MAC sets Legislative Roundtable for conference; online registration ends April 17
Four legislative leaders will discuss what the rest of 2026 will bring for county issues at the State Capitol on April 29 at the Michigan Counties Legislative Conference.
The deadline for online registration for the 2026 Michigan Counties Legislative Conference, April 27-29 in Lansing, is April 17, so please register today.
The Legislative Roundtable will include Sen. Sam Singh, Sen. Aric Nesbitt, Rep. Rachelle Smit and Rep. John Fitzgerald.
Rep. Smit was elected to represent the residents of Michigan’s 43rd House District in November 2022. The district encompasses most of Allegan County. She serves as speaker pro tempore for the 2025-26 legislative session.
Rep. Fitzgerald is serving his second term representing the 83rd House District in Kent County and is the Democratic floor leader in the House.
Sen. Nesbitt represents the 20th District, which includes portions of Berrien, Van Buren, Allegan and Kent counties. Nesbitt currently serves as Senate Republican Leader.
Sen. Singh represents Ingham County and is the Senate majority floor leader. Prior to his Senate service, Singh served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives.
This year’s conference, 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!
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 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 conference registration is April 17.
Click here to begin your conference registration.
Once again, the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Lansing will be the conference hub. Though the special room block expired on March 27, rooms may still be available at the conference rate by calling the hotel directly at 833-904-2206.
Podcast 83: State demographer talks about why it’s never too early to be working on 2030 Census
With Michigan potentially facing the loss of yet another congressional seat due to population trends, counties are encouraged to engage now to make sure the state’s 2030 Census count is accurate, said the state’s demographer in a special episode of Podcast 83.
Jaclyn Butler discussed how counties can be working today to ensure a good count with Podcast 83 host Stephan Currie.
“I serve as the state’s liaison to the Census Bureau for three different programs,” Butler said. “One is the State Data Center, so we disseminate information and updates, data analyses to local and regional partners, and that’s actually the hat that I wear for preparing for the 2030 Census and address updates, which I’m sure we’ll talk plenty about.
“One of the most important metrics that you would use to assess the success of a census … is undercount and overcount statistics,” she continued. “And the good news for Michigan is that after the 2020 Census, we were not among the states that had a statistically significant undercount or statistically significant overcount, which can happen.”
As for what counties can be doing now, in 2026, Butler said:
“So, the first question is: Do you have a master address list for your county? Or are you working with, say, the Center for Shared Solutions … to compile a master address list for your county? And a master address list matters, because if we want to be able to count people in the 2030 Census, we need to know where they live. And that’s actually a census operation that is starting next year to update the master address list.”
The Census Bureau’s proposed 2030 plan for the Local Updates to Census Addresses (LUCA) program is now open for public comment: Federal Register Notice. The deadline for public comment is Monday, April 20.
Here is a template letter that counties can use to respond to the recent Federal Register Notice about the LUCA program to the Census Bureau.
For more details, watch the episode, recorded in late February, by clicking here or on the image above.
MAC sets May 7 webinar on local-tribal collaboration on opioids
MAC, in partnership with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, Calhoun County and Vital Strategies, is hosting a webinar on collaboration in the use of opioid settlement funds on May 7.
In this webinar, which will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern, learn how partnerships between tribal and county governments can help alleviate the opioid crisis in your community.
Register for the webinar here.
For more information contact Dan Kelly at kelly@micounties.org.
Twelve more Michigan county leaders graduate from NACo leadership academy
MAC congratulates the Michigan members of the January cohort of the NACo Leadership Academy, the 10-week, online leadership program founded by Gen. Colin Powell:
We want to acknowledge and congratulate the Michigan graduates:
- Alisha Riedl, Circuit Court Administrator, Muskegon County
- Amanda Steele, Staff Attorney, Muskegon County
- Carly Hysell, Director of Finance, Muskegon County
- Carson Lehigh, Deputy Finance Director, Muskegon County
- Jessica Nielsen, County Administrator Controller, Missaukee County
- Justin Robillard, Accounting Supervisor, Muskegon County
- Linda Anthony, Director of Health Information Services, Muskegon County
- Natalie Walther, Director of Data Architecture and Analytics, Muskegon County
- Pam Kimble, Director of Quality Assurance Quality Assurance, Muskegon County
- Susan Plotts, Human Resources Manager, Muskegon County
- Suzanne Beckeman, Director of Integrated Health, Muskegon County
- Tara Smith, Chief Deputy Clerk, Newaygo County
Enrollment is now open for the academy’s April and July 2026 cohorts!
Click here to learn more and enroll.
Staff picks
- Why small municipalities have become cybercriminals’ favorite prey (RouteFifty)
- States pay Deloitte, others millions to comply with Trump law to cut Medicaid rolls (Kaiser Health News)
- Funds to fight opioids still unspent in some Michigan counties, 3 years on (CBS News)
- States adapt transportation funding strategies to meet resource challenges (Pew Research)