The newly elected Mecosta County Commissioners met for the first time in 2025 on Thursday, in which they went right to business regarding a hot topic in the community: support for the Gotion Battery Factory.

The meeting began with nominations for the Commission Chair position, in which Chris Zimmerman was voted in favor of. Zimmerman then shortly after motioned to move a resolution for Gotion ahead into new business items, which was passed.

Following discussion from multiple board members, a vote was requested to adopt an opposing stance towards the proposed factory. The accepted resolution passed by a vote of 5-2, leading to cheers and claps from several attendees in the crowd. Voting yes was Chris Zimmerman, Greg Adams, Jeff Jackson, Tom O’Neil, and Gary Lambrix. Voting no was Bill Routley and Chris Jane.

“When I decided to run for county commissioner, it was the Gotion issue that got me off the sidelines,” Zimmerman said in a statement. “When 92 percent of Mecosta residents oppose the Chinese battery plant in our community, the board of commissioners should have listened. When our congressman says there are security concerns with China and our community, the board of commissioners should have reversed their approval of the project.”

Other business items from the Jan. 2 agenda included two new budgeted cars for the County Sheriff’s Office, the EMS fee schedule for 2025, and recognition for the Ferris State Football National Championship. There was also discussion about changing meeting times moving forward in 2025, which was heavily commented by the public audience in favor of later times for easier attendance.

More information regarding the meeting’s agenda and the commissioners can be found at https://www.mecostacounty.org/government/boc.php.