PODCAST 83

Special Episode on Acrisure’s Services on Managing HR Risks – Released on 8/18/26 

A new episode of Podcast 83 explores the growing human resources challenge in county government and features a MAC Corporate Partner positioned to help members address it.

Keying off a presentation made at the MAC Legislative Conference in April, Acrisure’s Sarah Kline and Paul Bragenzer spoke with host Stephan Currie about the need for counties to be in transition mode today to avoid big trouble tomorrow.

“Statistically speaking, about 37 percent of organizations, both in the public and private sector, are going to have leaders that are retiring, in the next 10 years,” said Kline. “And only about 30 percent of organizations actually have a true perpetuation plan. So, we see that as an area of risk for counties, especially.

“And the reason why we wanted to bring that topic into today’s podcast is it really resonated with the folks (at the conference),” she continued. “So … we could see the wheels turning as they were having conversations at their tables that we felt like that topic resonated with them.”

“Let’s talk a little bit about risk management. What risks and safety concerns come from these generational risks?” Currie asked.

“Well, it’s, very interesting to see when an organization has a specific mindset and structure, where information and knowledge is housed in a few people, and then when that person leaves,” replied Bragenzer. “There goes some information that does not then get passed down throughout the organization, so consequently, there’s disharmony.”

Acrisure, Kline explained, focuses on helping counties and others maintain a “safety culture” in everyday operations: “If you walk into the building on your first day or into that job, are we exhibiting that culture as everyone is interacting, and are we also creating that as part of their onboarding and just so that it’s something that is all the way from the beginning, they know what to expect and what the culture is going to be. That’s a great foundation for bringing up those future leaders and making sure that we minimize that risk from a perpetuation standpoint.”

Special Episode on CoProPlus’ Procurement Services for Counties – Released on 8/4/26

Helping county staffs address the conundrum of rising prices and limited procurement budgets is the focus of Podcast 83’s newest episode.

Shawn Vaughn and Austin Brown of PPIM/CoProPlus joined MAC’s Stephan Currie for a discussion on how their firms can help you keep the bills in check and the proverbial shelves stocked.

“The Public Procurement Institute of Michigan (is) a Michigan-based nonprofit … that exists to support people who are responsible for public purchasing, whether they’re public procurement professionals, a finance director, administrators, clerks or department leaders who wear multiple hats,” explained Vaughn.

“Let’s talk about that a little bit,” said Currie, “because there are varying capacities of government agencies out there. Some have procurement professionals, some don’t. So, what does your support look like in actual practice?”

“We’ve had to be very nimble and pivot, because the needs do change, of course,” replied Vaughn. “So, our goal is to make public procurement more accessible and less intimidating, especially for agencies with limited staff or limited procurement resources. We focus on three core areas: education, helpful resources and, my favorite, collaboration.

“One of our biggest priorities is providing that practical education that public agencies can put to use right away,” she continued. “A great example is our “Why It Matters” webinar series. So, rather than simply explaining procurement rules … We focus on why good procurement matters, and how it helps agencies make better decisions.”

“We’ve been a long proponent of CoProPlus,” said Currie. “I’ve worked with CoProPlus for a long time. Talk a little bit about the interaction between CoPro Plus and PPIM.”

“So, the PPIM ultimately is what exists to help public entities do the procurement that they want to do,” said Brown. “CoProPlus is the cooperative program and the vehicle that helps them do that. We’ve got about a little over 170 contracts that exist within our portfolio. And it’s a wide variety of different contracts that are available. So, a lot of what Shawn has mentioned is what PPIM is tasking people with: Can you procure more efficiently within your own organizations, whether that’s going through the bidding process or using resources that are already available to you. And then, sometimes that is looking at cooperative contract usage, and that’s where the CoPro Plus program exists.”

Special Episode on Nationwide’s Retirement Services to Counties – Released on 7/21/26

A changing retirement landscape, both in business circles and government regulations, makes the role of in-state team of advisers even more important for county governments and their employees, said two representatives of Nationwide Retirement Solutions in a new episode of Podcast 83.

“There have been a lot of changes in the retirement plan landscape recently due to legislation, specifically the SECURE Act,” said Ken Kelbel, a longtime Nationwide staffer in Michigan who was recently promoted to oversee Michigan operations. “You have Secure Act 1, and then Secure Act 2.0. So, there’s a lot more opportunity for us to actually help county government structure plans that are kind of more modern today that incorporate new investment options and lifetime income benefits, which is a new innovation that we’ve had at Nationwide …

“It’s really having that sort of local presence,” Kelbel continued. “Everyone on my team lives in Michigan. We’re committed to that local service model.”

