House committee advances $1.15 billion for local pension grants

On Thursday in a joint committee meeting of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Tax Policy Committee, House Bill 5054 was voted out to the full House. This supplemental spending bill would provide $1.15 billion in grants to local governmental units to bolster their pension programs.

Specifically, HB 5054 would provide $900 million in grants up to $100 million per local unit that currently have pension plans funded at 60 percent or less. Strings attached to this grant program would include:

• Making all actuarially determined contributions
• A freeze on any contractual benefit enhancements for 10 years
• Maintaining discount rates and assumed rates of return
• Adoption of the most recent mortality tables
• Agreement to be subjected to corrective action plans for 5 years

In addition to the $900 million, the HB 5054 provides $250 million in a grant program for those local units funded above 60 percent. The maximum award in this category could not exceed 5 percent of available funds and would come with the following strings attached:

• Pre-fund any retiree health care
• Make all actuarially determined contributions
• Maintain discount rates and assumed rates of return
• Adoption of the most recent mortality tables
• Grants applied first to pension systems so that they system is 100% funded

FOR THOSE UNITS ALREADY FUNDED AT 100 percent, grants from the $250 million account could be used for principal payments on any outstanding debt obligations or, if the unit has zero debt, for infrastructure investments. 

These funds would come from the state General Fund surplus and not from federally allocated COVID relief funds.

MAC is still reviewing the benefits to counties and the potential interactions with bargaining rights.

The bill now moves to the House floor for consideration.

For more information, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

 

State commits $1.2 billion to health response on COVID

A supplemental appropriation bill signed by Gov. Gretchen Witmer this week commits $1.2 billion to health care efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill, now Public Act 9 of 2022, includes appropriations to address health worker recruitment and retention, plus funding for COVID-19 early treatment and various testing supports.

Highlights of the spending bill include:

• $300 million for eligible health care recruitment, retention and training programming for new investments. A health care provider must demonstrate an eligible qualifying need under the rules and regulations of the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery funding and must not request funds for any investments related to recruitment or retention announced before Dec. 1, 2021. The bill also requires 75 percent be allocated for acute care and behavioral health care providers, which would be administered by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, and requires 25 percent be allocated to post-acute care providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
• $10 million as a competitive grant program for nursing facilities to convert multi-resident rooms into single-resident rooms. Grant awards would reimburse 50 percent of the cost, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) would have to prioritize converting rooms with more than 2 residents into single-resident rooms.
• $29 million to assist nursing homes fund physical repairs and improvements of the facility. There is a $500,000 cap for each nursing home.
• $29.7 million to local and tribal health departments, as well as schools, to support staffing costs of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Of this, $14.9 million specifically goes to school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts and nonpublic schools. The bill prohibits MDHHS from allocating funds to any local public health departments in which a county board of commissioners has passed a resolution rejecting these funds within 30 days of effective date of this act.
• $10 million for programs and planning for a new state public health and environmental science laboratory.

A further detailed analysis can be found here.

For more information, please contact Meghann Keit-Corrion at keit@micounties.org.

 

Governor proposes increase in County Revenue Sharing

State Budget Director Chris Harkins presented Governor Whitmer’s FY 2023 budget recommendations to the legislature this week. The $74 billion budget represents a 6 percent increase over the current 2021-22 fiscal year and includes historic one-time funding and ongoing funding for state departments and local governments. 

County and local governments would get a 10% revenue sharing increase under the proposal- a 5 percent increase in statutory revenue sharing that would be built into the base and 5 percent one-time increase. An additional $376,000 would be provided for county revenue sharing and the County Incentive Program. These funds would be split between Emmet County, the last county to re-enter the state revenue sharing program, and Leelanau County which returned during the 2022 fiscal year.

Other recommendations include:

• $578M in new federal funding for roads, bridges, airports, local and intercity transit, and rail
  • $377.8M would fund road and bridge construction
  • $283.4M for state roads and bridges
  • $94.4M for local roads and bridges
• $500M in Water infrastructure improvements to support lead service line replacements, consolidation of failing septic systems, and contamination risk reduction
• $325M in one‐time funds to design and construct a new psychiatric hospital campus that would ultimately replace the state-operated beds at Hawthorn Center and the Walter P. Reuther State Hospital
• $175M Judicial case management to create a single statewide case management system that aligns with the Trial Court Funding Commission’s recommendations
• $148.9M for Michigan Indigent Defense Commission grants to local funding units for complying with MIDC standards
• $15M for the Jail Diversion Fund which provides grants to local entities to establish and expand jail diversion programs
• $5M for a prosecutorial diversion program affording eligible pretrial defendants an opportunity to obtain and maintain gainful, full-time employment with an eligible employer for a year
• $4.2M for the county veteran service fund

Additionally, the Governor proposed a $51.8 million deposit to the Budget Stabilization Fund, which would bring the rainy-day fund balance to nearly $1.5 billion.

