapids Township, the Village of Elk Rapids and Milton Township and created a county Lake Level Fund; Milton’s own minutes describe it as a study of the Elk Rapids spillway. On Oct. 1 it approved, 5–0, an agreement with Charlevoix County on the Upper Chain of Lakes Special Assessment District. Record →
- The Torch Lake water study. On Jan. 15, 2026, the board agreed, 5–0, to act at no cost as the fiscal agent for the Torch Lake Protection Alliance’s water-resources study of Torch Lake with the U.S. Geological Survey. On Aug. 20 it approved an amendment to the agreement, also at no cost to the county. Record →
- Septic systems and health. Two commissioners sit on the board of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, which writes the septic and well rules, and the full board serves as the county’s Sanitation Board of Appeals. On March 5, 2026, the health department brought a change to the septic code’s enforcement section; the minutes say no action was requested. Record →
- Township zoning reviews. The County Planning Commission reviews every township zoning change and makes a recommendation; the township makes the decision. In 2026 it supported Helena’s waterfront rules (March 3) and Milton’s farm-district housing moratorium (Sept. 1), and on Oct. 6 it chose to take no role in organizing a data-center work group. Commissioner Jason Helwig is the board’s liaison to it. Record →
- The county budget. The board adopts the county budget each fall. The public hearing on the 2027 budget is Thu., Nov. 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. Record →
Antrim County Board of Commissioners web page; Board Procedures adopted Jan. 5, 2026 (§ 7.3, public comment); 2026 commissioner appointments; 2025–2028 commissioner district map; board and planning commission minutes as linked.
Before the board, and recent decisions
- Pending
10 a.m.: public hearing on the FY2027 county budget. The agenda also lists a budget amendment for the Sheriff’s Office to buy a drone.
- Info
Antrim County had no county-wide tax question on the Nov. 3 ballot. Wilson Brott was unopposed for county prosecutor (partial term to 2028) with 9,686 votes. Turnout was 62% (14,478 of 23,244 registered). Unofficial results as of 2 a.m. Nov. 4.
- Info
The county’s first-review 2027 budget book, dated Oct. 13, plans general-fund income of $21,642,914 and spending of $21,604,156, leaving about $17.47 million in savings. It adds a new jail-building debt fund: $1,650,000 for the first Public Safety Center bond payments, paid by a $1.7 million transfer from the general fund. The commissioners’ hearing is Nov. 5.
- Discussed
Agreed by consensus “to take no role in the development of or convening of an ad hoc committee to discuss data center development in Antrim County.” Members said townships make their own land-use choices; the county reviews their zoning changes. No vote was taken.
- Approved
Adopted the 2026 tax-rate report, 5–0. The county’s rate is 5.2121 mills for general costs plus 2.0301 mills voted, 7.2422 in all. The Township Ambulance Authority’s levy is 1.9033 mills, an estimated $2.6 million.
- Discussed
Flock cameras were on the agenda for discussion. Sixteen people spoke about the cameras in the opening public comment. The minutes record no motion on cameras.
- Approved
Approved an agreement with Charlevoix County on an Upper Chain of Lakes special assessment district, 5–0.
- Approved
Recommended approval of Milton Township’s temporary moratorium on new planned residential developments in its Agricultural district, unanimously.
- Approved
Amended the Torch Lake water-study agreement with the Torch Lake Protection Alliance and the U.S. Geological Survey, at no cost to the county, unanimously.
- Info
MDOT said it would spend $358,000 to replace two 36-inch culverts under M-88 at Coulter Creek, northwest of Central Lake, with two 72-inch culverts. M-88 was to close Aug. 17 to Aug. 28. On July 16 MDOT had reopened Coulter Creek and three other creek crossings on temporary gravel until paving can be done. We have not confirmed the work was finished.
