Podcast 83 offers special look at MAC policy platforms

MAC members review and vote on policy platforms at the 2019 Annual Conference at the Grand Traverse Resort. Members return to the resort next week to again adopt platforms at the 2024 Annual Business Meeting.

How MAC develops its policy positions is the subject of the newest episode of Podcast 83.

Host Stephan Currie was joined by the Governmental Affairs team of Deena Bosworth, Madeline Fata and Samantha Gibson to discuss the draft platforms that MAC members will review and approve on Sept. 26 at the 2024 Annual Conference.

“Our internal committees focus on different policy areas,” said Bosworth, “Every year, we also go over our platforms for our membership … We don’t bring every single bill that the Legislature introduces in front of each one of our committees. That would … really not be the best use of our time.

“After the committees do their work, those platforms go to our Board of Directors, and so the MAC Board reviews those policy positions that they’ve taken. … Then those platforms go to our general membership,” she added.

Among proposed changes for this cycle’s platforms are:

• Economic development: “We’ve changed our platforms a bit to say, hey, counties need to be at the table if taxes are going to be abated for economic development purposes, counties need to be involved,” Bosworth explained.
• Mental health: “We really honed our opposition to any attempt to privatize the public mental health system, which keeps coming up session after session,” Gibson reported.
• Septic code: “We’ve talked about (a septic code) at length in the Environmental Committee,” said Fata. “So, we really expanded this section on a statewide septic code and sewage solutions. We included several new bullet points to address some of the concerns that have come out of those conversations.”

To see the draft platforms, visit the MAC website. (NOTE: To access this page, you will need your county’s credentials. If you don’t have them, email Amanda Despins at despins@micounties.org for them.)

Only commissioners who are registered for the conference may participate in the platform voting on Sept. 26.

View the full episode, recorded on Sept. 17, by clicking here.

Previous episodes can be seen at MAC’s YouTube Channel.

And you always can find details about Podcast 83 on the MAC website.

Voting rights bills advance out of Senate; MAC is a ‘no position’

Contentious bills on voting access passed the Senate along party lines on Wednesday.

During the Senate’s first voting session since June, the chamber passed Senate Bills 401-404, known as the “Michigan Voting Rights Act.” The bills are meant to bolster federal law and voting rights in the state for members of a protected class and for disabled electors. Local governments were supportive of the concept but offered a number of amendments throughout the committee process to make the practical implementation more feasible.

Under the initial proposal, a member of a protected class could file a complaint with a local unit of government if they felt impaired from participating in elections or the political process. The list of changes made to address local concerns include the creation of a fund for the reimbursement of legal fees, softer language to ensure malintent is evident, and certain stipulations for meetings between plaintiffs and defendants.

MAC does not have a position on the bills considering the number of concessions made by bill sponsors. The bills have been referred to the House Committee on Elections and MAC anticipates they will pass the House and be signed into law in the fall.

For more information on this issue, contact Madeline Fata at fata@micounties.org.

 

Grants available for ‘low-carbon’ roadway materials

Local governments now can apply directly for funds to utilize Low-Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) for road projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation has made available $800 million for non-state DOT recipients, including local governments, regional planning organizations and tribes, to use construction materials that “have substantially lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions.” These materials include steel, cement, glass and asphalt.

The goal is to reduce carbon emissions during the production of these materials, as well as during construction projects, and at time of disposal. About $1.2 billion was previously made available to state transportation departments under the same program.

A one-hour informational webinar will be held on Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. Eastern on this funding opportunity. Click here to register.

Grant applications must be submitted by Nov. 25, 2024.

 

Madeline Fata and Samantha Gibson were part of the MAC contingent at the 2024 Annual Policy Dinner put on by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a MAC affiliate, in East Lansing on Sept. 19. Former state budget director Mark Murray and the late Dr. Kathleen Wilbur were honored by the organization with the Eugene A. Gargaro Public Service Award at the event.