The full executive budget recommendations can be found here.

For more information on the Governor’s budget proposal, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Healthcare spending bill passed by Legislature; bill sent to governor 

State lawmakers landed on a final version of a $1.2 billion healthcare-focused supplemental bill this week. House Bill 5523 introduced by Rep. Julie Calley (R-Ionia) includes appropriations to address healthcare recruitment and retention, as well as funding for COVID-19 early treatment and various testing supports.

Some highlights of the spending bill include:

-$300 million for eligible health care recruitment, retention, and training programming for new investments. A health care provider must demonstrate an eligible qualifying need under the rules and regulations of the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery funding and must not request funds for any investments related to recruitment or retention announced before December 1, 2021. The bill also requires 75% be allocated for acute care and behavioral health care providers, which would be administered by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and requires 25% be allocated to post-acute care providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

– $10 million as a competitive grant program for nursing facilities to convert multi-resident rooms into single resident rooms. Grant awards would reimburse 50% of the cost, and DHHS would have to prioritize converting rooms with more than 2 residents into single resident rooms.

– $29 million to assist nursing homes fund physical repairs and improvements of the facility. There is a $500,000 cap for each nursing home.

-$29.7 million to local and tribal health departments, as well as schools, to support staffing costs of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. $14.9 million specifically goes to school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, and nonpublic schools. The bill prohibits the department of health and human services from allocating funds to any local public health departments in which a county board of commissioners has passed a resolution rejecting these funds within 30 days of effective date of this act.

-$10 million for program and planning for a new state public health and environmental science laboratory.

A further detailed analysis can be found here. Gov. Whitmer has signaled she does plan to sign the bill when it officially lands on her desk.  

For more information, please contact Meghann Keit-Corrion at keit@micounties.org.

Binding Arbitration expansion bill clears Senate committee

This week, the Senate Small Business and Economic Development committee unanimously passed House Bill 4725, sponsored by Rep. Robert Bezotte (R-Howell), The bill would expand binding arbitration beyond police and fire labor bargaining units to county correctional officers. The bill is now on the Senate floor awaiting a vote.

MAC has long opposed any expansion of binding arbitration to other bargaining units due to the cost of the process, the long-term liabilities associated with third-party decisions and the unequal treatment such a system provides to those bargaining units. The Michigan Public Employment Relations Act already provides for bargaining rights without tying the hands of the county in binding arbitration.

MAC asks members to use our Advocacy Center to send a pre-drafted message of opposition to their state senators.

For more information on this issue, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Staff picks

• Solar Energy Property Taxation (Center for Local, State and Urban Policy)
  
  
• State of Michigan Mental Health Facilities (map) (Senate Fiscal Agency)
  
  
• Florida man steals car; train sends it crashing into house (Associated Press)
  
  
• Why buying a car is still such a miserable experience right now (National Public Radio)

Breakout topics released for 2022 Legislative Conference

Attendees at the 2022 Legislative Conference will have a dozen breakout sessions to choose from on trending issues in county governance, MAC announced this week. Each breakout session will be approximately one hour long and include time for questions from the audience of the experts and policymakers presenting at them:

• What’s Coming on Mobility
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in County Government
• Opioid Funding from the National Settlement
• The Future of the County Workforce
• Trial Court Funding
• Cybersecurity Threats and Trends
• Primer on the Headlee Amendment and State Taxation
• How Counties Are Investing ARP Funds
• How to Win Millage Elections
• Open Meetings Act Update (joint with MCMCFC)
• Stress Management in Stressful Times (joint with MCMCFC)
• Cultivating an Agribusiness Economy

County commissioners who attend the conference will receive credit in MAC’s County Commissioner Academy.

Click here to start your registration process.

The Michigan County Medical Care Facilities Council (MCMCFC) is offering its members the following additional workshops (all MCMCFC events come with continuing education credits for its members):

• Strategies for Success in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Stress Suppresses Success: SHAPE Your Stress Blueprint
• Regulatory Updates and Other Sizzling Topics Speaker: Vickie Burlew
• State Licensure and Federal Certification Regulatory Update

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will keynote the 2022 Michigan Counties Legislative Conference, addressing a plenary session of the event on Wednesday, March 23.