Nationwide also is aiding counties by making money management simpler, said Greg Watson.

“(A) focus for me is what I’ll call consolidation efforts, and for those of you that are familiar with this marketplace, you know, over the years, the public sector 457 market has been thought of as kind of a payroll slot type … Oftentimes, a county might approve multiple providers to have payroll slots within that organization over time. So, you know, slowly and gradually, you turn around one day, and all of a sudden, you’ve got three, four or five providers that your employees have to choose from, Obviously, that’s challenging from the employee standpoint.

“And from the county standpoint,” he continued, “working with three or four or five different administrators. That can be a burden on the payroll team and other administrative staff that have to interact and essentially do everything five times, instead of just having one retirement plan partner.

“A great example of how that can be very successful in the state of Michigan: Last year, we finalized the transition consolidation of Emmett County, who had 457, 401A, multiple providers. … Now participants have a single point of contact for their retirement business, both the 457 and the 401,” Watson continued. “We can help them better understand their defined benefit pension benefits as well, with some of the calculators that we have. So, it kind of turns into a one-stop shop for both the county and the employees.”

You can learn more about Nationwide’s offerings by watching the full episode or by visiting their page on the MAC website.

Episode 145 – Released on 7/8/26

The newest episode of MAC’s Podcast 83 delves into the wins for counties out of the Legislature’s mad dash to a fiscal 2027 budget right before the holiday weekend.

“The overall budget, I believe, was less than previous year budget, correct?” asked host Stephan Currie.

“It was pretty much flat, with a $14.1 billion General Fund. That’s what we look at. We look at the General Fund, because that’s what they have some discretion over,” replied Deena Bosworth, MAC’s chief lobbyist.

“You had some increased pressures because of the One Big Beautiful Bill, financial pressures coming from federal changes. So, to make it out flat, I think is pretty good, plus there is still an option to get the (Revenue Sharing Trust Fund) done by the end of the year; that isn’t bad,” Currie said.

In other budget news:

• Public safety funding – “I’m very happy about that one,” Bosworth said. “That’s the continuation of the $11.7 million that goes out to counties for public safety revenue sharing grants. Now, it’s a line item in the budget, same as last year.
• Prosecutor funding – “What they did this year in the fiscal 27 budget is they added $3 million in addition to what they had appropriated before to make all of those counties that were eligible (for this funding) in 2025 and 2026 whole.”

Also in this week’s episode, two new team members were introduced: Davis Grimm and Maci Main.

Both Grimm and Main are coming to MAC from legislative offices and will work under Bosworth on the association’s advocacy team.

Special Episode on Savi Student Loan Services – Released on 6/30/26

With major changes coming to federal student loan programs on July 1, this week’s Podcast 83 episode features a MAC partner that aids counties and their employees in navigating loan repayment rules.

Savi is now operating in nine Michigan counties to aid county employees, or even all of a county’s residents, navigate the dizzying rules of loan repayments.

“We are a public benefits social impact company, really founded by a lot of student loan experts and policymakers, to help those many people out there struggling with student debt, trying to better understand their debt and all their options,” explained Savi’s Tony Raffa.

“Probably the most important thing is that collections are back on the table (as of July 1),” he continued. “The biggest concern here is that we’ve seen 9 million borrowers are currently in default nationally, so about 1 in 4 borrowers. We see about 25 percent of those in Michigan are in this boat. And what that means is it means these borrowers are not currently making student loan payments. Now, that has a few effects

“For starters, anyone who’s not making student loan payments is going to see an immediate hit to their credit score. We’ve seen, on average, credit scores dropping by 57 points, and as we continue to get deeper into defaults and delinquency, we will only see that number increase. We’ve even seen 2 million people go from prime to subprime credit scores.”

Episode 144 – Released on 6/23/26

The Michigan Legislature is another week closer to a statutory deadline for approving a fiscal 2027 budget and it’s not clear what is going on, reported MAC’s Podcast 83 team in a new episode.

“What is the latest on the budget?” asked host Stephan Currie.

“What we’re hearing is that they worked really hard all weekend to come up with agreements on big items and funding,” replied Deena Bosworth. “Now, how far into the weeds do they get? We’re not quite sure.

