Genesee County Board of Commissioners 01-07-2026

The meeting commenced with the annual organizational business of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, including the election of new leadership and the appointment of standing committee chairs and vice chairs. The board also addressed several significant resolutions, including the recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the National Day of Racial Healing, as well as an amendment to the America 250 Commission 13:41.

A major portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing and adopting a new 2026 board calendar, which shifts the meeting cadence to monthly workshops and monthly full board meetings 19:00. While there was debate regarding the potential impact on transparency and the volume of business handled, the motion passed with an amendment to adjust November dates 31:46. The session concluded with the approval of a brownfield development plan for Montrose 46:42 and a transition into a closed session for the purpose of conducting personnel evaluations for the Corporation Counsel and the Director of Administration 56:42.

• Board Reorganization: Election of the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson 1:35.
• Committee Appointments: Selection of chairs and vice chairs for Finance, Government Operations, Public Works, Health and Human Services, Community and Economic Development, and Appointments committees 7:37.
• 2026 Board Calendar: Proposed shift to a monthly meeting and workshop cadence 19:00.
• Historical Commemorations: Resolutions for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the National Day of Racial Healing 13:41.
• America 250 Commission: Discussion on the inclusion of external organizations and the $250,000 budget allocation from the accommodation tax 31:46.
• Economic Development: Approval of the Montrose brownfield redevelopment plan 48:53.
• Personnel Evaluations: Entry into closed session for the evaluation of county officials 56:42.

• Dale K. Weighill: Newly elected Chairperson of the Board 3:53.
• Gary Gatsinger: Newly elected Vice Chairperson of the Board 7:07.
• Delrico J. Loyd: Outgoing Chairperson of the Board 48:53.
• Shaun Shoemaker: Commissioner and incoming Vice Chair of Government Operations 7:58; also served as outgoing Vice Chair 53:27.
• Jerome Thrrell: Organizational Development Coordinator for the County 9:42.
• Connor Zuk: Brownfield Consultant for Triter 47:47.
• Brian McMillan: Corporation Counsel 30:40.
• Mr. Freeman: Director of Administration 27:31.
• Dr. Beverly Brown: Commissioner 1:58.
• Charles H. Winfrey: Commissioner 1:35.
• James Avery: Commissioner 1:35.
• Brian K. Flewelling: Commissioner 1:35.
• Delrico J. Loyd: Commissioner 1:35.
• Dr. Beverly Brown: Commissioner 1:58.
• Gary L. Goetzinger: Commissioner 1:58.
• Shaun Shoemaker: Commissioner 1:35.
• Dennis Lipton: Commissioner 1:35.
• Kim Kosano: Commissioner 1:35.

• Chairperson Election: Dale K. Weighill was elected Chair with a vote of six to three 3:53.
• Vice Chairperson Election: Gary Gatsinger was elected Vice Chair with six votes 7:07.
• Resolution 2025-2752: The board voted to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day 15:26 and the National Day of $Racial Healing 15:46 as separate recognitions 14:44.
• Resolution 2025-2839: The adoption of the 2026 board calendar, featuring monthly workshops and monthly board meetings, was approved with a November schedule amendment 31:46.
• Resolution 2025-2841: An amendment to add representatives from Explore Flint and the Sloan Longway Museum to the America 250 Commission was defeated 45:58, but the main motion to amend the commission was carried 46:42. This included discussion of a $250,000 budget derived from the accommodation tax 36:23.
• Resolution 2025-2842: Approval of a brownfield plan for the city of Montrose, involving the rehabilitation of a commercial building for storefronts and apartments, expected to capture approximately $140,000 in tax increment revenue over 20 years 48:08.
• Closed Session: The board entered closed session to conduct personnel evaluations for the Corporation Counsel and the Director of Administration 57:25.

• Meeting Date: January 7, 2026 [Metadata].
• January 19, 2026: Recognized as Martin Luther King Jr. Day 13:41.
• January 20, 2026: Recognized as the National Day of Racial Healing 15:46.
• November 2026: Proposed adjustments to the meeting schedule to avoid conflicts with the Thanksgiving holiday 22:14.

• Board Reorganization: To establish leadership for the 2026 term 1:35.
• Calendar Change: To implement a structure focused on monthly workshops for "big picture" items and more free-flowing discussion 20:04.
• America 250 Commission: To involve relevant stakeholders (like the CVB) and coordinate the 250th anniversary of the United States 36:23.
• Closed Session: To fulfill the request of the Corporation Counsel and Director of Administration for a periodic personnel evaluation 56:42.

• Delrico J. Loyd (Outgoing Chair): Led the opening proceedings and the election of the new chair. In his closing remarks, he expressed gratitude to the board and staff, emphasized the importance of bipartisan leadership, and reminded the board of their accountability to the residents 48:53.
• Dale K. Weighill (Incoming Chair): Presided over the latter half of the meeting and the election of the Vice Chair. He addressed concerns regarding the new calendar and the America 250 Commission 20:45.
• Shaun Shoemaker (Commissioner): Provided significant input on the new meeting calendar, expressing support for more workshops but raising concerns about the impact of fewer meetings on transparency and workload 23:16. He also opposed adding more voting members to the America 250 Commission 33:30.
• Gary Gatsinger (Incoming Vice Chair): Raised concerns regarding the vagueness of the Racial Healing Day recognition 14:03 and questioned the impact of adding more voting members to the America 250 Commission 33:30.
• Brian McMillan (Corporation Counsel): Advised the board on the need to extend the deadline for submitting agenda items from two weeks to three weeks due to the new meeting cadence 31:02.

• Election of Chair: Dale K. Weighill elected (6-3) 3:53.
• Election of Vice Chair: Gary Gatsinger elected (6 votes) 7:07.
• Separation of MLK/Racial Healing Resolution: Motion to separate the two recognitions was carried 15:26.
• Recognition of MLK Day: Motion carried 15:26.
• Recognition of Racial Healing Day: Motion carried 15:46.
• Amendment to America 250 Commission (adding specific seats): Amendment defeated (Roll call: Lloyd-No, Winfrey-No, Gatsinger-Yes, Brown-No, Avery-No, Shoemaker-No, Kuseno-Yes, Weighill-No, Flewelling-Yes) 45:58.
• Main Motion for America 250 Commission: Motion carried (Roll call: Winfrey-Yes, Gatsinger-No, Brown-Yes, Avery-Yes, Shoemaker-No, Kuseno-No, Weighill-Yes, Flewelling-No, Lloyd-Yes) 46:42.
• Adoption of 2026 Board Calendar: Motion carried 31:46.
• Approval of Montrose Brownfield Plan: Motion carried 48:53.
• Motion to Enter Closed Session: Motion carried 57:25.

• New Meeting Cadence: Commissioners debated whether reducing the number of monthly meetings (from two rounds to one) would impact the board's ability to handle the regular flow of business and maintain transparency 23:16.
• America 250 Commission Membership: A debate occurred regarding whether adding outside organizations (Explore Flint and Sloan Longway Museum) as voting members would slow down the process and increase the difficulty of reaching consensus 33:30.
• Budgetary Concerns: Discussion regarding the $250,000 allocation from the accommodation tax for the America 250 Commission and whether it would produce the required economic impact 38:07.

• Board Calendar: Staff to prepare a memo for all county department heads and staff notifying them of the new 2026 meeting schedule 30:40.
• Committee Schedules: The board needs to establish the schedule for the first committee meetings at a later date 9:21.
• Internal Procedures: Corporation Counsel suggested lengthening the deadline for agenda item submissions from two weeks to three weeks 31:24.