
Gerrymandering lives, county chair complains
By Scott SullivanEditorAllegan County Commission chair Jim Storey (R-Holland) is not impressed by redistricting that divvies the county among three U.S. Congressional districts and places Saugatuck-Douglas in a state House district that truly resembles a salamander.The latter (see map) slithers…
Fennville to seek public safety millage
Fennville will seek a 4-mill levy for public safety in a special May election to cover rising police, fire and ambulance costs, Commercial Record correspondent Jim Hayden reports on his Bicycle Base Fennville blog.The city commission, of which he is…
Township weighs dog park upgrades
By Scott SullivanEditorSaugatuck Township Manager Joe Frey was scheduled Wednesday to pitch the parks commission on a plan to expand services and trail access at its 6-acre Tails ‘n’ Trails Dog Park, 6359 134th Ave.Opened in 2004 thanks to a…
Obituary: Jeffrey Richards, 75
Dr. Jeffrey E. Richards of St. Joseph passed away at 75 from COVID complications on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021.He was born on May 17, 1946 to Donna (nee Finnegan) and Edward Joseph Richards in Plymouth. He attended a one-room school…
Maggie’s Pantry
By Maggie ConklinMakin’ BaconMy dear husband has annual health checkups with local boy/now man done good, Dr. Jason Meyers,They were perusing my husband’s current blood work when Dr. Meyers noticed the total cholesterol scores. “Gee, your cholesterol has always been…
Require politicians to first work in private sector
By Mike WilcoxPublisherHere’s a novel suggestion: require persons running for Congressional seats to spend a few years in the private sector.This idea was presented to me a few weeks ago, and the more I thought about it the more it…
Township OKs $358K in 2022 road work
By Scott SullivanEditorThere will be a whole lotta crack sealing going on this summer with the Saugatuck Township Board last month approving work orders for an estimated $358,000 worth of road improvements in 2022.The Allegan County Road Commission will seek…
Life as Performance Art
By G.C. StoppelI read Mike Wilcox’s father’s reflections on small town life with delight.I grew up in a city of some 30,000. After ordination I moved to a church in a hamlet of 92 people, with one gas station, one…
Thanks for column on gratitude
To the editor,Bravo and congratulations to columnist G.C. Stoppel for daring to share your thoughts/observations on the topic of expressing gratitude!It seems like this “old-fashioned” courtesy has simply been discarded by the younger generation(s). “Just give me whatever, because I…
Letter to the Editor: More guns piece made no sense
To the editor,It seems that a day can no longer go by that I don’t get angry about the “More Guns” opinion piece (by publisher’s son and IT support person Jordan Wilcox) that ran in The Commercial Record recently.Oxford shows…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorSpace JunkAstronomers, reports The Daily Beast, can’t agree whether the “GN-z11 flash” was a gamma-ray burst from the universe’s infancy or reflected light off junk orbiting the earth.Last year a Chinese team working in Hawaii glimpsed something in…
Driver flees New Year’s crash
The driver of this rolled-over car New Year’s morning decided not to stick around for police and more to respond. “We were only six hours into 2022,” Saugatuck Township IT director Erik Kirchert reported, “when dispatched for a rolled over…
Douglas taps Toepper for council seat
By Scott SullivanEditorDouglas City Council Monday appointed Phil Toepper to fill the seat of resigned member and former Mayor Pat Lion until her term expires in November.After a 2-2-2 first-ballot tie between applicants Toepper, Demetrhea Terrien and Jeremiah Whiteley, council…
Ox-Bow to occupy old library
By Scott SullivanEditorOx-Bow will occupy the former Saugatuck-Douglas District Library building after Douglas City Council Monday agreed to lease the 137 W. Center St. structure to the Saugatuck art school for $1,200 monthly the next three years.An option to buy…
Mikes Musings – Gun violence can be solved by adding guns
By Mike Wilcox – Publisher I thought I would pass my opinion spot in this week’s newspaper along to my son Jordan Wilcox who is this newspaper’s tech manager. He wrote this unique perspective on gun violence and I wanted…





PUBLIC NOTICE
2026 ALLEGAN COUNTY PROPOSED FINAL BUDGET
The Board of Commissioners of the County of Allegan will hold a budget hearing on Thursday, October 9, 2025, for all interested citizens to comment and discuss the proposed budget.
The hearing will take place at 7:00 PM in the Board Room, County Services Building, 3283–122nd Avenue, Allegan, Michigan, to discuss the proposed budget. The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be a subject of this hearing. The public may also participate in the meeting/public hearing by calling 1-929-205-6099, Meeting ID: 891 6032 7098, and Meeting Password 471420. For other options connecting to the meeting, please visit the meeting calendar website at www.allegancounty.org or contact the County Administrator’s Office.
The proposed budget may be examined online at www.allegancounty.org under News Media Room or on weekdays at the Office of the Allegan County Administrator (address below), between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. All interested citizens will have the opportunity to give written and/or oral comments.
County will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities at the public hearing upon one (1) week notice. Individuals requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the following in writing or by telephone:
Robert J. Sarro,
County Administrator,
3283 – 122nd Avenue,
Allegan, Michigan, 49010
269-673-0239