“We know the governor was really pushing to have housing included in these budget negotiations. We know the speaker was really pushing to have property tax reform in these budget negotiations,” she continued. “We have advocated, and I think others have advocated, that these are huge policy discussions that really should not be part of the budget conversations.”

This week’s episode also touched on:

• Brownfield redevelopment changes: “So, counties, cities, townships and villages would be eligible for these grants or a low-interest loan program, kind of like a revolving fund through the state,” Bosworth explained. “Grants (would be) up to about $2 million each, unless it’s a huge transformational package or transformational site. But it would allow locals to do some environmental cleanup, some remediation and then prep it for redevelopment.”
• Indigent defense resources for juveniles: “This one’s a tough one for us,” Bosworth said. “House Bill 4070 expands the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission’s authority to make recommendations for youth indigents who are going through the process. “MAC is supportive of expanding MIDC to youth,” she added. “But the state also has to pay for that. And we already know that we struggle with the authority of the Indigent Defense Commission, telling our counties what they can and can’t do within their facilities or their budget when it deals with dealing with indigent defendants. So, right now, we are opposed … because we don’t see where the state is necessarily going to allocate the funding necessary to implement it.”

Episode 143 – Released on 6/16/26

The state’s fiscal 2027 budget faces a July 1 deadline, but it’s not clear what that actually means for what will be in the document, say MAC’s Podcast 83 team members in a new episode.

“First and foremost, the budget, we’ve got an artificial deadline. I call it an artificial deadline. It is an actual statutory deadline of July 1, but there’s really nothing that puts any teeth in it if you (miss it),” said host Stephan Currie to open the episode, “as we saw last year when the budget got done on Oct. 8.

“What are we hearing on this year’s budget?”

“We are hearing making great progress. We are hearing that they are not talking at all. We are hearing, oh my goodness, we have lots of issues on the table and we’ll see what happens,” said Deena Bosworth. “We hear: ‘You know, we’re really going to get this done since it’s an election year, we’ll have the budget done by July 1.

“And then last week we heard, we could just do a few months of a budget and then come back and revisit it. So, yeah, we are hearing quite a bit,” she added.

“I will say this,” Bosworth said. “I think that they’re talking better now than they have been talking in years past. Don’t forget, for everyone out there, this is a discussion between the House, the Senate and the administration. Sometimes. conversations are great between two of those entities; sometimes, they are not great at all; and very rarely is it a good discussion between all three at the same time.”

Episode 142 – Released on 6/10/26

In a brief episode this week, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reviewed the state of play in Lansing on a variety of county issues, including a bid for statewide septic code, issues with a new marijuana wholesale tax and distribution of dollars used for substance abuse prevention.

Host Stephan Currie, who was traveling to the Upper Peninsula to visit several member counties, asked Deena Bosworth about a troubling report on marijuana taxes.

“There was a portion of some new money for roads coming from a marijuana tax, but we’ve got some problems there. What are the problems with the new marijuana tax money for roads?”

“The revenues are coming in, but they’re coming in significantly lower than what was anticipated,” Bosworth replied. “So, the first quarter payment came in, and I want to say it was $30 million shy of what they actually anticipated.

“And that makes a big difference for our county road departments and our county road commissions, who are anticipating this huge influx of dollars,” she continued, “Now, whether that is just because it’s the beginning of (tax collections), because there was so much controversy, or if it is something else. I don’t really know. … (B)ut I do know that there is a shortfall, and our members need to keep their eyes on that.”

Bosworth and Currie also discussed:

• House Bills 5099–5100, which would streamline an existing process in which dollars are shared with counties for substance abuse work and with the Huntington Place convention facility in Wayne County. “(The bills) basically get away with the legislative sunset (expiration) and allows them to continue doing their thing at Huntington Place and continues our revenue for our substance use disorder programs through the liquor tax. And that’s now into perpetuity, if that gets enacted, so that’s a good sign.”
• Legislation to alter mental health treatment protocols, which MAC and the Community Mental Health Association oppose.
• A bid by UP legislators to create the peninsula’s own Natural Resources Commission: “(The hearing on legislation) was really interesting conversation,” Bosworth said. “Of course, DNR is opposed to it, but the proponents argued that things are just very unique in that peninsula, and they’re not like the rest of the state.”

Special Episode on MAC Opioid Services – Released on 6/2/26

The release of a long-awaited state list on unallowed spending items and the expansion of MAC’s consulting services for opioid settlements highlight comments from MAC’s opioid services leader in a special Podcast 83 episode.

