By Alyssa McMurtry/Gongwer News Service For the first time, the Michigan Association of Counties government affairs team consists of only women who are no strangers to the Capitol community but have still faced challenges when advocating for their agenda in a field that has historically been dominated by men. While the current team at MAC […]
Bills for 4-year terms in advance in Senate The Senate Local Government Committee advanced legislation to enact four-year terms for county commissioners at a Thursday hearing where Allegan County Commissioner Jim Storey and Dickinson County’s Joe Stevens testified in support of the bills. Senate Bill 242, by Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Dickinson), and SB 245, by […]
Allegan County Commissioner Jim Storey and Dickinson County’s Joe Stevens testified Thursday (April 29) in favor of four-year terms for county commissioners before the Senate Local Government Committee. The duo spoke on behalf of Senate Bills 242 and 245. Senate Bill 242, by Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Dickinson), and SB 245, by Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Oakland) […]
Are you starting to feel like the hardest part of the global pandemic may be behind us? As vaccines begin rolling out around the world and glimpses of normal life start returning, we’ve been wondering what impact all of these changes might be having on people’s wellbeing. So, this spring, researchers at The Wellbeing Lab […]
Legislature attaches strings to FY22 revenue sharing funds As the Legislature advanced budget bills this week, differences between the House and Senate are injecting some uncertainty into county revenue sharing for fiscal 2022, which starts Oct. 1. The Senate advanced a 2 percent increase, which is in line with what Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed earlier […]
U.S. Treasury releases initial guidance on American Rescue Plan aid On Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Treasury released its guidance on pre-award requirements, outlining immediate steps counties need to take to receive direct payments from the U.S. Treasury under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, the National Association […]
Push begins for 4-year commissioner terms Initial hearings are possible next week in a Senate committee on a bipartisan pair of bills to enact four-year terms for county commissioners in Michigan. Senate Bill 242, by Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Dickinson), and SB 245, by Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Oakland) would shift terms to four years, beginning with […]
Legislative Roundtable at conference will feature House, Senate leaders A Michigan Counties Legislative Conference always features in-depth briefings on what’s going on in Lansing – and this year’s virtual version is no different. MAC Executive Director Stephan Currie will moderate a Legislative Roundtable with four key members of the Michigan Legislature: House Speaker Jason Wentworth […]
Biden promises ‘flexibility’ on county investment funds President Joe Biden said his administration is committed to flexibility in how counties utilize the $65 billion provided directly to them via the recently enacted American Rescue Plan. “County officials have a partner in my administration,” Biden added in an address to attendees of the National Association of […]
An eight-bill, bipartisan package rewriting the section of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act that governs solid waste planning was passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation this week. The committee, chaired by Rep. Gary Howell (R-Lapeer) took testimony on and voted out the same package of bills last […]