Registration opens for 2026 Michigan Counties Legislative Conference
Join us at the 2026 Michigan Counties Legislative Conference April 27-29 in Lansing to learn the latest on trending county policy matters and network with your colleagues from across the state.
This year’s event, held by MAC in conjunction with the Michigan County Medical Care Facilities Council, will again feature a format where all the presentations are plenary sessions – attendees will not miss out on any content!
Among the sessions planned are:
- Remarks from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (invited)
- A review of your county’s responsibilities to comply with federal law on digital access on your websites and documents
- A roundtable with key legislators on what to expect at the State Capitol in 2026
- A status report on opioid settlement funding and spending rules
- An analysis of the 2026 elections from the “Baldly Bipartisan” team of Adrian Hemond and John Sellek
- The biannual MAC Legislative Update from Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth and her team
Special events at the conference include:
- A buffet dinner on the opening night for mingling with colleagues and MAC’s Premier Corporate Partners
- A Legislative Breakfast, during which MAC will honor its “Legislative Advocates” for services in 2025
- A Legislative Reception on Tuesday evening to allow county leaders to mingle with their representatives and senators
- Presentation of certificates to members who earned “Year 1” certificates from 2025 in MAC’s County Commissioner Academy
Registration fees for the conference are $425 for a member attending the entire event. (All county officials and members of MAC Affiliates are eligible for the member rate.) The deadline for online registration is April 17.
Click here to begin your conference registration.
Once again, the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Lansing will be the conference hub. The MAC room rate is $194 (plus taxes).
Click here to reserve a hotel room or call 833-904-2206. (If calling, reference the MAC conference with code “90R.”)
We look forward to seeing you in April.
Podcast 83: Rep. Fitzgerald pushes local-state engagement in first episode of ‘Legislator Spotlight’ series
State Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Kent) urged county leaders to reach out more to him and his colleagues in the Legislature during 2026’s first “Legislator Spotlight” episode of Podcast 83.
“You’ve always been great to local units of government and wonderful to work with and talk to, so I appreciate that, and I appreciate you still maintaining that focus,” said MAC’s Deena Bosworth, filling in for Executive Director Stephan Currie as episode host.
“I think that that’s really where the different levels of government really do coexist and depend on one another,” Fitzgerald replied. “It’s a coexistence and a cooperation that is completely necessary to ensure that government functions well for the people.
“We could have a short-sighted policy or decision made at the state level that doesn’t consider the potential impacts. And there are times where we have policies at the state level that are not the no. 1 choice of local governments … Understanding that those decisions can and will be made, but there are also times and, you know, it’s necessary to include that in the decision-making process,” he continued. “And so, when I talk about the cooperation, just like I hope my congressperson calls me about what’s happening in my communities, I hope that my county commissioners … call me to say, ‘I’m running into a roadblock here. They’re telling me that it’s something at the state level that must change before we can tackle that issue.’”
Also in the episode, Fitzgerald, who is now in his third term in the House, touched on:
The impact of changes in the House, such as the absence of a Local Government Committee and the new legislatively directed spending process
The challenges of budget constraints and the importance of place-making projects to attract and retain residents, citing examples from his district
To view the complete episode, recorded on Jan. 23, click here or on the image above.
Bill to alter parks commission membership discussed in House committee
Michigan’s counties with a population under 100,000 may soon have additional flexibility when staffing their county parks and recreation commissions.
This week, the House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee took up House Bill 5317, by Rep. Cam Cavitt (R-Alpena), which would allow counties under 100,000 residents to reduce the appointed portions of such commissions from seven members to four (1 to 3 of whom would be county commissioners).
Under current law, the commission includes the road commission chair (or designee), the drain commissioner (or designee), a planning or county executive designee seat depending on the county, plus seven members appointed by the county board of commissioners (with 1 to 3 of those appointees being county commissioners).
In committee, it was noted that per diem payments and meeting-related administrative costs can take a bigger bite out of limited local budgets in smaller counties, so allowing a smaller commission can reduce those expenses while still maintaining oversight.
MAC supports HB 5317. The bill remains in committee.
Fo more information on this issue, contact Jimmy Johnson at Johnson@micounties.org.
Budgeting is theme for next ‘Fiscally Ready’ webinar on Feb. 9
The Michigan Department of Treasury and Michigan State University will host the next “Fiscally Ready Communities” webinar on Feb. 9 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.
This free training is designed to assist appointed and elected officials with entry and intermediate level budgeting knowledge.
Budgeting for Fiscal Sustainability
This training will provide best practices for local governments’ fiscal health, including budgeting, long-term planning, dealing with uncertainty, financial policies and procedures, and understanding key financial variables, such as:
- The “rainy day fund”/fund balance/net position
- Understanding how the tax base provides revenue
- Understanding volatile revenue
- Forecasting revenue and expenditures
- How to track your budget performance, including reviewing and amending your budget
- How spending in the present will have an impact on the future
For more information about Fiscally Ready Communities, visit Treasury’s Fiscally Ready Communities webpage. Here you can find the 32-page Fiscally Ready Communities Best Practices document giving local officials best practices on policies and procedures to enhance financial management, including cash controls, capital improvement planning, ethics policies, and internal controls.
If you have any questions, please email TreasLocalGov@michigan.gov with the subject line “Fiscally Ready.”
Counties must respond to asset forfeiture survey by Feb. 27
Every county, township, city and village, as well as every state of Michigan department is required to file an annual asset forfeiture report online, even if the agency has no forfeitures to report. Any property seized after Feb. 1, 2016, and forfeited (finalized) during this reporting period (Jan. 1, 2025-Dec. 31, 2025) must be described in Section C of the online survey.
The survey link can be found on this site; the 2026 Asset Forfeiture Report and 2026 Asset Forfeiture Report Instructions are on the left side. Please note, once the form has been completed and submitted online, the data is automatically transmitted, and the agency will be emailed a copy of the submission for their records.
NOTE: The survey will not be accessible after Feb. 27, 2026; those that do not complete the survey by Feb. 27, 2026, will be listed in the 2026 Asset Forfeiture Report under Chapter 28 as having failed to properly report the information required under MCL 28.116.
Contact Brian Peacock at peacockb@michigan.gov or 517-449-2985 with any questions.
DNR sets workshop for grant applications for Feb. 5
The Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Grants Management Section will be holding its annual application workshop on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. This virtual workshop will provide information covering the applications for DNR’s Recreation Grant Programs: the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant, Recreation Passport Grant and Land and Water Conservation Program. DNR staff will guide attendees through the application process, as well as highlight changes for the 2026 cycle. An opportunity for Q&A will be available.
The deadline for DNR Recreation Grant applications is April 1.
Please register ahead of time using the link below:
Michigan DNR Recreation Grant Application Webinar | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams
This workshop will be recorded and at Grant workshops.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Riley Millard at millardr2@michigan.gov
Staff picks
- Michigan county bucks statewide trend with young adult population surge (MLive)
- Juvenile detention center not immune under state law after suicide, Court of Appeals confirms (LegalNews.com)
- Even when townships want to stop data centers, they have few ways to fight them (Crain’s Detroit)
- Half of BEAD (broadband) funds may end up unspent, report says (RouteFifty)