- Approved
Voters in the nine member townships renewed the Township Ambulance Authority’s ambulance tax: 2,867 yes, 1,157 no (71%), in the county’s official results. A news report said it is 2 mills for four years, raising an estimated $2.55 million in 2027. The member townships are Central Lake, Chestonia, Custer, Forest Home, Helena, Kearney, Mancelona, Star and Warner.
- Approved
Voters renewed the countywide 9-1-1 tax: 5,244 yes, 1,895 no (74%), in the county’s official results.
- Info
Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Antrim, Cheboygan and Emmet counties because of the June 29 flash flood. This is separate from the April 2026 flood emergency. The declaration makes state resources available. Her office reported washouts on sections of M-66 and M-88 and culvert failures in Antrim County.
- Info
The auditor presented the county’s 2025 audit. The unmodified opinion says the statements “present fairly.” The auditors did not identify material weaknesses in internal controls. The general fund’s unassigned savings were $16,959,748, about 97% of a year’s general-fund spending. Public works spent $492,204 against $434,402 budgeted.
- Approved
Let the Sheriff’s Office apply for a FEMA Operation Stonegarden grant to pay for traffic-enforcement overtime and to “replace a 1999 marine patrol unit,” 5–0. The minutes record an application, not an award.
- Info
Flash flood of June 29, 2026 (not the April flood). Heavy rain washed out roads in Antrim and Emmet counties. State highway M-66 south of East Jordan was closed by a culvert failure, and M-88 was closed by washouts or water near Ellsworth Road, near Farrell Road and east of Eastport.
- Approved
Joined Elk Rapids Township, the Village of Elk Rapids and Milton Township in an agreement on the Elk Rapids spillway study, and created a Lake Level Fund, 5–0.
- Approved
Accepted $15,000.03 in Grand Traverse Band 2% money “for assistance towards Township approved Flock … camera leases,” 4–0, one absent.
- Discussed
The Health Department presented a proposed change to the septic code’s enforcement section. “Much discussion took place with no action being requested at this time.” We found no later county vote on it in the 2026 minutes.
- Approved
Re-adopted its support for Helena Township’s waterfront and watercraft zoning rules (§ 5.02.02), unanimously, and recommended the township attorney put the amendment in proper legal form. The same day it found no conflict with county plans in Milton Township’s vacation-rental zoning amendment.
- Approved
Agreed to act as fiscal agent for the Torch Lake Protection Alliance’s U.S. Geological Survey water study of Torch Lake, at no cost to the county, 5–0.
When it meets
| Board of Commissioners | First Thursday, 10 a.m., and third Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Room 209, Antrim County Building, 203 E. Cayuga St., Bellaire (next: Nov. 5, 10 a.m.; Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m.) |
|---|---|
| County Planning Commission | First Tuesday, 4:30 p.m., Room 209, Antrim County Building (the board’s 2026 appointment list gives 5:30 p.m.; check the posted agenda) |
Where to find the records
Official website: www.antrimcountymi.gov
- Board of Commissioners agendas, packets and minutes (2026)
- County Planning Commission agendas and minutes (2026)
- Meeting videos
- Commissioner district map, 2025–2028
- Board procedures, 2026 (public comment rules)
- Commissioners’ committee assignments, 2026
- Commissioners and contact email
Take part
County board meetings are open to the public. Public comment comes at the start and end of every meeting, and each speaker gets up to three minutes; a group may name one spokesperson, who may be given more time (Board Procedures § 7.3). Meetings are live-streamed on the county’s Facebook page. Write to the Antrim County Board of Commissioners, PO Box 520, Bellaire, MI 49615, or boardofcommissioners@antrimcountymi.gov. Official notices of hearings are published in a print newspaper, which must also post them free on mipublicnotices.com. For a zoning request, neighbors within 300 feet are also sent notice by mail. Townships often post the notice on their own website too. We aren’t a paper of record (why). Know something we should look at here? tips@torchlakeobserver.com. A correction: corrections@torchlakeobserver.com.