Isabella County spends a $53,460 state grant to tell veterans about its benefits office, and pays $238,000 of its own for public defense

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Isabella County will spend nearly all of a new $53,460 state veterans grant on advertising, after county commissioners voted Tuesday, Oct. 20, to put most of it into a campaign telling veterans that the county’s free benefits office exists.

The board approved a grant application with the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for $53,460.35 “for enhanced veteran services operations,” and in a separate vote approved a $50,000 fiscal 2027 media campaign contract with King Media, according to the meeting agenda. Commissioner James Moreno said the grant came from the state department, Central Michigan Life reported.

“What we want accomplished is to get the word out to veterans that these services are available and for them to use,” Commissioner Steve Swaney said, according to the student newspaper.

Where the $50,000 goes. Central Michigan Life reported this breakdown of the King Media buy:

Gas-station television screens: $16,000
Mobile video ads: $10,000
Audio streaming: $8,250
Television: $8,250
Broadcast advertising: $7,500

Those five lines add up to exactly $50,000, leaving about $3,460 of the grant for other office work. It is not the county’s first try at this. In December 2024, The Morning Sun reported that Isabella County Veterans Affairs was using a state grant to advertise and promote its services. Whether the earlier campaign brought more veterans through the door was not part of the board’s public discussion as reported.

Public defense: the state pays most, county taxpayers pay the rest. Commissioners also approved the county’s fiscal 2027 contract under the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, the state agency that sets standards for and helps fund lawyers for adults who can’t afford one. The contract totals $1,855,288. A state compliance grant covers $1,617,081, which leaves about $238,200 for the county’s general fund, Central Michigan Life reported. The agenda shows the vote also carried a budget amendment, No. 2027-1BOC.

That share is only part of the bill. Moreno said the state money does not cover indigent defense in juvenile cases or in probate court, so the county keeps paying for those from its general fund.

Also on the agenda. The board ratified invoice lists of $642,015.98 (Oct. 2) and $1,195,035.11 (Oct. 9), accepted the drain commissioner’s 2026 annual report and drain tax apportionment, approved Going Pro Talent Fund training contracts with J.R. Heineman & Sons, Remer Plumbing, Heating & Air and Spicer Group, and appointed Vickie Block to the Department of Health and Human Services and Medical Care Facility Board through Oct. 31, 2029. The agenda also listed, under new business, a proposal to let commissioners take opt-out payments in lieu of county health insurance, at the same rate and terms as eligible county employees, starting Jan. 1, 2027. The published accounts of the meeting did not say how the board acted on that item. The board’s next meeting is Nov. 3.

What this means for veterans. The Isabella County Veterans Affairs office is free. Its staff help veterans and family members file county, state and federal benefit claims, according to the county. That includes VA disability claims, enrolling in VA health care, Veterans Relief and Michigan Veterans Trust Fund applications, and the disabled veterans property tax exemption, which must be filed every year with your local assessor along with a VA benefits letter.

The office is at the Isabella County Commission on Aging, 2200 S. Lincoln Road in Mount Pleasant. It is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, closed from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The county asks veterans to call first for an appointment and a list of the documents they will need: (989) 317-4093. For housing, food or legal help, the county points veterans to Michigan 211 (dial 211).

Watch or weigh in. The board meets at 5 p.m. at the Commission on Aging, with remaining 2026 meetings on Nov. 3, Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15. Meetings stream on the county’s YouTube channel and can be heard by phone, and public comment is taken in person or by phone, according to the county’s meeting notice. Earlier this week, The Mitten Daily also covered the county’s updated 911 plan.

Sources:
Isabella County Board of Commissioners, Oct. 20, 2026, regular meeting agenda (veterans grant, King Media contract, MIDC contract and budget amendment, invoice lists, Going Pro contracts, commissioner health-insurance opt-out item), https://www.isabellacounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Regular-Meeting_Agenda_10-20-2026.pdf
Central Michigan Life, “County veteran service campaign recieves state grant,” Oct. 20, 2026 (Moreno and Swaney remarks, ad breakdown, MIDC figures), https://www.cm-life.com/article/2026/10/d-veteranservices-boardoftrustees-news-102026
Isabella County Veterans Affairs (address, phone, hours, services), https://www.isabellacounty.org/departments/veterans-affairs/ and https://www.isabellacounty.org/departments/veterans-affairs/resources/
The Morning Sun, “Isabella Veterans Affairs to use grant for advertising, promotions,” Dec. 12, 2024, https://www.themorningsun.com/2024/12/12/isabella-veterans-affairs-to-use-grant-for-advertising-promotions/
Isabella County, Board of Commissioners meeting notice (2026 schedule, streaming and public comment), https://www.isabellacounty.org/events/board-of-commissioners-regular-meeting-50/
Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banner_for_Malheur_County_Veterans_Service_Office.jpg

Mount Pleasant

Tags: Mount Pleasant · Isabella County · Veterans · County Government · Taxpayers · Public Defense