The chief legislative and policy-making body of Ionia County Government is the 7-member Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners are elected to 2-year terms from districts that are roughly equal in population. A Chair and Vice-Chair are elected at the first meeting of each new year. The Chair appoints each Commissioner to standing committees.

Among the Commissioners' other duties are:

• Approving a mission statement for the County.
• Adopting the annual County budget.
• Raising the money to fund the County's operations by levying property taxes, setting fees, selling bonds or borrowing.
• Appointing citizen members to County boards, commissions and committees, which provide oversight for significant County services.
• Selecting a County Administrator to supervise the day-to-day operations of County departments.
• Determining the sites of County buildings, and purchasing or disposing of County-owned property and facilities.
• Representing the County, and managing its property and business by adopting rules, regulations, ordinances and policies.

Now in Session ... Board Meetings

Regular, public meetings of the Board of Commissioners are scheduled at 3:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday and 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month in the Board of Commissioners' Room on the third floor of the County courthouse.  Committee-of-the-Whole meetings are conducted on the third Tuesday of each month.  In the event of a meeting falling on a holliday please feel free to contact the administration office for the scheduled meeting time and date at 616-527-5300.

The Board welcomes area residents to express their ideas or concerns about issues affecting Ionia County Government during the beginning of the meeting agenda called "Public Comment." Speakers are requested to state their name and address, with individual comments being limited to three minutes or less.

Copies of the Board's agenda are available by calling the County Clerk's office at (616) 527-5325. Minutes of past meetings also are available by calling the County Clerk's office.

Ionia County's Extension Office has received an unusually high number of gypsy moth inquiries this summer. Following are links to helpful resources. You can also contact your local Michigan State University Extension Office at 616.527.5357.

• www.ent.msu.edu/gypsyed/index.html
• www.ent.msu.edu/gypsyed/docs/bulletins.html

The Register of Deeds records can be searched either by owner name or the legal description of the property. If you only have a property address, you can search the tax records to get the taxpayer's name and tax description for the parcel. The name that appears on the tax roll may or may not be the owner. With this name or tax description, you can then search the Register of Deeds index for any recorded information.

The chief legislative and policy-making body of Ionia County Government is the 7-member Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners are elected to 2-year terms from districts that are roughly equal in population. A Chair and Vice-Chair are elected at the first meeting of each new year. The Chair appoints each Commissioner to standing committees.

Among the Commissioners' other duties are:

• Approving a mission statement for the County.
• Adopting the annual County budget.
• Raising the money to fund the County's operations by levying property taxes, setting fees, selling bonds or borrowing.
• Appointing citizen members to County boards, commissions and committees, which provide oversight for significant County services.
• Selecting a County Administrator to supervise the day-to-day operations of County departments.
• Determining the sites of County buildings, and purchasing or disposing of County-owned property and facilities.
• Representing the County, and managing its property and business by adopting rules, regulations, ordinances and policies.

BIRTH RECORDS

Birth records are available from 1867- to date. Birth records are confidential and are available only to the person or parents of the person named in the records. Birth certificates 110 years old or older are available for genealogy purposes. The cost of a birth certificate is $10 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy.

Requests may be made by mail by completing the Request for Vital Records Form which may be found under the "Forms" section of this website. Mail requests are generally processed within 5 - 7 business days. Telephone requests cannot be accepted at this time.

You need to bring a check or money order made payable to the Ionia County Clerk if you are a resident of Michigan, or a check or money order for $30.00 if you are not a resident of Michigan. To apply for a Marriage License, one of the parties must be a Michigan resident.

You need to bring information on both parties. Bringing Birth Certificates of both parties would be helpful. (see the Affidavid for License to Marry under the "Forms" section of this website for more details of the information that will be requested).

In Michigan, the parent with primary physical custody would be the one to make the decision as to where a minor child lives, and the age of majority is 18 years. While the child's wishes are a factor considered by the court when a custody issue is before the court, this is only one of many factors, which are considered in making a decision as to which parent is granted custody of the child.  There is no “magic” age when a child can decide with whom he/she wants to live and it is inappropriate (no matter what age the child may be) for them to contact the Friend of the Court regarding issues of this nature.  That is a parent’s responsibility, not the child's. Parents may file a petition or motion to modify custody through a private attorney or acting as their own attorney (In Pro Per) and can secure a Motion to Change Custody forms from the Friend of the Court-required filing fees are required

$14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page. If a document assigns or discharges more than one instrument, $3.00 shall be added for each additional instrument referenced.  Transfer tax on the sale price is due at the time of recording. 

The term "taxable value" was created in 1994 and relates to the increase of value that a home or property may be taxed on. Proposal A allows the taxable value to increase only by the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is less.

The SEV (state equalized value) is determined by an assessor who calculates recent sales and other data in your area to reflect 50% of the true market value of your home. This number is adjusted up or down with the market.

It is important to remember that the amount that you owe in taxes is generated using the taxable value, not the SEV.

Latex paint can be easily dried out and disposed of, with the lid off, in your regular trash.  

• Allow the paint to dry by removing the lid and allowing liquids to evaporate. This works well for small quantities of paint (an inch or two in the bottom of the can), and can take several days.
• Latex paint can also be solidified by mixing in an equal amount of an absorbent material and allowing it to dry. Use scoopable cat litter, sawdust, plaster of Paris, oil dry, or vermiculite.
• Pour thin layers (about 1" of paint) into a cardboard box lined with plastic. Allow the paint to dry one layer at a time until all the paint has hardened.
• When thoroughly dry, the remaining hardened paint should be discarded with your regular trash. Leave the lid off the cans so that the waste collector can see that the paint is hardened.
• DO NOT dump the paint on the ground or down storm drains where it will travel directly to the surface and/or into ground water.
• DO NOT pour down the drain. While small amount of latex paint can be safely washed down the drain into a septic system or waste-water treatment plant, this practice should be kept to a minimum. Limit this to brush cleaning and cleanup.
• DO NOT throw liquid paint in the regular trash. It may be released from the can when trash is compacted and may seep out of waste collection vehicles onto your street.

All Certified copies of Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates are $10.00 for the first copy and $5.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Some records are not available for public review, please contact the County Clerk's office or see the "Services and Information" page of this website for more details.