MAC testifies on county use of opioid settlement funds
Amy Dolinky discusses her work on opioid settlement planning before a House panel in Lansing on May 20.
MAC’s work with counties on utilizing opioid settlement funds was the subject of a legislative hearing on Tuesday, May 20 in Lansing. MAC’s Jimmy Johnson and Amy Dolinky testified before the Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee on Medicaid and Behavioral Health.
“The Michigan Association of Counties plays a central role in supporting counties across the state as they manage and utilize opioid settlement funds,” said Johnson in his opening remarks. “Our goal is to ensure these resources are used responsibly, effectively, and strategically to address the opioid crisis and strengthen communities throughout Michigan.”
Amy Dolinky shared key findings from MAC’s annual Opioid Settlement Survey and highlighted the technical assistance provided to counties.
“Since November 2022, we have engaged with 72 of Michigan’s 83 counties and completed 409 technical assistance requests. We’ve also provided toolkits and templates for budgets, resolutions, and requests for proposals to help reduce administrative burdens,” Dolinky explained.
See the complete testimony at this link, beginning at the 6:40 mark.
MAC and Public Sector Consultants are currently finalizing the latest annual survey, which is expected to be completed this summer. You can access the 2024 survey and the Opioid Settlement Resource Center here.
For more information on opioid settlements, contact Amy Dolinky at dolinky@micounties.org.
Podcast 83 squad surveys legislative terrain from budget to mental health
A decline in financial estimates for Michigan’s fiscal 2026 and the potential effects on county initiatives led off a wide-ranging episode of MAC’s Podcast 83 this week.
The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference last week cut back its FY26 General Fund estimate to $15.11 billion, from $15.48 billion in its January report. This move is unlikely to speed up what already has been a slow budget process this year, said Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth.
“The budgets are typically done July 1, but they don’t have to really be done until Oct. 1,” she noted. “So, the Senate is operating at a similar timeline as every other fiscal year, in that they want to get the budgets done by July 1. … The House, though, is waiting. They wanted to wait until this May revenue conference because they didn’t know how much money they have to work with. So, they’re kind of playing it close to the chest right now. Plus, I think we have to wait and see what happens at the federal level, and Medicaid cuts and other potential cuts coming down to the state. It makes for a strange budget year.”
Bosworth did note a new bit of good news in the Senate’s budget work, a “placeholder” that keeps open Lansing discussions on compensating counties for millions in losses due to tax foreclosure reimbursements.
“The estimates are somewhere around $83 million, so the Senate recognized that. Sen. Jonathan Lindsey led the charge, with Sens. John Cherry, Stephanie Chang and Sarah Anthony. … It opens that up for negotiations with the House as the budget moves forward throughout the process. It’s not the whole $83 million that we think we’re going to need, but at least it keeps that discussion going.”
On the mental health front, Jimmy Johnson reviewed why MAC has sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about local control of mental health services:
“The way the (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) is proposing to bid out these PIHP contracts could potentially transfer the management of mental health to private for-profit or nonprofit health plans. By doing that again, we’re taking away local control, local input …
“There are higher administrative costs potentially that could come out of this (move),” he added. “There was a study that came out and these private health plans average about 15 percent overhead, compared to just 2 percent for the current PIHP system.”
Host Stephan Currie concluded this week’s episode with a report on a June 17 invitation to the White House for Michigan’s county board chairs:
“The Michigan State Leadership Day is coming up June 17. So, initially the invite is only going out to board chairs. So, if you did receive an email, you can respond to that,” he said. “There’s a lot of personal information they require if you are going to RSVP. So, know that going into it, because there’s security as you’re being invited to the White House.”
For more details and to watch the full episode, recorded on May 19, click here or on the image above.
State offers FAQ sheet on trial court funding review
Michigan’s State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) has provided a detailed list of responses to FAQs to address local government inquiries.
To ensure SCAO recommendations are suitable for all stakeholders, MAC is requesting that MAC members review the attached FAQs and share any questions or concerns you may have. MAC has engaged in the trial court funding reform process dating back to the 2019 Trial Court Funding Commission Recommendations and will continue to do so as SCAO recommends court funding changes to the Legislature.
SCAO anticipates conducting additional rounds of stakeholder engagement and feedback through June and July and submitting final recommendations and legislative proposals to the legislature in October. MAC will continue to advocate for local control and sustainable funding as alternative funding for trial courts is considered.
For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.
MAC offices closed on Memorial Day
MAC’s offices in Lansing will close at noon on Friday, May 23 to begin observance of the Memorial Day weekend. MAC’s offices will reopen on Tuesday, May 27 at 8 a.m.
Webinar to feature Detroit report on preventing overdoses
Dr. Grenae Dudley, President and CEO of The Youth Connection, has been a driving force in expanding naloxone access and overdose prevention education across Detroit’s most vulnerable communities. In a presentation on June 16, she will share insights on how harm reduction strategies like naloxone training/distribution and drug take back initiatives are saving lives across the city.
The free webinar will run from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST. Click here to register.
Communities across Michigan are receiving funds from recent opioid settlements that should be used to support evidence-based programs for preventing or treating opioid-related harms. The goal of this series is to share information and assist county, city, and township officials who have received settlement funding and are involved and/or interested in learning more about evidence-based practices and strategies to help remediate opioid overdoses in their communities.
For more information about this event, please contact Erin Marks at erinmarks@wayne.edu.
Four counties land EPA grants for brownfields work
Four Michigan counties were among recipients of federal grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The four were among six successful applications out of 20 from the state for 2025 awards from EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup program.
- Cass County received $300,000 for work focused on Dowagiac and Cassopolis.
- Crawford County received $300,000 for work focused on the I-75 Business Corridor and Grayling Industrial Park.
- Marquette County received $400,000 with a focus on the Ishpeming and Sawyer.
- Ottawa County received the largest award, $500,000, for worked focus on Grand Haven and Holland including a 17-acre site that formerly housed a coal-fired power plant.
For questions about MAC’s grant services, contact Gabriel Zawadzki at zawadzki@micounties.org.
Staff picks
- Drug overdose deaths down hugely in Michigan and across nation (Detroit Free Press)
- How a California county eliminated PFAS from the water supply (Governing)
- Is Michigan getting the most out of its road funding? A closer look at the data (Citizens Research Council of Michigan)
- Five years after Edenville, Michigan dams remain a ‘ticking time bomb’ (MLive)