Tuscola County’s Matthew Bierlein is sworn in by Judge Amy Gierhart as his wife, Mindy, and children look on. (Rod Sanford Photography)

The Michigan Association of Counties (MAC) elected board officers for its 2017-18 term and added two new board members at the MAC Annual Conference, held Sept. 24-26 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Matthew Bierlein, a Tuscola County commissioner, was sworn in as MAC’s 110^th president since the organization’s founding on Feb. 1, 1898. During his first address as president to the association, Bierlein called for greater engagement with all of Michigan’s 622 county commissioners.

Joining Bierlein on the board’s executive team are: First Vice President Ken Borton, an Otsego County commissioner; Second Vice President Veronica Klinefelt of Macomb County; and Immediate Past President Shelley Taub, an Oakland County commissioner.

“Our new leadership team brings a great variety of skills and experiences to our board,” said Stephan W. Currie, MAC’s executive director. “We have a great team in place as we begin to implement our strategic plan adopted by the board at the Annual Conference.”

In board elections held at the conference, MAC members in attendance elected three new board members:

• Joe Bonovetz of Gogebic County
• Richard Schmidt of Manistee County
• Jim Storey of Allegan County

Also serving as directors on the board for the 2017-18 term are:

• Donald Disselkoen (Ottawa County)
• Philip Kuyers (Ottawa County)
• Christian Marcus (Antrim County)
• Joseph Palamara (Wayne County)
• Robert Showers (Clinton County)
• Joe Stevens (Dickinson County)
• Hugh Crawford (Oakland County)
• Vaughn Begick (Bay County)
• Stan Ponstein (Kent County)

For more information on MAC, visit www.micounties.org.

Stephan Currie addresses the audience at the 16th MSAE Diamond Awards after accepting his honor as Strategic Association Leader for 2017.

Stephan W. Currie, executive director of the Michigan Association of Counties, was honored Sept. 14 as the 2017 Strategic Association Leader by the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE).

Currie received the honor during the 16th annual MSAE Diamond Awards at The Henry Hotel in Dearborn. The award is presented to an association leader who, in MSAE’s words, “has demonstrated the ability and commitment to going beyond the expected standards of service and professionalism. The award reflects outstanding leadership and achievement in association management. Strategic association leaders serve MSAE and encourage their staff to participate in the association community; contribute to other voluntary membership organizations; and participate in various civic and community affairs.”

In a letter in support of Currie’s nomination, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans noted, “Mr. Currie and his team at the Michigan Association of Counties provided invaluable expertise and support as we sought to reinvent our purchasing process. Our new state-of-the-art system is expected to save our taxpayers millions of dollars while making it easier for qualified contractors to do business with Wayne County.”

In his acceptance speech, Currie said, “I was shocked, and humbled, to learn I had been nominated and then honored. This award reflects the hard work and commitment of the entire MAC team.

Currie became MAC’s fourth executive director since 1968 on Jan. 1, 2017.

Deena Bosworth, director of governmental affairs

State leaders have put Michigan, county leaders and themselves in a difficult position after years of failing to invest resources in local services, MAC’s Deena Bosworth told a Bloomberg News reporter this week.

In a story detailing the coming crunch on Michigan’s General Fund, Bosworth said, “You can cut services, you can say you’re no longer going to have a court system, foster care. But there’s really not a lot more you can do without more revenue.’’

Bosworth was speaking in the context of the limitations in Proposal A and Headlee that have made it virtually impossible for counties to recover the property revenue crash of the Great Recession, even as Michigan property values are recovering.

“We’re running at 60 percent of what tax revenues were 10 years ago,’’ Bosworth said, referring to the inflation-adjusted revenue figures for a typical county in Michigan.

To read the entire piece, reproduced with permission from Daily Tax Report (Copyright 2017 by The Bureau of National Affairs, http://www.bna.com), click here.

Steve Currie

Michigan needs to tailor long-term solutions to the specific circumstances of local governments struggling to cover pension and OPEB liabilities said the Michigan Association of Counties in response to the new report of a gubernatorial task force.

Gov. Rick Snyder’s Task Force on Responsible Retirement Reform for Local Government met over the winter and spring to study unfunded liabilities exceeding $14 billion for pensions, health and other benefits for employees. The group’s report properly notes that:

• “As local units across the state are unique and at different stages in dealing with this problem, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution – we must be flexible in our approach.” (page 3)
• “Attention should focus on the local units experiencing the greatest fiscal stress as it relates to pension and OPEB liabilities.” (page 3)

“It’s important for legislators and citizens to understand that there’s no overnight fix to this issue,” said Stephan W. Currie, MAC’s executive director.

Currie, who served on the 23-member panel, added, “A ‘one-size-for-all’ approach will not work for everyone, which the report rightly highlights. For example, most of our 83 county members either are in solid shape in setting aside money for these commitments or did not extend them in the first place. We need to start with a system that identifies the governments struggling with legacy costs, as is urged in the report.

“MAC is appreciative of the opportunity to participate with a diverse group of stakeholders and looks forward to working with the governor, legislators and others in the ongoing pursuit of stable funding.”

The full report and additional details are available at the governor’s website.

For more information on the Michigan Association of Counties, visit www.micounties.org.