The Michigan Association of Counties (MAC)

Legislative Update 11-11-22

Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

Plenty of new faces on county boards

Click on image for full size map.

There will be plenty of new faces around county board tables come January following the Nov. 8 General Election. Most boards will continue to be controlled by Republicans.

A MAC review of unofficial election results shows 199 new names among the 619 county commissioner slots for 2023-24. This reflects a turnover rate of 32% turnover, which is higher than a usual election cycle but not extraordinary for the first election after a reapportionment process.

See unofficial list of commissioners here.

After the 2020 Census, county reapportionment boards redrew commissioner districts and, cumulatively, reduced the total number of seats from 622 in 2022 to 619 for the next decade.

And most of those seats will be held by Republicans.

For the coming term, the partisan breakdown is:

  • 448 – Republican (up 10 from pre-election totals in 2022)
  • 158 – Democratic (down 11)
  • 11 – No Partisan Affiliation (down 3)
  • 2 – Vacant (to be filled by appointment)

Republicans will control boards in 67 counties, while Democrats will have majorities in 13. Neither major party will have a majority in Iron, Menominee or Presque Isle counties.

 

Voters give Democrats full control of Legislature for 2023

Election night in Michigan led to historic results for state government in 2023, as Democrats will have full control of the Michigan Legislature for the first time since the early 1980s.

Democrats will claim 56 seats in the 110-seat House of Representatives and 20 seats in the 38-member Senate.

In the executive branch offices, Democrats swept the top three, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel all winning in unofficial results.

There will be 24 former county commissioners serving in the Legislature in January, MAC’s “County Caucus.” They are:

Sen.-elect Veronica Klinefelt (D-Macomb); Sen-elect Sue Shink (D-Washtenaw); Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Washtenaw); Sen.-elect Sarah Anthony (D-Ingham); Sen. Jim Runestad (R-Oakland); and Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Oakland).

Rep.-elect Jason Morgan (D-Washtenaw); Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Washtenaw); Rep.-elect Dale Zorn (R-Lenawee); Rep. Christine Morse (D-Kalamazoo); Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo); Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Calhoun); Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Jackson); Rep. Robert Bezotte (R-Livingston); Rep.-elect Thomas Kuhn (R-Oakland); Rep. David Martin (R-Genesee); Rep. Kara Hope (D-Ingham); Rep.-elect Penelope Tsernoglou (D-Ingham); Rep.-elect Phil Skaggs (D-Kent); Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw); Rep.-elect Matthew Bierlein (R-Tuscola); Rep.-elect Curt VanderWall (R-Mason); Rep.-elect Betsy Coffia (D-Grand Traverse); and Rep. Ken Borton (R-Otsego).

Sen.-elect Klinefelt, Rep.-elect. Bierlein and Rep. Borton also are former presidents of the MAC Board of Directors.

See a complete list of unofficial winners in all the Michigan House and Senate.

Look for more details and analysis on the legislative impacts for counties in upcoming Legislative Update emails and future editions of Michigan Counties magazine.

 

Legislative caucuses choose leaders for 2023-24 term

Members of the incoming Legislature gathered in Lansing Thursday to select leaders for the new term, the first in decades in which Democrats will be the majority in both legislative chambers.

Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Kent) will serve as the first Democratic Senate majority leader since 1984 and will be the first female to ever fill the position. She completed three terms in the House from 2012-2018, joining the Senate the following year. Alongside her will be Sen.-elect Sam Singh (D-Ingham) as majority floor leader, whose role is to assemble the session agenda. He also served in the House from 2012-2018, gaining leadership experience as minority leader in 2017 and 2018.

Sen. Aric Nesbitt (R-Van Buren) will assume the role of Senate minority leader. It has been widely accepted since at least 2020 that he would serve his caucus in the top position, whether his party was victorious or not. Sen. Dan Lauwers (R-St. Clair) is the current majority floor leader and will continue his duties while in the minority. Other minority leadership seats include Sen. Roger Victory (R-Ottawa) as whip and Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lapeer) as caucus chair.

In another historic win, Rep. Joe Tate (D-Wayne) will be the first ever black man to hold the position of speaker of the House. This will be his third term as representative, most recently serving as minority vice chair in the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-Wayne) will also be making history as the highest-ranking Muslim in the Michigan Legislature, serving as majority floor leader.