 

Staff picks

• Study reveals which U.S. states are most vulnerable to cyberattacks (TechInformed)
  
  
• Disaster funding helps U.P. counties recover from 2023 flood (MyUPNow.com)
  
  
• Michigan legislators avoid Lansing in 2024, rarely meet as to-do list grows (Bridge Michigan)
  
  
• Vessel rescued in English Channel after emergency call to Dover, Delaware, instead of Dover, England (Associated Press)

 

Policy platform drafts are now ready for member review in advance of Annual Conference

MAC members review and vote on policy platforms at the 2019 Annual Conference.

The draft platforms for 2024-2025 are now available on our website for your review. These platforms, which were approved by the MAC Board in early August after months of careful consideration and amendments, will guide our legislative efforts and policy positions at the state level.

NOTE: To access this webpage, you will need your county’s MAC credentials, which you can get from your county administrator’s office or by contacting MAC at melot@micounties.org or despins@micounties.org.

The platforms were developed through the diligent work of our internal committees, who reviewed the platforms from previous years and made necessary amendments to reflect current needs and priorities. Our internal committees ― Health and Human Services, Judiciary and Public Safety, Transportation and Infrastructure, Finance and General Government, Environmental and Regulatory Affairs and Agriculture and Tourism ― have played a crucial role in shaping these documents.

These platforms are critical in helping MAC staff respond to legislative developments and advocate for the interests of counties across Michigan.

Amendment process

MAC’s By-laws (Article III) state:

“Section 6 Platform. A member wishing to submit an amendment to the MAC Platform shall submit the amendment to MAC at least five (5) days prior to the opening day of the MAC Annual Conference. Such amendment will require a majority vote at the annual meeting to be adopted.

“An amendment to the MAC Platform may be presented from the floor during the annual meeting. Such amendment will require a 2/3 majority vote of the members at the meeting at which a quorum is initially established to be adopted.”

To meet the submission deadline, the text of an amendment must be sent to despins@micounties.org by 5 p.m. on Sept. 17.

The final vote on the platforms will take place during our Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, Sept. 26. Your participation in this process is essential, and we look forward to your input and involvement.

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

Podcast 83: State Capitol remains a quiet place, policy-wise

Legislative activity remains minimal in Lansing, but MAC is monitoring several situations that loom for the end of 2024, members of the Podcast 83 team discussed in their newest episode.

On the revenue sharing front, MAC and its members are waiting on final calculations from the state Treasury Department to have final and firm fiscal 2025 investments.

“The way the budget ended up was that every county is going to get the same amount they got for this current fiscal year, plus an increase,” said Deena Bosworth. “Now the base is what you got in fiscal 2024, plus a $30 million increase …

“All of you who are out there thinking, ‘Well, what does that $30 million mean to my particular county?’ An estimate is on our website. … And I want to stress they are preliminary numbers. … As soon as the Michigan Department of Treasury can figure out what the taxable value is for 2024 for your particular county, they will go back and redo those numbers. We don’t expect them to change very much. So, what we have on our website is pretty darn close …”

MAC also is hard at work on trial court funding via a new workgroup.

“The trial court funding extension was pushed back to Dec. 31, 2026,” noted Samantha Gibson. “The goal is, in the meantime, for the State Court Administrative Office and the Michigan Judicial Council to work on new recommendations for reform. Right now, there is a clerical workload study going on. … I and two of our board members, Melissa Daub and Ken Mitchell, serve on that group. We were tasked with coming up with a survey that’s going out to local court staff clerks, traffic, criminal, probate, you name it. They’ll be doing a workload study, filling out that survey. And then once those survey results are reported, then recommendations can move along in that process.”

Finally, new language is out from advocates who want to impose a statewide septic code.

“It’s substantially different,” said Madeline Fata, in reference to the new language over previous drafts. “We are still taking a look at it, still trying to analyze what the practical implementation of it means … Hopefully, by the (Annual) Conference, we’ll be able to speak to it a little better. So those of you attending the conference will be able to get a little more information.”

View the full episode, recorded on Sept. 9, by clicking here.

Previous episodes can be seen at MAC’s YouTube Channel.

