June 3 is deadline to sign up for ‘Midterm’ refresher on commissioner duties
Commissioners have until June 3 to sign up for a learning opportunity to earn County Commissioner Academy credits on June 10.
Time and location: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Kirtland Community College, 4800 W. Four Mile Road, Grayling, MI 49738.
Click here to register for June 10 event in Grayling.
With county commissioner terms now four years in length, 2026 marks “midterm” for county officials. A new event, “NCS Midterms” is a day-long session that will build on foundations from the traditional New Commissioner School (last held in late 2024) and lessons commissioners have learned in the first two years of their terms. Participants will gain deeper understanding of county finances and how state and federal decisions may impact the next few years, discuss examples of successful intergovernmental relationships, and build skills to navigate today’s challenging political environment and lead a thriving community.
What will be covered:
- State and local fiscal outlook: Hear an overview of the state and county fiscal outlook, including impacts of the recent state and federal legislation, with a focus on implications for county governance and decision-making.
- Intergovernmental collaboration best practices: A panel of county officials will discuss how they successfully manage intergovernmental collaboration, including building capacity to provide contracted services to local governments in their county. Learn promising practices and consider the role of commissioners in building strong collaborative efforts.
- Effective governance in a challenging climate: When facing complex challenges, extraordinary governance is essential to success. This session will focus on navigating political challenges through ethical public service and value guided leadership.
- Networking with other county officials: Make use of time together to network with other county officials and learn new perspectives and approaches to addressing challenges similar to those in your own county.
Who should attend: The format is aimed at county commissioners, but it also is valuable for administrative staff and other elected county officials.
Cost: $75 per person more than 30 days prior to an event; $100 within 30 days (includes lunch, snacks and materials). Registrations cancelled after registration closes will incur a $25 cancellation fee.
Attendance options: The June 10 event is in-person only. This is the first of two sessions to be held in 2026; the second opportunity will be Oct. 7 in East Lansing. Details of that session will be released in late summer.
Learning credits: This new event will earn a commissioner 2 credits toward their “Year 2” certificate in MAC’s County Commissioner Academy.
Special promotion: The first 40 county commissioners who register will receive a complimentary copy of Michigan’s County Courthouses, a 200-page volume detailing the history of our state’s 83 courthouses over the last 150 years.
Questions?
- For questions on registration issues, contact MSU Extension’s Eric Walcott at walcott3@msu.edu.
- For questions about MAC’s County Commissioner Academy, contact Derek Melot at melot@micounties.org.
Podcast 83: Property tax ‘reform’ effort in House continues to spur major concerns for counties
Massive changes to Michigan’s property tax system continue to create concern among MAC’s policy advocates in a new Podcast 83 episode.
“Deena, we are coming off of a week last week where we had a lot of session days, some committee meetings, but some pretty significant legislation passed that we’ve been following and tracking and have some concerns about. The property tax legislation passed last week. Let’s talk a little bit about that, what passed and where things are at,” said host Stephan Currie.
“Yeah, it was pretty tough,” replied MAC’s Deena Bosworth, “So, the House was not in session on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they came in and they posted for a Government Operations Committee meeting for Wednesday at 1 p.m. with nothing on the agenda.
“Now, in Lansing, you hear rumors ahead of time, so we knew exactly what that was: the ‘property tax reform package,’ that they call it. …
“And then … They voted it out within 5 minutes.”
Learn more details about the huge problems this legislation would create for counties and why House actions last week make the prospect of trouble greater in coming days by watching the full episode, recorded on May 26, by clicking here or on the image above.
Joe Schwarz, 88, remembered as statesman, champion of higher ed
By Gongwer News Service (reprinted with permission)
Combat surgeon. Naval attaché. Employee of the Central Intelligence Agency. Community otolaryngologist. Battle Creek mayor. State senator. Orator. Congressman. University lecturer.
Joe Schwarz was all of those things during his life, but one word surfaced more than any other Wednesday as news spread of his death at 88.