Rep. Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) has been chosen to serve as House minority leader. Like Nesbitt in the Senate, his name has dominated the conversation around the GOP caucus’ top spot, and the party’s loss doesn’t seem to have swayed the caucus to vote differently. The minority floor leader will be Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Kent). Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Jackson), a former county commissioner, will be caucus whip, and Rep. Ken Borton (R-Otsego), a former MAC Board president, will be caucus chair.

 

Senate panel OKs Veteran Service Fund changes

The County Veteran Service Fund, established by the legislature in 2018, was created to encourage counties to establish and maintain County Veteran Service Offices. The fund ensures that counties are eligible for a $50,000 grant annually, plus additional funding based on the number of veterans living within the county.

On Thursday, the Senate Local Government Committee approved House Bill 6377, by Rep. Roger Hauck (R-Isabella), which would modify the distribution structure of the County Veteran Service Fund.

Under HB 6377, counties must maintain a minimum county veteran service funding level of 70 percent of the funding level from FY 2017 in order to receive the $50,000 grant from the County Veteran Service Fund. The 70 percent funding level requirement was previously only for FYs 2021 and 2022. HB 6377 extends the requirement to FY 2023 and beyond.

The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration. Although there are few session days left, we are hopeful that the bill will make it to the governor’s desk before the end of the year.

For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

Podcast 83 breaks down effects of historic election

MAC’s Podcast 83 team delves into the implications for county governments of Michigan’s historic 2022 elections, in which Democrats won full control of the Legislature for the first time in 40 years.

Host Stephan Currie and the MAC Governmental Affairs Team of Deena Bosworth, Madeline Fata and Samantha Gibson discuss the Democratic win’s effects on such issues as:

  • Action in the “lame duck” days of the concluding legislative session
  • Prospects for restoring remote meeting options under the Open Meetings Act
  • Size of MAC’s “County Caucus” in the new Legislature
  • Fate of discussions on another state supplemental spending bill

See the video session, taped on Nov. 9, 2022, here.

Previous episodes in 2022 can be seen at MAC’s YouTube Channel.

And you always can find details about Podcast 83 on the MAC website.

 

Michigan counties join Operation Green Light campaign

Michigan counties joined with counterparts across the country this week in Operation Green Light, a demonstration of support for the nation’s veterans by lighting buildings green and encouraging others to do the same.

Kent County’s participation extended to the front porch of Commissioner (and MAC President) Stan Ponstein’s home (photo at right).

Other Michigan counties participating were Saginaw, Oakland, Dickinson, Midland and Iron.

MAC congratulates these counties, and any others who participated, for showing their support of members of our armed services, past and present.

 

 

Legislative Update 11-4-22

Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, MACSC, Marketing, NACo

AG opinion applies to county boards of canvassers

We know many of you are all too familiar with the upcoming festivities, but this is a friendly reminder that Election Day is just around the corner! Polls open at 7 a.m., and close at 8 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 8. While county clerks and municipal officials really run the show at the polls, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the roles and responsibilities county commissioners have in the elections process.

As you know, county commissioners appoint members to their county board of canvassers. Each county board consists of four persons, two from each major political party. Members of the board of canvassers are responsible for determining that all precincts have returned their votes and those votes have been counted. Once that has been completed, the board of canvassers must certify the election.

The Attorney General’s Office recently shared an unpublished opinion reaffirming the role of Michigan Board of State Canvassers and its ministerial duties to certify the election in a disinterested manner. In other words, members of the board have a clear legal duty to serve the public free from their own personal or philosophical beliefs. The opinion also states that if an individual on the Michigan Board of State Canvassers fails or refuses to perform their duties, they are not entitled to taxpayer-funded legal representation.

After consulting legal professionals, we have determined that the attorney general’s opinion is applicable to county-level boards of canvassers. This means that your appointees will be held to the same standards in this election, and future ones.

 

Nearly 30 counties have millage asks on Nov. 8 ballot

Across Michigan, voters in 29 counties will determine the fate of millage proposals on Nov. 8.

Voters in Bay County have the most decisions to make, as they are being presented five different millage requests that are a mix of new taxes, expansion of existing ones or simple renewals.

In Chippewa County, voters are being asked to renew a 6.15 mill operational levy for the county, the single largest rate request in data collected by the Gongwer News Service.

In Kalamazoo County, voters are being asked to approve an increase in their county’s operational millage for the next 20 years to a total rate of 4.85 mills.