And you always can find details about Podcast 83 on the MAC website.

 

MAC extends its Opioid Settlement Technical Assistance Program

MAC is excited to announce the continuation of its no-cost technical assistance to counties on opioid settlement funds.

MAC has been awarded funds from Bloomberg Philanthropies to continue the technical adviser – opioid settlement funds planning and capacity building position through the end of June 2025. We strongly encourage counties to begin or continue work with our technical adviser and utilize the Opioid Settlement Resource Center tools and templates.

Over the last two years, the technical adviser has responded to 296 technical assistance requests, engaged 72 counties, conducted 78 presentations, completed 31 media interviews and created 46 work products. We look forward to our continued work in the opioid settlement space.

For more information, contact Amy Dolinky at dolinky@micounties.org.

 

MAC on the Road

MAC’s Gabriel Zawadzki crisscrossed the state recently to do Christmas in August, delivering MAC’s 125^th Anniversary gifts to members that had not received them, including (l-r) Montmorency (Administrator Aprille Williamson); Barry (retiring Administrator Michael Brown) and Tuscola (Administrator Neil Hammerbacher).

 

Climate and health adaptation planning technical assistance is now available to Michigan communities

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) invites applications for the Climate and Health Adaptation Planning technical assistance opportunity. This initiative is designed to empower two Michigan communities to effectively address and mitigate local health-related climate concerns by engaging in a graphic visioning process that provides communities with a consensus vision, planning recommendations, and a set of before/after images to guide adaptations that address climate impacts on public health.

The MDHHS Michigan Climate and Health Adaptation Program (MICHAP), Michigan State University (MSU) School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) and MSU Extension have partnered since 2017 to advance climate and health adaptation statewide. The Climate and Health Adaptation Planning technical assistance opportunity seeks projects that integrate planning and design elements within a climate and health adaptation framework. Eligible projects must directly address specific climate-related challenges, such as rising temperatures, flooding, drought, poor air quality, vector-borne infection, and other climate-related hazards, while also focusing on health and vulnerable populations.

Examples could include improved landscape management or physical design interventions, including innovative green infrastructure techniques, that enhance the resilience of downtown streetscapes, parks, bikeways and trails, open space systems, parking lots, neighborhoods or industrial/commercial areas, while simultaneously addressing a locally identified climate-health concern. All projects must focus on a specific site location, which can vary from a single parcel to a subarea.

Michigan cities, villages, townships, counties and tribal nations are eligible to apply. Interested communities must complete an application by Nov. 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

 

Staff picks

• How the diploma divide transformed American politics (Niskanen Center)
  
  
• How we should spend the opioid settlement funds (Counterpunch.org)
  
  
• Planning for a daunting new normal of flood risk (Governing)
  
  
• Genetically modified pigs might save your life (Popular Mechanics)

Michigan counties now can see estimates for their fiscal year 2025 revenue sharing payments via projections recently released by the Michigan Department of Treasury.

These projections offer an insight into how the new distribution model of the $291 million in county revenue sharing will affect each county.  

The changes to the distribution methodology are the result of the changes made to the state’s FY25 enacted budget. For years, county revenue sharing was based on an outdated model that was rooted in values from, among other things, a 1975 inventory tax, inflationary increases for those counties still drawing down from a reserve fund and random percentage increases and decreases decided on by the legislature and the administration. The old methodology also required counties to earn a portion of their revenue sharing with reports at the local level and state level. 

The new methodology has its roots in previous distributions, but the unprecedented $30 million increase for county revenue sharing this year will be distributed based on a county’s taxable value, as compared with the rest of the state. To be clear, all counties will see an increase in revenue sharing for FY25, compared to previous years. However, the actual impact on each county’s budget from the $30 million increase will vary depending on the final 2024 taxable values.

The new projections are based on the taxable values from 2023, which have been used as the foundation for estimating the amount each county will receive. However, it’s important to note that the actual payments to counties will be calculated based on the 2024 taxable values, which are expected to be released later in September. This means that the figures currently provided are preliminary and subject to change once the updated taxable values are available.