Statesman.
Schwarz was a singular presence during his 16 years in the Senate from 1987-2003, when term limits forced his exit.
He was brilliant and understood the finer points of legislating to a degree few others have matched. His erudite nature meant he could turn a phrase to great effect. He was an unrivaled champion of the need to fund the state’s public universities and used his perch as chair of the Senate Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee to leverage funding increases. His knowledge of healthcare meant he could bring expertise to policy and Appropriations unlike most others.
For all his successes at the Capitol and unique presence in the Capitol community, however, Schwarz always held his service to his community of Battle Creek and environs as an ear, nose and throat physician high above his worked as an elected official. And his approach to politics was often apolitical.
“Getting elected isn’t the be-all and the end-all, but telling the truth is,” Schwarz once told the editorial board of the Observer & Eccentric newspapers during an unsuccessful run for governor. …
Fundamentals, best practices will be focus of ‘Fiscally Ready’ webinar on June 3
The Michigan Department of Treasury and MSU Extension have set the next Fiscally Ready Communities training opportunity for June 3. This FREE training is a two-hour webinar that’s designed to assist appointed and elected officials.
The webinar will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern. Click here to register.
From Fundamentals to Best Practices
This program focuses on implementing financial best practices, measuring fiscal health, and local government financial management fundamentals. It will include material on reconciling a bank account, how to read and interpret governmental financial statements, audit prep umbrella, how to complete and file an F65 Report, remitting taxes timely, and how to craft an appropriate and effective audit finding Corrective Action Plan. Participants will also receive resources to support best practice implementation and assess their local unit fiscal health.
For more information about Fiscally Ready Communities, please check out the Treasury Fiscally Ready Communities webpage. This webpage includes Treasury’s 32-page Fiscally Ready Communities Best Practices document, which we encourage all local officials to review.
If you have any questions, please email TreasLocalGov@michigan.gov ith the subject line “Fiscally Ready.”
Do you want your county to be accurately counted in the 2030 Census?
An accurate count matters since Michigan uses the census count to direct billions of state dollars to local governments. Here are examples of how Michigan uses the census count for constitutional revenue sharing and transportation funding.
The Census Bureau is offering a training session for the 2030 Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) operation on June 3. Counties, townships, cities and villages are eligible to participate in LUCA or to designate a liaison to participate on their behalf. The Census Bureau uses LUCA address updates to identify where people live, where to mail census questionnaires, and where to conduct non-response follow-up for a more complete count.
The LUCA webinar will take place on Wednesday, June 3, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern.
Registration is required. You can register by clicking here.
The LUCA webinar will provide an overview and demonstration of key LUCA tools and resources, including the Participant Address List Template, LUCA Geocoder and Address Block Count Comparison and the Census Housing Unit Change Viewer.
Contact butlerj15@michigan.gov for questions.
Fund a better way with MI Funding Hub
It’s no secret ― grants can have a meaningful impact on the communities we live in. But knowing what opportunities are available can be challenging. Enter MI Funding Hub. MI Funding Hub is a FREE, one-stop resource for finding state and federal grants. Powered by advanced AI technology the platform pulls updated funding opportunities weekly and provides grant announcements from all state and federal agencies in one central location.
Through an expanded partnership with Syncurrent, MI Funding Hub users can also access enhanced grant searching and application tools at a reduced rate, including improved funding-match capabilities, streamlined application features, and new resources to help navigate increasingly complex funding landscapes. These optional advanced services allow you to access funding documents and build a complete application in a single, secure platform.
Check out MI Funding Hub now to get started: mifundinghub.org.
Staff picks
- Michigan Decade of Peak County Population (Senate Fiscal Agency)
- Michigan cities, counties have spent 18% of opioid settlement funds (Bridge Michigan)
- MAP: SNAP enrollment has dropped in every state (Governing)
- Scientists found the optimal robot body, and it has 20 legs (Live Science)