In late 2021 Community Action House (CAH) opened the Food Club & Opportunity Hub to serve low-income community members. Set up as a more modern and dignified version of a food pantry, this center also functions as a touchpoint for other programs and services CAH offers. DSI staff used data gathered over the first 16 months of Food Club operation to create a comprehensive evaluation.
As the way we use technology has evolved from opening files on floppy disk drives to cloud computing, so has the demand for internet connectivity. The way education, business, health care, and social interaction are increasingly being conducted makes it clear high-speed internet service is no longer a luxury – it is a necessity both now and into the future.
The DSI has worked closely with the County Clerk to evaluate the efficiency and cost effectiveness of technology implementations including the Justice Document Management and Imaging System and aiSmartbench. The collaboration also led to a more robust understanding of how support new and existing employees as they navigate the technology transition.
Funded at the federal level the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was initiated to minimize the lasting economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa County received nearly $57 million to assist with recovery and replace lost tax revenue. Several years after initial projects were funded and additional projects were added, in summer 2025 County Administration requested DSI develop a highly visual and easy-to-read point-in-time progress report to summarize the status and impacts of the various initiatives.
he Ottawa County Housing Commission (OCHC) carried out an expedited strategic planning process in January and February 2026 that resulted in the following 2026 Action Plan.
Transportation infrastructure – the highways we drive on, the buses we ride, and the ports and railways that carry freight to distant markets – are all influenced by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). These federally-mandated entities act as a bridge between the federal government and local municipalities, performing a “continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive” planning process in disbursing transportation funds within the region.
This report focuses on metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and their transportation role within our region, including the functions they perform and how those efforts contrast and complement other planning efforts.
The West Michigan Pike was once the premier way to travel along Michigan’s western shores. This highway running along Lake Michigan was conceived of and built during the second decade of the 20th century to accommodate the “horseless carriage,” opening up the region to tourism and the development it would bring.
Staff is currently working with local historians on developing a route commemorating the path the West Michigan Pike once took through Ottawa County that could be enjoyed by motorists and cyclists alike.