[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6243380,"mediaKeyId","3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9","parentId",3239356,"title","County planners, MSU and U‑M team to release solar zoning guidebook for local communities","audioSeconds",153,"startMs",953000,"endMs",1106000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9&start=953&end=1106","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9/thumbnail_953000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6243380/Berrien-County/Michigan/County-planners-MSU-and-UM-team-to-release-solar-zoning-guidebook-for-local-communities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243380-ae6e477d595496a383ddce31fc43e237/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143982&Signature=e9Jyg8yowMP06bVuRcdu0vLFMmHSvXXc5qX-wBJZngiCa0kNKVwUWHxRj6OlYGTINgcaWgdSTFjX6jk~2yal2YblDGs-YLYyOpheLKPQhbDOYOwl5xKYdfZ5P-TL~E4agj~FsVrA8M0KvteNsFQpOoArpux5i6nnvQSKkiANbtQc-WhZjhtOyHluLb4hhZO6vYKoTEdBBYGotp7hYv1ONquCQC2d39ZAGbj077bKe51rKC~jR064krOpOT~idLgPG3g1o1DFcznMHT4AJuEu0UTtxxTFKCqeH3vU6bQJWIO39EXtXIUUgEgz8URtFdIZeoaOw3g-Wz9NuQGIRE5IeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-09T01:51:25Z","article","County planning staff told the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on May 11 that a multi‑institution team is finalizing a solar planning and zoning guidebook for local communities.

A planning staff member said the project includes the University of Michigan, Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Association of Planners and adapts recent 2024 state law changes that created an option for some large‑scale developers to seek permitting through the Michigan Public Service Commission. The guidebook will outline three pathways counties and townships can choose under the new regulatory framework and will treat smaller, locally sited systems separately.

\"U of M and their team has already updated the battery energy systems guide, BESS. And now we're doing the next one, which is our solar,\" the planning staff member said during the meeting, adding that the guidebook was in final editorial review and the team hoped to release it to the public by the end of the month. The staff member emphasized the guide is designed as a decision‑support tool rather than a prescriptive mandate: \"Here are your decision points. Have those local community conversations.\"

County staff said they plan to bring the guidebook and education sessions to local township officials so that local leaders can review zoning and siting options. No formal county zoning change was proposed at the meeting; the update was informational and focused on forthcoming resources and outreach.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5 8 2025 Committee of the Whole Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","County planning staff said they are working with Michigan State University Extension, University of Michigan and other partners to publish a zoning and planning guidebook for solar energy systems and to bring local education to townships after recent state siting law changes.","taxTitle","Berrien County, Michigan","taxId",13478,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6243385,"Berrien County officials report lingering JWorx post‑go‑live problems and an 11‑month backlog in law‑enforcement reporting",2893,1108000,4001000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9&start=1108&end=4001","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9/thumbnail_1108000.jpg","/articles/6243385/Berrien-County/Michigan/Berrien-County-officials-report-lingering-JWorx-postgolive-problems-and-an-11month-backlog-in-lawenforcement-reporting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243385-0dfedd39e97848ffede910bfd32c230e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143982&Signature=RrQZdHVyBNk-9KK8s0lStd-z6jC3XpYS~bl5xcSwjU7IIjEs~02m3TFY~LQUreX2lCWkBOM5J-2Fp0thOZm1cnlOofr9pGT3CRCo9Bnr65CyyF0WVWdbRZ3iAl4CW5W1ZT1VBFeLcQX72iJpEc8bu2RkyieQEiAGuNlZLWQwQ2pxUejJPIdx0BC4oueBMK0q6dsvEHqKXvNiKQ1V9aPpozyuBkZFNt0DaVgtXuaifbSAMN4xrWqzbuk0qKUn8TGHLgxJ1bEKojVWLXXiVw0N2d0oLY43BxakntWaGxLyiVKgcUcl67vlq7ju4HuJerr82nycy-BLXpeUm3GPIQBunA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County court and clerk staff updated the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on May 11 about continuing problems after the April 2024 phase‑2 go‑live of the JWorx court case management system.

Carrie Smitanka Haney and other court administrators described multiple technical and operational challenges that persist a year after go‑live, including incomplete interfaces to other systems, manual reporting burdens tied to Clean Slate and new reporting rules, and a backlog in reporting to the state criminal history/LEIN systems.

\"Our application interface implementations continue to be an ongoing project that Chris, I, and the JWorx administration team spend a significant amount of time on with the vendor,\" Haney said. She told commissioners that judicial reporting to the state and some vendor interfaces still require manual work and that a vendor patch is needed before an automated exchange with the state can move into production. \"We're staged to start dumping things once this patch is in place,\" she said.

Staff said the county's \"lean reporting\" (criminal history reporting) work is behind; one presenter said, \"I think I'm up to June right now,\" referring to the date through which entries have been processed. Commissioners and staff characterized the backlog as nearly a year in places and warned of risk to first responders and the public when law‑enforcement databases are not current.

