LANSING, Mich. – County officials across Michigan are ready to work with majority Republicans in the Michigan House on key elements of their 2015 “Action Plan,” which was released today in Lansing.

The Michigan Association of Counties, which represents the 622 county commissioners across the state, sees fertile ground to nurture reform on several issues that counties deal with on a daily basis:

• Tax-capture reform: MAC is pleased that the House GOP noted that tax increment financing by municipalities “is leaving other levels of government collecting a fraction of what they otherwise would.” MAC has long worked at the State Capitol to bring fairness and collaboration to the tax-capture process.
• Road commission merger authority: MAC agrees with House Republicans that, “The provisions in law that allow county boards of commissioners to consolidate their road commissions under the umbrella of general county government must be reinstated.” That authority expired at the end of 2014 and it should be a top priority for the Legislature to act on restoration in 2015.
• Community mental health: “There is a continued need to further explore and evaluate policy and budgetary solutions to ensure that those with mental-health needs, and their loved ones, have access to quality and consistent care,” the plan states. Michigan counties know this all too well and will continue to educate policy-makers and the public on the nuances and demands of proper mental health services.
• Sentencing reform: MAC understands and supports the need to reduce the prison budget’s huge bite on state resources, but changes in sentencing must be made in such a way that county jails and county taxpayers are not left holding the bill.
• Veteran services: It’s vital to reverse the trends that have left Michigan near the bottom of national rankings on services to our veterans.
• Public notices: Laws to ensure transparency written with 19^th century techniques in mind should and can be updated to protect the public interest while reducing the financial burden on county coffers.

“We are generally pleased with the course being charted by the House leadership,” said Deena Bosworth, MAC’s director of governmental affairs. “And we stand ready to hammer out the details to make these goals into policy. But that requires a balancing act by lawmakers. For example, it’s great for them to urge a focus on the long-term liabilities of local governments, but they can’t, at the same time, be looking to enact more property tax exemptions that drain the very funds that local governments need to cover their liabilities.”

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For more information on MAC, go to www.micounties.org. Deena Bosworth is available to speak to the media on this topic. She can be reached at (800) 258-1152 or Bosworth@micounties.org.

MAC’s Deena Bosworth lays out the counties’ position on the need for tax-capture reform in this story from Port Huron on the workings of downtown development authorities in St. Clair County:

“These are unelected officials that are spending money on whatever they see fit … It should not be up to an unelected board to capture however much tax money they want and use it however they see fit.”

Tax-capture reform will be a priority for MAC in the 2015 legislative session. As always, please be sure to share with us your local experiences and input via email to melot@micounties.org. The more data and experience we can provide lawmakers, the more powerful our lobbying effort becomes.

For more background on tax-capture laws and MAC’s position them, review this briefing paper. (Please note you must be a registered member of the MAC website to access MAC briefing papers and other key documents. Be sure to register today at http://www.micounties.org/index.php/private-site/login?view=registration)

Tax reform, protecting Medicaid and immigration reform are just three of several 2015 legislative priorities for the National Association of Counties.

As NACo recently reported, “The 2015 legislative priorities are tax reform, protecting the federal-state-local partnership for Medicaid, transportation reauthorization, approval of the Marketplace Fairness Act, funding for Payment In Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools, rejection of the ‘Waters of the U.S.’ proposal rule and immigration reform that addresses issues impacting county government.”

MAC members may recall coverage of the “Waters of the U.S.” issue in the October 2014 edition of Michigan Counties (see page 6).

When it comes to decision-making, Republican Dave Maturen says he tries to start with an open mind. It’s a skill he’s honed over the four decades he’s spent working as a property appraiser in Michigan.

The 66-year-old from Brady Twp. likes data. He’s studied the impact wind turbines have on property values. He’s examined roadway expansions and navigation easements. He’s appraised houses, farmland and commercial buildings.

“You walk in, hopefully, with objectivity and an open mind,” as Maturen explains, “and you start gathering data.”

Maturen will bring his appraiser’s approach to the House starting next year as he becomes the next representative for the 63rd District, which includes portions of both Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties.

Term-limited House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) currently holds the 63rd District seat.

Maturen won a competitive primary against Vic Potter, of Marshall, over the summer to get the GOP nomination. Then, he easily defeated Democrat Bill Farmer, of Scotts, in the general election.

Currently, Maturen is the chair of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. He’s served on that board for nearly 12 years.

He gave up more terms on the county commission to take a shot at the House this year.

“After 12 years, it was probably time to move on,” he said. “It would have been easy to stay, but you don’t always want to do the easy thing.”

Before joining the county commission, he was a Brady Twp. trustee for 14 years. He ran for the county commission after redistricting added seats to the board.

And as he noted, term limits gave him the chance to run for the House.

When doors open, as he put it, you have to take advantage.

“I don’t know if you want to call it serendipity,” Maturen said.

In addition to his public service, he’s worked about 40 years in the appraisal field.

Early on in his career, he worked for the state of Michigan in the Treasury Department’s property tax division.

After 14 years in state government, Maturen decided to take a different path and start his own business.

Maturen & Associates focuses on projects involving right-of-ways. The company works on easements and helping entities that need to get “from here to there,” as he put it.

That can mean working on pipelines, roadways and airports.

And he said he realizes that his career experience could lend itself to working on tax policy in the Legislature.

One of the priorities he listed was working to make sure the state has a good tax climate that helps business succeed.

Maturen, who has a master’s degree in public administration from Western Michigan, also mentioned roads and the fact that his district is heavy on agriculture.

On top of those, he also lives on Indian Lake and is interested in environmental matters, like invasive species.

As it turns out, he won’t be the only Kalamazoo County commissioner joining the House this year. Fellow-commissioner Brandt Iden of Kalamazoo, won the 61st District seat.

Two others from the commission — Republican Phil Stinchomb, of Portage, and Dave Buskirk, of Kalamazoo — ran for the House but lost.

Being a public servant runs in Maturen’s family.

His father, Clarence, was an elected official in Essexville and he served on Bay County’s board for 17 years.

So politics was often discussed at the Maturen dinner table. Maturen also remembered the long hours his dad put in at city hall.

“It’s kind of been a family trade,” he said.

Maturen’s hobbies include playing tennis. He and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 43 years.

His appraising profession keeps him busy with traveling. And he’s made many trips into and out of city halls, township buildings and county buildings as part of his work.

“I put a lot of miles on the car,” Maturen said. “I’m used to driving a lot, so driving back and forth from Lansing won’t be that big of a deal.”

Reprinted with permission from MIRS News Service in Lansing.