The FY25 projections provide a valuable early look at the funding counties can expect in the coming fiscal year. While the final amounts will depend on the forthcoming 2024 taxable values, these projections serve as an early indication on what counties can expect to receive.

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

MAC’s Governmental Affairs Team continued its travel to members this week, stopping in Iosco County for the Board session on Sept. 4. After the meeting, MAC’s Samantha Gibson and Madeline Fata met with (l-r): Commissioners Charles Finley, Brian Loeffler, Jay O’Farrell and Terry Dutcher.

Candidates make their case for 2024 Board elections

The field is set for this year’s elections for the MAC Board of Directors.

Six county commissioners have filed for the five available seats on the Board that will be filled via regional caucuses held on Sept. 25 at the 2024 Michigan Counties Annual Conference:

• Region I, Seat A
• Region II, Seat A
• Region III, Seat A
• Region V, Seat B
• At-large, Seat C

Only county commissioners registered for the Annual Conference may participate in the six regional caucuses. Only candidates who filed by the Aug. 23 deadline are eligible to be elected.

Regional seats are determined by the votes of that region’s caucus, with each county represented in the caucus room receiving one vote. The at-large seat is filled by the candidate receiving a majority of votes (with each commissioner casting a vote) in at least four of the six caucuses. (For questions on election procedures, contact Communications Director Derek Melot at melot@micounties.org.)

Candidates provided statements to MAC to share with colleagues:

• Click here for statement from John Malnar, Delta County, Region 1 candidate.
• Click here for statement from Craig Reiter, Schoolcraft County, Region 1 candidate.
• Click here for statement from Bryan Kolk, Newaygo County, Region 2 candidate.
• Click here for statement from Rick Shaffer, St. Joseph County, Region 3 candidate.
• Click here for statement from Sarah Lucido, Macomb County, Region 5 candidate.
• Click here for statement from Melissa Daub, Wayne County, At-large candidate.

Celebrating International Overdose Awareness Day and National Recovery Month

August and September highlight a time to recognize the lives lost to drug overdose and celebrate recovery from substance use disorders.

Overdose Awareness Day is recognized internationally on Aug. 31 annually to raise awareness of drug overdose, stigma associated with overdose deaths and acknowledge grief experienced by families and friends remembering those lost and injured as a result of drug overdose. To find out more information, you can visit https://www.overdoseday.com/.

Recovery Month is recognized nationally throughout the month of September to promote new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the strength and resilience of the recovery community and highlight the providers and communities that support recovery from substance use disorders. To find out more information, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month.

MAC has created a proclamation template for both overdose awareness day and recovery month proclamation which counties can customize to highlight their commitment to addressing stigma and overdose, honoring the lives lost, celebrating those in recovery and sharing that recovery is possible.

For more information on MAC’s services on opioid settlement planning, contact Amy Dolinky at dolinky@micounties.org.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed a ruling last month lowering the cost of jail and prison communications by capping the call rates for inmates to 6 to 12 cents per minute. 

The ruling states that call rates will be $0.06 per minute for prisons and large jails, $0.07 per minute for medium jails, $0.09 per minute for small jails, $0.12 per minute for very small jails and $0.11 per minute for video calls.

MAC and NACo have not yet taken a position on this ruling.

For more information, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org. 

MAC on the road: Grand Traverse and Kent counties

MAC’s Samantha Gibson and Madeline Fata attended a Grand Traverse County’s Board meeting on Aug. 21, which included a report from their opioid epidemic task force sharing their strategic plan and budget recommendations and approval of the FY24-25 Child Care Fund budget. After the meeting, the MAC duo met with (l-r) Commissioner Scott Sieffert, Administrator Nate Alger and Board Chair Rob Hentschel.

MAC also was in attendance on Aug. 22 when Kent County commissioners voted to amend its Lodging Excise Tax Ordinance. The board action increases the levy to 8 percent and takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. After the session, MAC’s Gibson and Fata met with Commissioner Stan Ponstein (left) and Administrator Al Vanderberg.