And in Roscommon County is asking its voters to compensate for Headlee amendment rollbacks on its operating millage, moving it to 4.6 mills (the rate that existed in 1978) from the current 3.5 mills.

Common subjects for special millage requests this cycle include support of medical care facilities; veterans services; ambulance services; services for the aging; and public safety measures.

See complete list of county millage requests on Nov. 8 ballot.

 

MAC brings on adviser to assist counties on opioids planning

Dolinky

In partnership with a global public health organization, the Michigan Association of Counties has brought aboard a technical adviser to assist counties on strategies to best employ funds from the opioids settlement.

Amy Dolinky recently joined Vital Strategies, a public health organization from the CDC Foundation and will be posted to MAC’s Lansing offices as she begins efforts on the “development of a county-level opioids settlement funds strategy in collaboration with local jurisdictions and coordinating resources with state leadership, local philanthropies, and technical assistance partners for maximizing and prioritizing of opioid settlement funds.”

Dolinky served as a senior adviser on the Michigan Opioids Strategy at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Loyola University New Orleans and a master’s in public policy and administration in global health from Northwestern University.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our members as they begin to work out how best to serve their communities with the millions of dollars they are receiving through the national settlement,” said MAC Executive Director Stephan Currie. “Amy’s work will be an excellent complement to the settlement resources we have been collecting and sharing with our members for months.”

Members can reach Dolinky through the MAC offices or by email at dolinky@micounties.org.

MAC understands the critical nature of addressing the nation’s overdose crisis and the impact across the state and within Michigan’s local communities. With more than 2,900 lives lost to overdose in 2021, MAC is dedicated to increasing support and assisting in capacity building within the counties of Michigan.

To see county-level data of overdose-related deaths, emergency department visits and emergency medical service responses, visit the state of Michigan’s Overdose Data to Action Dashboard.

 

MAC offices will close to mark Veterans Day

MAC’s Lansing offices will be closed on Friday, Nov. 11 to mark Veterans Day.

Normal office hours will resume at 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.

 

Legislative Update 10-28-22

Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, Marketing, NACo

MAC signs letter to state asking for more juvenile justice beds

Michigan is short vital resources for juvenile offenders and the state needs to act, MAC and nine other associations told Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in a letter sent this month.

The letter expressed concern with the lack of short-term local juvenile detention resources and out-of-home placement opportunities for highest-risk youth and warned of a system-wide crisis due to the addition of the 17-year-old population in the juvenile justice system and the closing of state and private treatment beds across the state. In many instances, short-term detention facilities operated by courts and counties are housing youth for months at a time, as opposed to days and weeks as they are intended to. The bed shortage has led courts throughout Michigan to go without proper placement for the highest-risk delinquent youth.

Local courts, counties and other stakeholders have been persistent in their efforts to resolve the shortage of beds. The circumstances that have led to this point, including lack of staffing, Raise the Age legislation, COVID restrictions and new rules and regulations have resulted in a critical shortage that is harming communities and juveniles, some of whom have mental health challenges.

The letter urges Whitmer, MDHHS and legislators to take act and work alongside stakeholders to address the bed shortage crisis with both short- and long-term solutions.

For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

MAC needs members’ voices to help block mental health privatization

County leaders’ voices are needed right now to prevent a looming compromise that would privatize Michigan’s local mental health services.

A compromise deal involving Senate Bills 597 and 598 by Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Jackson) and House Bills 4925-4928 (by Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Allegan) could result in new legislation that would damage mental health services in Michigan. SBs 597-598 would shift financial administration of Medicaid mental health services to private Medicaid health plans, taking away public accountability and local governance and replacing it with for-profit private insurance companies.

The potential deal would likely move all of children’s Medicaid services, including autism and foster care, over to private insurance companies, and the state would create one statewide entity to manage the remaining populations, essentially transitioning from 10 Pre-paid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHP) to one PIHP.

MAC opposes any attempt to shift toward privatization of our local public mental health system, and we urge members to contact their legislators to share their opposition as well.

For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

Early-bird pricing now available for NACo Legislative Conference

The National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference brings together nearly 2,000 elected and appointed county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and our residents.

The 2023 conference will be Feb. 11-14 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

And until Dec. 10, 2022, the NACo member rate is $520.

At the event, attendees have the opportunity to engage in second-to-none policy sessions, meet the members of the 118th Congress and interact with federal agency officials. This is a one-of-a-kind advocacy opportunity to strengthen our intergovernmental partnerships for years to come.