“We have the new document that was released by the (Attorney General’s Office) which is really what we would call an ‘unallowable use’ list. So, items or services that are not considered opioid remediation and really do put counties at risk if they are purchasing those types of items,” explained Amy Dolinky, MAC’s director of opioid services.

“But just because an item is not on the list does not make it necessarily allowable,” she added. “So, the guidance that’s been put out is really more about how to think about expenditures.”

“What if they spent something that is now showing up on a list. Is there going to be a clawback?” asked host Stephan Currie. “Should there be concerns there?”

“We haven’t heard anything from the AG’s Office that explicitly states what will happen if a county has already purchased something that’s on the unallowable use list, but I would imagine they would be looking at all expenditures moving forward, and not necessarily be looking back, as that guidance did not previously exist.”

In the episode, Dolinky also discussed how a new partnership with the state Department of Health and Human Services provides a major boost to MAC’s assistance to members.

“We were able to onboard Dan (Kelly), our new technical assistance specialist. And with that role, we’re able to start some key projects. The first of those will be regional cohorts, where counties will have an opportunity to connect not just with each other but also with townships and cities … and really look at what are some regional needs that may exist.”

Episode 141 – Released on 5/27/26

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.

Episode 140 – Released on 5/20/26

MAC’s Stephan Currie and Deena Bosworth discuss positive news coming out of the State Capitol in the newest episode of Podcast 83.

First, a key state panel determined on May 15 that lawmakers will have slightly more money in the fiscal 2027 General Fund than was expected in January.

“We anticipated a slight decrease in the General Fund availability for fiscal year 27,” said Bosworth. “The good news is, when all the wonderful economic minds that be got together and came up with their estimate, it’s not as bad as they thought it was going to be.

“They’re anticipating about $100 million more than they did in January,” she explained.

Currie and Bosworth also discussed the interplay this year of budget negotiations with some key county priorities.

“Most of the time, there are a handful … of things that rise to the top (in budget talks), and those things are decided by … the leaders in the chambers,” Bosworth said. “I think revenue sharing may be one of those this year, because there are some bills tied to those revenue sharing numbers.

“For a recap, the House passed out statutory revenue sharing for counties with a $19.5 million increase (for FY27). The Senate, on the other hand, passed out flat revenue sharing for us, so the same amount as last year, but they tied it to our Revenue Sharing Trust Fund bills. And those bills passed out of the Senate a few weeks ago, unanimously.”

Also addressed in this episode:

• A House hearing on a housing package that would bring numerous concerns for county authority and resources.

“This is one we don’t look to as, we’re not too friendly towards this one,” Currie said. “I think first you need to put down that letter opener when you talk about this, as it’s not too friendly, it’s a little intimidating,” Bosworth replied.

• A property tax proposal with potentially ominous financial consequences for counties.

Special Episode on American Fidelity Services to Counties – Released on 5/12/26

In a special episode of Podcast 83, Scott Adkins of American Fidelity talks with host Stephan Currie about how counties can use information to win the contest to attract and retain quality employees.

“American Fidelity … provides employer cost-saving solutions and supplemental insurance business benefits to industries,” Adkins said. “But we’re more than just an insurance company, Steve. Our goal is to empower employers to make benefit decisions that help both their organization and their employees.

“We help extend their HR department’s capacity,” Adkins continued. “We educate, enroll and support the development of competitive insurance packages, all while facilitating administrative efficiency and fostering positive employee experiences. We deliver year-round support, which helps employers overcome benefit administration and budget challenges and offer a different perspective than any of the other insurance companies you may deal with. We like to say we’re a different opinion.”

“So, let’s talk a little bit about supplemental insurance. You know, why should counties be thinking about supplemental insurance?” Currie asked. “When you just talked about county budgets are tight, it seems contradictory.”

“Local government employees often face things like lower wage growth compared to the private sector, high exposure to frontline work risks like public safety, public works, health care roles, and then also significant out of pocket medical expenses,” Adkins replied. “So, supplemental benefits can help fill the financial gaps created by major medical plans that they have, and these benefits help protect employees from sudden financial expenses, which can indirectly benefit the county.”

Episode 139 – Released on 5/5/26

Fresh off their first live taping at the 2026 Legislative Conference, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reconvened in their regular Zoom “studio” to discuss increasingly bright prospects for counties in the State Capitol.

“Budgets are getting done earlier than we’ve ever expected or would have thought so far out of the chambers, and a huge, huge win coming out of the Senate. Deena, why don’t you tell us about it,” said host Stephan Currie.

