With LifeWays' Future Uncertain, County Commissioners Put $15.5 Million Bond on 2026 Ballot

Commissioners Ingles, Collins, and Benzing voted 3-2 in favor of a motion to place the question on the August 2026 ballot.

Hillsdale County—The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to place the LifeWays bond question before the voters on the August 2026 ballot.

After having previously voted to move forward with the bond authorization, District 2 Commissioner Kevin Collins joined Commissioners Doug Ingles (District 1) and Brad Benzing (District 4) in support of a resolution to put the LifeWays bond before the people.

The Commissioners heard overwhelming opposition to the bond during public comment. Ashley Risher announced that Citizens for Hillsdale County obtained 2,480 signatures in 45 days from registered voters who want the bond issuance to go before Hillsdale County’s citizens.

Before the vote to place the issue on the ballot, District 5 Commissioner Brent Leininger motioned to approve Resolution 25-095, which would authorize the $15.5 million LifeWays bond. Then, District 2 Commissioner Kevin Collins supported the motion.

Leininger and Benzing asked Bond Counsel Eric McGlothlin of Dickinson-Wright whether the Commissioners could vote to put the bond on the ballot, even though the petition came about 1,000 signatures short of forcing a referendum.

After a technical discussion about where the Commissioners would derive that authority, he said, “The answer is yes.”

Then Benzing made the following motion to replace Leininger’s original motion: “The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners places before the electorate at the August 2026 primary election the question, ‘Should the County of Hillsdale issue its limited tax general obligation bond in an amount not to exceed $15,500,000 for the purpose of constructing a Community Mental Health Facility.’”

Benzing and Ingles spoke in favor of the motion, and Leininger spoke against it.

“The loan is a 30-year commitment¹ at a time when there are too many future restructuring and funding questions. It is not being responsible,” Ingles said. “Hillsdale County is liable, and the people should vote.”

Leininger said the idea that the Commissioners have already rejected the bond issuance twice is false, and that it is common for legislative chambers to change their decisions regarding previously rejected proposals.

“So everybody who’s been saying that this has been voted on before, multiple times, they’re not correct. It was voted on once,” he said.

The amendment passed 3-2, and then the new motion passed 3-2, both with Benzing, Collins, and Ingles in support.

District 5 Commissioner Brent Leininger said that the signatures represent about 6.6% of the county’s registered voters, but he noted that the county clerk will likely toss out some signatures during the verification process.

Still, Citizens for Hillsdale County gathered a much higher percentage of signatures than would have been required in larger counties.

Michigan State Law (MCL 141.2517) requires that a petition to initiate a referendum on the issuance of a county bond gather the signatures of “10% or 15,000 of the registered electors, whichever is less.”

For counties like Wayne, a referendum would require signatures from 15,000 people—or about 1.2% of the county’s registered voters.

Joshua Paladino

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Related Links:

MDHHS Restructuring Could Jeopardize Funding for Community Mental Health Agencies, Like LifeWays

In 3-2 Vote, Commissioners Approve LifeWays Bond Despite Public Protest

The History & Purpose of LifeWays

LifeWays Slashes Spending Amidst Federal Funding Questions

Letter to the Editor: LifeWays Building Bond Would Jeopardize Hillsdale's Future

1. The bond length changed from 20 years to 30 years due to LifeWays’ uncertainty about whether it could make the monthly payments on a 20-year bond.