Registration link: https://www.naco.org/events/2023-legislative-conference

Schedule link: https://www.naco.org/events/schedule/257320

 

Local government webinar to focus on blight, housing, outdoor grants

In partnership with the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Association of Counties and the Michigan County Road Association, the Michigan Department of Treasury is pleased to announce the 18th joint webinar, “Updates and Resources for Local Governments” for Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. (Eastern).

The Updates and Resources for Local Governments webinar series is designed to provide local government leaders and officials with the information, tools, and resources necessary to make important decisions at the local level. The upcoming webinar will focus on a selection of grants that are available to local governments through various State departments.

Specific topics covered will include:

  • Outdoor Public Spaces Grant Opportunity – SPARK (MDNR) – grants to help local communities to create, renovate or redevelop public outdoor spaces
  • Blight Elimination Grant – State Land Bank Authority is administering grants to local communities to address vacant and deteriorated properties
  • Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Grants
    • MI Hope – energy efficient home repair grants eligible to nonprofits and local governments
    • Missing Middle Housing – housing production program designed to address the general lack of attainable housing and housing challenges underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing the supply of housing stock by providing cost defrayment to developers constructing or substantially rehabbing properties targeted to household incomes between 185% and 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
    • Housing and Community Development Fund – developing and coordinating resources to meet the affordable housing needs of low-income households eligible to nonprofit and for-profit developers, municipalities, land banks, and community development financial institutions

Participants can register and submit questions prior to the webinar by clicking here.  

Presentations and recordings from this webinar, along with previous webinars, can be found at TREASURY – Webinars (michigan.gov). Utilize TREASURY – Contact Information (michigan.gov) for support related to Treasury’s local government services. 

 

Registration opens for 2022 edition of New Commissioner School

Blog, Events, MAC news

MAC is again partnering with Michigan State University Extension to present the New Commissioner School for newly elected county officials in November and December.

“We are once again pleased to co-sponsor these important classes with MSU Extension,” said Stephan Currie, MAC’s executive director. “MAC will be holding a lunch at each of the in-person sites to brief attendees on all of our operations and support for commissioners.”

The 2022 program will offer a hybrid model for participants, who can be newly elected or veteran commissioners. The program will feature an introductory session via Zoom followed by access to the online learning modules. Then participants will have the opportunity to attend one of four locations for in-person learning and networking session with experts and experienced commissioners.

The program will feature an introductory session on Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. via zoom to help new commissioners learn what is available to them through the self-paced course and share a bit about the onsite learning and discussion opportunities.

Attendees at the in-person sessions will hear the latest from Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Association of Counties and expand learning through focused discussion with experts and experienced commissioners around:

  • Use of ARPA Funds
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Economic Development and Housing
  • Preparing for Meetings
  • Other local hot topics developed through discussion.

The four in-person sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The sessions are scheduled for:

  • 28: Bavarian Inn and Conference Center, One Covered Bridge Lane, Frankenmuth, MI 48734
  • 29: BayPointe Inn, 11456 Marsh Road, Shelbyville, MI 49344
  • 5: Landmark Inn, 230 N. Front St., Marquette, MI 49855
  • 12: Kirtland College, 4800 W 4 Mile Road, Grayling, MI 49738

Full schedule details and registration are available at https://events.anr.msu.edu/ncs/.

 

Legislative Update 10-21-22

Blog, Events, Legislative, MAC news, Marketing, NACo

MAC speaks in favor of Open Meetings Act rewrite

MAC testified in the Michigan House this week in support of legislation to update the state’s Open Meetings Act.

House Bill 6423, by Rep. Julie Calley (R-Ionia), contains few substantive policy changes but is a full, linguistic and stylistic rewrite of the act. Calley has told MAC and others that her goal was to remove the overly complicated legalese in the act, making it easier to interpret and prevent any inadvertent violations.

The House Committee on Rules and Competitiveness is reviewing the measure, which has prompted feedback from MAC, the Michigan Townships Association, the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan Association of School Boards. MAC continues to work with Calley on the bill.

MAC will post updates on this issue when the Legislature returns to Lansing after the General Election.

For more information on this issue, contact Madeline Fata at fata@micounties.org.

 

State puts out call for nonpartisan poll workers

Michigan is still in critical need of poll workers for the Nov. 8 General Election, the Michigan Department of State tells MAC.