“Do I get to dance a little jig while I do it?” MAC’s Deena Bosworth retorted.

“So, the Senate went long (in session) and kicked out their omnibus budget along partisan lines, which we expected,” Bosworth continued. “But the best news is our Revenue Sharing Trust Fund bills passed out of the Senate unanimously. And I mean, that’s even better than how it came out of the House last term, which was four no votes out of 110, so I almost consider that unanimous. But it was a fantastic result. Just delighted to see it. It’s been our number one priority, our number one policy priority for many years running.

“And it looks like … It might finally be soup.”

Also in the episode, Currie and Bosworth reviewed:

• The first round of testimony on House Republican plans for property tax changes
• Prospects for statutory revenue sharing increases for fiscal 2027
• Possible state responses to the crisis with dams and other water infrastructure in Michigan
• Legislation aimed at boosting housing affordability by restricting local control on development rules

Episode 138 – Released on 4/30/26

MAC’s Podcast 83 made a bit of history this week, taping a new episode before a live audience at the 2026 Legislative Conference in Lansing on April 28.

Host Stephan Currie and panelists Deena Bosworth and Jimmy Johnson were introduced by MAC President Antoinette Wallace before they dove into a sweeping review of a legislative session now engrossed in budget work.

“The House, just last week, recommended a $19.5 million increase for county statutory revenue sharing, which is great,” Bosworth shared with a pleased audience.

“The Senate, on the other hand, is taking a very different approach,” she continued. “What they’re doing is saying another year of flat statutory revenue sharing for counties, but they are going to pass out the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund policy bills. So (we are) excited about that since it’s been our no. 1 policy priority and budget priority for many sessions running now!

“We saw activity in the Senate Appropriations Committee on those bills last week, and I’m happy to say it was a unanimous vote, both parties were unanimous to get it out of committee. I anticipate those bills to be up (in the full Senate later in the week of April 27) and be passed over to the house. (The legislation) passed out of the House overwhelmingly last session. So, theoretically, we should be in good shape, but you never know. …

“And the importance for that is this that ties our statutory revenue sharing to the revenue that the state takes in via the state sales tax. So, if the state sales tax goes up, our revenue sharing goes up, because we’ve seen, far too often, our revenue sharing cut at the last minute in that conference committee and diverted to other priorities. And it’s not anything that you guys can rely on for growth. This will protect those funds in a trust fund, and then it can only be expended for that purpose.”

Currie pivoted the conversation to an even more vital source of county funding ― property taxes: “There have been a couple property tax packages introduced. The governor introduced one, which was a property tax break for seniors. The House has a property tax package now that does a whole bunch of different things. So why don’t you talk a little bit about the property tax packages out there?”

“The governor had recommended in her budget a property tax cut for seniors that would amount to, you know, maybe about $300 per year for seniors, which is great,” Bosworth replied. “But it is based on eligibility. The House, on the other hand, just a couple of weeks ago, dropped a larger package of property tax reform bills, and Speaker (Matt Hall) has been very vocal about his intent to tackle property taxes … In his package, he primarily focuses on the state portion of property taxes, so that 6 mill State Education Tax that everyone pays on your property tax bill, he’s talking about eliminating it. He’s talking about eliminating the state portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax. … And then he’s talking about eliminating all Personal Property Tax on equipment. That is going to be a chunk of change for everyone in this room, for your county budgets.”

Episode 137 – Released on 4/21/26

With the Legislature back from spring break, attention in Lansing has turned to budgets, reports MAC’s Podcast 83 in a new episode.

“We’re starting to see some movement on budgets, in a significantly earlier time frame, I would say, than last year,” said host Stephan Currie, “which, fingers crossed, is a good sign to getting a budget agreement done maybe earlier than last year (when the budget work extended into October).”

“Steve, I love your optimism,” replied Deena Bosworth, MAC’s governmental affairs director.

“They’re both starting to move budgets for fiscal 2027 already in April, but that’s prior to the May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (on May 15),” she continued. “So, do they know how much money they have? I don’t think that they do. …

“But for us, it’s an increase in statutory revenue sharing (of $19.8 million). It’s an increase in the Public Safety Trust Fund dollars (of $2.5 million), which we’re very happy to see … in a year where we were expecting flat or perhaps even cuts. We’re happy to see that they’re prioritizing local governments in the House.

“But I’m not quite sure how long that’s going to last. They still have to go through the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, and they’ve got to negotiate with the Senate,” Bosworth explained.