The conference also will feature:

• A plenary session address by Larry Johnson, president of the National Association of Counties
• A MAC Legislative Update, led by Deena Bosworth, director of governmental affairs
• Remarks from MAC President Phil Kuyers of Ottawa County and Executive Director Stephan Currie
• A Legislative Reception on the evening of Tuesday, March 22, during which MAC will present its County Advocate Awards for legislative service in 2021

The conference will be an in-person event, though MAC plans to livestream select breakout sessions on Facebook. For the latest conference news, visit the MAC conference page.

 

 

By Lenawee County

Updates and restorations projects to prepare Lenawee County’s “Old Courthouse” for the next 100 years came together in early 2020. Careful considerations to both the interior and exterior were given to energy efficiency, mechanical updates and floorplans designed to bring accessible technology and a comfortable environment to this 135-year-old courthouse, while preserving the history and period look of a local landmark.  

As with any renovation project there were many challenges and surprises. We are pleased with the finished project; it is energy-efficient, sound and mechanically prepared to grow with the county for years to come. The project manager, architects, carpenters, masons, artists, and crewman put their hearts and talents into restoring a piece of history.

Exterior

There were areas in the sandstone that had to be repaired by chiseling back to solid sandstone and then re-created with a sandstone compound. The lead coated dome and the painted areas of trim work were given a fresh coat of white paint. Automatic door assistance mechanics were added to exterior doors to assist with opening the heavy doors.  

Basement

Throughout the history of this building, the basement has been used in many ways. There are currently three conference rooms, a kitchen, ample storage rooms, and a fire suppression system room.  The basement vaults have been converted into storage rooms.

First floor

Georgia yellow pine is used throughout the building and master crafters expertly blended new wainscoting and trim work to replace broken, missing and damaged places.

Fire doors that once separated the wings of the first-floor hall were removed and special attention was required to re-create several plaster flowers that adorn columns throughout the building.

A wheat mosaic lays in the center of the building, for which only minor repairs were necessary. The floors were polished and buffed.

Entry doors to each suite have all been modified with an auto door opener. Each suite offers a private restroom, while a handicap-accessible restroom is now available to the public in the corridor.  

Second floor

The two grand staircases leading up to the second floor that were once enclosed have been opened and splendidly restored. The banisters are of cherry and the rise and tread of Georgia yellow pine.

The floors on the top floor were leveled and covered with ¾” redwood. Four bronze, beautifully ornate, push plates were replicated through a mold and pour method to match the originals.

Courtroom/commission chambers

The drop-down ceiling was removed from the chambers and a coffered ceiling was revealed to be in relatively good condition. During the restoration process, it was discovered that there was another ceiling above the coffers, a medallion ceiling; and bits of the original fresco paintings were spotted, but that ceiling was in very poor condition. To the best of our knowledge, the coffered ceiling was installed around the time when gas lighting was replaced with electrical, around 1900.

The coffers were restored, while canned lighting, speakers, security and four grand bronze chandeliers were added. The workmanship is beautiful, and the finished ceiling is stunning.

Four windows that had been bricked up long ago have been restored to their full height. And the chamber room is back to its original size of roughly 40 feet by 60 feet, with an impressive 23 feet of height.  

The judges’ office located behind the bench has been revamped into a kitchenette and a cozy office.

Tower/rotunda

Four columns built of hard-burned brick, laid in cement mortar and flushed with cement are set in the center of the building and extend from the foundation to the cupola on top; this is referred to as “the tower.” The tower is filled with stone arches and columns, with impressive carvings.    

The area between the first and second floor is once again open, restoring the rotunda to its original size.  From the balcony of the rotunda, you can look down upon the wheat mosaic tiles of the first floor or look up to a fantastic stained-glass dome created specifically for this building. The artist, Victoria Balva, incorporated architectural designs from the exterior of the building and captured the spirit of the building while adding hints of lavenders, peaches and pinks. A light box was built to provide back lighting and bring the artwork to life.

Right before Christmas, staff for the register of deeds, treasurer, equalization, administrator and board of commissioners were able to move into their “new’ offices in the “Old” Courthouse.

The final cost for the renovation was $8,825,000, bringing the project in under budget – and in less than two years.