County leaders are encouraged to promote the state’s nonpartisan MVP poll worker recruitment program. Election clerks are staffing and training now, so it’s the perfect time to share this opportunity. Looking forward to hearing from you on this.

The MVP stakeholder toolkit is available online at the link above, just look under “Stakeholder Resources.”

For questions on this program, contact Sarah Reinhardt of the Department of State at reinhardts@michigan.gov.

 

County leaders sought for NACo group studying opioid crisis

As the opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities large and small, the National Association of Counties is increasing its response to the crisis with the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network.

The Leadership Network will be formed from up to 26 county officials selected by NACo to attend virtual and in-person convenings (travel reimbursed) to explore members’ opioid response efforts and share strategies for scaling and replicating these strategies in members’ home jurisdictions.

Applications will be taken from interested county leaders until Nov. 9. To download the application form, click here.

For latest updates and news on the opioid national settlement and related matters, visit MAC’s Opioid Settlement Resource Center. For questions on opioid issues, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

Shine a light for America’s veterans on Nov. 11

This coming Veterans Day, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO) invite the nation’s 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs to join Operation Green Light and show support for veterans by lighting our buildings green Nov. 7-13. By shining a green light, county governments and our residents will let veterans know that they are seen, appreciated and supported. 

To show support, counties can use this template to pass a resolution declaring your county’s participation in Operation Green Light. 

NACo is offering a toolkit online for counties to get the word out. The toolkit includes a blueprint for declaring a resolution in your county; sending out press releases; writing a letter to the editor to your local newspaper; writing a letter to Congress; and posting information on social media.

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency offers an online search tool to aid veterans and others in finding their nearest veteran service officer. 

 

Dec. 1 deadline looms for counties to challenge broadband maps

Counties will have until Dec. 1 to challenge broadband maps developed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) as part of the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) process, which will guide the distribution of billions of infrastructure dollars.

The latest map of availability, commonly called the “Fabric,” will be made available in November 2022, the FCC says.  To learn more about how your county can gather and submit data, visit https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/governments.

More than $42 billion has been allocated from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to expand broadband access across the country through the BEAD program, of which Michigan would receive $1.5 billion. These funds will be prioritized for unserved and underserved communities, so the FCC and Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) must have a clearer picture of broadband service coverage and gaps.

For more information on this issue, contact Madeline Fata at fata@micounties.org.

 

Trial court funding approved by Gov. Whitmer

Michigan trial courts will continue to have the authority to impose fees, a critical funding element, until May 1, 2024, under House Bill 5956, a MAC-backed bill signed by Gov. Whitmer on October 7.

HB 5956, by Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Jackson), was designed to address the crisis caused by the looming expiration of fee authority on Oct. 1. Courts have long relied on fees to help fund operations. In 2014, the Michigan Supreme Court said, however, that courts could levy only fees specifically designated by the Legislature. MAC led a coalition to enact a legislative fix that was adopted in the fall. That legislation, to place “reasonably related” costs, has been extended twice already.

For cases between Oct 1 (the original sunset date). and Oct. 7 (the governor’s signature date), the State Court Administrator’s Office released a memo advising that a court’s ability to assess court costs must be resolved by the judge assigned to the case in question.

MAC thanks members who have reached out to their legislators, either directly or via MAC’s digital advocacy tool, in support of court funding.

For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

Governor approves county mental health transportation panels

County boards of commissioners now have the authority to establish a county mental health transportation panel under House Bill 4414, by Rep. Beau LaFave (R-Dickinson), which was approved by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Oct. 14.

MAC backed HB 4414, which complements Senate Bill 101, by Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Dickinson), now PA 146 of 2022.

For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

Marquette County receives national award

Marquette County has recently honored with the Rural Justice Advisory Council Community Innovation Award by The National Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC). The award is given to county courts and health care providers “who have worked to improve access to behavioral health, reducing victimization, facilitating education and employment opportunities for justice involved individuals, eliminating barriers to accessing justice, reducing incarceration and recidivism and facilitating reentry.”

Marquette County’s recognition is well-deserved. They have created a Jobs Court, established a program to divert mentally ill individuals from incarceration with the help of a Crisis Intervention Team and provided behavioral health services to all defendants. Their efforts have reduced incarceration and recidivism rates, helped defendants convicted of low-level and nonviolent offenses find employment and given defendants access to social workers and mental health care.

MAC congratulates Marquette County for its diligent work to improve the mental and behavioral health programs within their justice system.

For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.

 

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