Court staff attributed some of the increased manual work to a combination of factors: Clean Slate legislation that requires file changes and removals, Supreme Court rule changes limiting personal identifying information in online case records, and criminal‑justice reform packages enacted since 2019 that increased the number of manual touches on case files. Staff also described the county court system's operational uniqueness as a unified trial court (district, probate and circuit divisions operating as divisions of one court), which complicates configuration in off‑the‑shelf software.

Staff reported ongoing mitigations: weekly meetings with the vendor and state, manual reporting where required, creation of data standards documents, and repeated custom report development. They said more staffing is needed. \"All three of our departments are experiencing the need for additional staff,\" Haney said, noting that many tasks require experienced personnel and that some knowledge resides with only one or two employees.

County officials said they have run test exchanges with the state and that an Equivant vendor patch on the production server is the immediate gating item for automated reporting. The county emphasized it continues to press the vendor and the state and that progress has accelerated in recent months, but staff did not provide a firm completion date.

No formal action was taken; the briefing was informational. Commissioners asked staff to continue pursuing vendor fixes, to keep law‑enforcement partners informed and to return with further status updates.","County court and clerk staff told commissioners JWorx phase‑2 go‑live has produced ongoing interface, reporting and staffing problems; the county said manual workarounds continue while awaiting vendor patches and state interface completion, and staff warned of public‑safety risk from delayed reporting to state law‑enforcement databases.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6243389,"MSU Extension reports 2024 reach to Berrien County commissioners, highlights 4‑H and nutrition programs",498,186000,684000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9&start=186&end=684","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3239356-918294dfd1ec09b4d7c7f4b51e652bf9/thumbnail_186000.jpg","/articles/6243389/Berrien-County/Michigan/MSU-Extension-reports-2024-reach-to-Berrien-County-commissioners-highlights-4H-and-nutrition-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243389-c6422d726e339535fc5c65b2a623739d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143982&Signature=n-QlBAIIxMRP2vcI05Uc1BmaJ-rx1QnmxQXVzkd7gZ3eIZT1hlDFvxD52xSSnOAQsHTr9w1y-ROwc5hgScd7JHoiZeTi1gkbrGJ9HqpcWLc48MUhYvRSE8RoWsCDIuzDi1rS10PUhNmJaunountmaIHBcagr1W34bISO~whfCSjkoqzbitfNbBYca8WE9QC8fnrY7LIHoCrb8knWEtEXz7xgayPygQYHmnZxjqWp47J7ugemSmpEZgLkDmmNW2ONqSyhbMDoq0T3dpjoLNFzVSIsowjQHg8nl54Xq~VizbJDFqMTOyNK0XncB7Liaau5GKTcskokwdSi88wF~RK3Nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kai Brittner, interim district director for Michigan State University Extension in Southwest Michigan, told the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on May 11 that MSU Extension reached thousands of county residents with research‑based programming in 2024.

\"Your funding really helps us to deliver the research based and high impact programs right here in Berrien County,\" Brittner said, presenting a printed annual report to the board and offering hard copies for commissioners to review.

MSU Extension told commissioners that 5,146 Berrien County residents participated in Extension programs in 2024; residents used 486 statewide programs and 57 county programs, the presentation said. The office reported 220 volunteers, including about 71 4‑H volunteers, and said 4‑H community clubs reached 482 county youth. Extension staff also reported that roughly 89 county producers attended the Great Lakes Expo and that more than 2,000 residents participated in nutrition education programs such as Show Me Nutrition.

Kathy Fisher, a 4‑H educator with MSU Extension who also spoke to the commissioners, described the organizationʼs youth development framework. \"We follow what we call the 4‑H driving model,\" Fisher said, explaining the programʼs focus on sparks, belonging, relationships with caring adults and community involvement.

Brittner described other Extension work in agriculture, emergency preparedness and small‑business support. The report notes a local example in which the Extension product center helped a business owner move beyond the cottage food law and quadruple sales; commissioners were shown photos and a summary of partner activities. The presentation emphasized partnerships with schools, senior centers, farmers markets and food pantries and referenced MSU Extensionʼs statewide strategic direction plan.

Commissioners and staff thanked the Extension team and several commissioners noted MSU Extensionʼs long history of partnership with the county. Brittner invited commissioners to pick up hard copies of the annual report and to attend an upcoming evening meeting in August at the MSU center.

MSU Extension requested no formal action at the meeting; the presentation served as an informational briefing for commissioners and staff.","MSU Extension staff briefed the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on program participation and local partnerships in 2024, citing thousands of residents served, volunteer support and county funding that helps deliver research‑based programming.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County planners, MSU and U‑M team to release solar zoning guidebook for local communities

Berrien County officials report lingering JWorx post‑go‑live problems and an 11‑month backlog in law‑enforcement reporting

MSU Extension reports 2024 reach to Berrien County commissioners, highlights 4‑H and nutrition programs