Mecosta County hires CMDA Law Firm to assist Gotion site review

MECOSTA COUNTY — Mecosta County has solicited the services of CMDA Law Firm (Cummings, McClorey, Davis and Acho, PLC) as counsel to the planning commission.

The board of commissioners approved an agreement with CMDA during its meeting March 21.

“The (finance) committee reviewed the proposed representation agreement with CMDA Law for representation of the planning commission regarding the Gotion site plan review process and recommend the county administrator be authorized to execute the agreement,” commissioner Bill Routley told the board.

County administrator Paul Bullock said given the nature of the situation it only makes sense to have the planning commission represented at those (site plan review) hearings “so that they make well-informed, well-reasoned decisions that are in accordance with the statute as it is now exists.”

“I feel it is critical that they have representation,” Bullock said. “We need to get that representation set up for the planning commission just to make sure that all the i’s are dotted all the t’s are crossed. They are already reviewing the filing that the planning commission received from Green Charter Township, and I think they will formulate a response on our behalf.”

Bullock said he expects legal counsel to attend the county planning commission meetings and watch the board do its work to see how they go about their business and make suggestions as to how they might fine tune what they are doing.

Gotion Inc. North American Manufacturing submitted site plans and a special use permit request to the county planning commission for review in early March. The site plan maintains the proposed construction of an electric vehicle battery component manufacturing facility in Green Charter Township.

According to the letter, the Green Charter Township board authorized the law firm of Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman and Koches to “file a complaint for a preliminary injunction and permanent injunction against the county and the county planning commission, asking that the court enjoin the county planning commission from processing Gotion’s application.”

Green Charter Township planning and zoning is currently handled under the county building and zoning department; however, the township is in the process of establishing their own planning and zoning commission.

On March 18, Gotion Inc. filed a lawsuit against Green Charter Township for breaches of a development agreement contract that had been approved by the previous board of trustees.

The Mecosta County planning commission will meet at 6 p.m. April 4 at the Mecosta County Services Building, 14485 Northland Drive, Big Rapids.
For more information visit mecostacounty.org or call 231-592-0783.

To read all of Pioneer’s coverage of the proposed Gotion battery component plant, visit: bit.ly/3NzZkRl.