State Rep. Donni Steele says Oakland County commissioners chose Planned Parenthood over public safety when they voted 11-6 on Thursday, Aug. 13, to send $1.5 million in taxpayer dollars to the organization's Ferndale clinic.

"Local communities are being forced to make difficult decisions about how to pay for police and fire protection, while the county somehow found $1.5 million for something that isn't a core responsibility of county government," Steele, R-Lake Orion, said in an Aug. 14 statement. "That tells taxpayers everything they need to know about where this commission's priorities are."

Steele pointed to the Aug. 4 primary, when voters in Brandon, Highland, Independence, Orion and Waterford townships rejected eight police and fire millage proposals. He also cited Oakland County's decision to raise the cost of Sheriff's Office contracts in 2025, which he said added financial pressure on townships that rely on the Sheriff for policing.

Not every community struggled. Bloomfield Township voters renewed their 10-year, 1.8428-mill public-safety millage by a 48-point margin (11,767 to 4,169), and Franklin Village approved a five-year, 3.4-mill police levy by 26 points, according to MLive.

Board Chair Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak, who introduced the proposal, defended the spending at the Aug. 13 meeting. He said the county health department cannot absorb thousands of additional patients if the Ferndale clinic closes, noting that Honor Health is already at capacity with 500 patient visits. The two-year, fee-for-service contract reimburses Planned Parenthood $206.53 per eligible visit for Oakland County residents, capped at $1.5 million through August 2028, according to MLive's reporting on the vote.

The Ferndale Health Center faced a $1 million operating gap after federal Public Law 119-21 blocked Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood for one year, cutting $4.2 million in patient care funding statewide. Three other Michigan clinics closed in July. It is the second time in 10 years the county has funded the organization; commissioners approved $500,000 in 2019 to keep the same clinic open.

As we reported Aug. 12, the contract had been expected to draw sharp debate. At the meeting, Birmingham resident Chris McKenna, 55, a single father, spoke in favor, saying his college-age daughter relies on Planned Parenthood for care he cannot afford while between jobs. Bloomfield Township resident Debbie Rosenman also urged passage, calling the Ferndale location "the only Planned Parenthood left in Oakland County."

Commissioner Kristen Nelson, D-Waterford Township, was the lone Democrat to vote no, saying she could not authorize $1.5 million before reviewing the final contract. Republican commissioners Philip Weipert and Mike Gingell were absent. Commissioner Christine Long, R-District 12, also voted no, saying at the meeting: "I am against it using taxpayers' funding. The $1.5 million, that's a hefty amount of tax dollars. In my district, I overwhelmingly had all phone calls... that all wanted me to vote no for it."

Steele's office has not issued any public comment beyond its two press releases. Woodward's office has not publicly responded to Steele's criticism.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners next meets Sept. 17. The county Health Department will finalize the contract terms with Planned Parenthood before then.