Planners Review and Advisory Committee (PRAC)

The Planner’s Review and Advisory Committee (PRAC) is an advisory body to the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments Board of Directors. PRAC members include county planners from the ten-county NWMCOG region. Representatives from the three tribes in the region – the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians - as well as township, city, and village officials, staff from educational institions and non-profit agencies, and staff from private firms are frequent attendees.

The PRAC meets on the third Friday of the month. PRAC members set the agenda for the meeting. The meetings are designed as a forum to promote intergovernmental communication and coordination. Speakers from nonprofit organization, state agencies, and private firms are often invited to present on a special topics as requested by the planners. Speaking arrangements may take the form of casual discussions or information-sharing sessions or more formal presentations or workshops. Recent speaker topics have included wind energy, farmland and open space preservation, form-based zoning, and regional solid waste planning.

• Pete Garwood, Antrim County
• Dave Neiger, Benzie County
• Larry Sullivan, Charlevoix County
• Brentt Michalek, Emmet County
• Robert Kalbfleish, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians
• John Sych, Grand Traverse County
• Karen Van Horn, Kalkaska County
• Trudy Galla, Leelanau County
• Dan Shepard, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
• Brian Gillett, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
• Sue Wagner, Manistee County
• Linda Hartshorne-Shafer, Missaukee County
• Mike Solomon, Wexford County