“On the Senate side, I am anticipating a flat revenue sharing recommendation … But what I have been told and assured is that they’re going to vote on our Revenue Sharing Trust Fund bills, Senate Bills 559-561.

“And what those bills do is tie our statutory revenue sharing to a percentage of the state sales tax. If the state sales tax goes up, for example this year, we expect it to go up by 10 percent, and our revenue sharing will go up by 10 percent,” she said.

Special Episode on Local Government Finance Report – Released on 4/14/26

Michigan counties are leaving the era of COVID-prompted aid with good balance sheets, says a University of Michigan researcher in a new Podcast 83 episode.

But with that federal assistance winding down, the role that property taxes play in county operations becomes every more paramount, noted Stephane Leiser, director the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP).

Leiser was commenting on the findings in “The Fiscal Health of Local Governments,” which studied survey data from counties and other local governments for the years 2022-2024.

“Just starting with property taxes, obviously counties are generally more reliant on property taxes than other types of jurisdictions,” Leiser noted to Podcast host Stephan Currie. “
So, I’m just looking at the data in Table 11 in our report, and we find for counties at the median, they’re getting almost 60 percent of revenue from property taxes.

“There’s a pretty big range to that, though,” she continued. “It kind of ranges from about 40 percent on the low end to almost 75 percent on the high end. … So, you know, the property tax in general has pros and cons as a revenue source, right? It’s relatively stable. It’s relatively predictable. It’s easy to forecast. But it just doesn’t grow, right? It doesn’t keep up with inflation … due to Prop A and Headlee and all the constraints on revenue.

“So, you take the good with the bad when you’re relying on property taxes.”

Special Episode on 2030 Census Prep – Released on 4/7/26

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.”

Legislator Spotlight: Rep. Sarah Lightner – Released on 3/31/26 

Rep. Sarah Lightner, a former Jackson County commissioner and leading voice in the Republican majority in the Michigan House, recently joined Podcast 83 for a “Legislator Spotlight” to discuss court funding, the state budget and more.

Asked about her legislation to eliminate the current expiration for court authority to levy fees on defendants, Lightner said:

“This is nothing new. It’s a fight we have to have every about two years, in regard to collecting costs from defendants. … And to eliminate that (authority) would be counterproductive … (T)o me, the courts are a pay-to-play. You know, you screw up, you should pay for it. I shouldn’t have to pay for 100 percent of your stupidity.

“(S)o that’s one issue of why I continue to do the costs. The other is, I mean, you ultimately have to provide judicial services to your constituency. And it’s funny you bring up core funding. I actually had the (state court administrator) and legal counsel in my office for about an hour yesterday, going over some of this, and then talking about actually eliminating the sunset, because the current bill I have actually eliminates it rather than extending it, because to me, it’s one thing that judges already have judicial discretion to get rid of it, right? For individuals. But I don’t think it’s necessary for us to continue to keep coming back every couple of years to the Legislature and ask, ‘Oh, can we keep collecting costs?’” Lightner continued.

“I think it’s absolutely absurd that just because you’re in a different region of the state, an arraignment would cost three times more than it does in Ingham County, or Jackson County, or Calhoun County.”

Lightner also discussed the magnitude of expected cuts in the state’s fiscal 2027 budget, which legislators will resume their work on after their spring break ends April 14.

Episode 136 – Released on 3/24/26 

With the Legislature preparing for a two-week spring break, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reviewed activity in Lansing on election dates and the future of 13 Consumers Energy dams across Michigan and reviewed MAC’s state budget agenda for fiscal 2027.

Election legislation: “We’ve been talking about this for … seems like a month worth of podcasts now,” said Samantha Gibson. “Sen. Sam Singh (D-Ingham) and some bipartisan sponsors on a larger elections package that move the August primary up to May. There are some other bills in the package that are logistical changes that go along with it, but we were primarily tracking the primary election date change.

“MAC did not weigh in with a position on the bills, however, the county clerks’ association does support moving that primary up to May, and as we’ve talked about in previous weeks, it alleviates the burden that clerks face between that close August primary and November general.”

Dams: “There are 13 dams … most of them are up north,” said Deena Bosworth, “but these are those hydroelectric dams that need to have some significant improvements done to them. Consumers Energy has long talked about selling off those dams, and they now have a buyer.

“But the problem is the Department of Natural Resources is encouraging the Natural Resources Commission to oppose the sale of these dams. Which, you know, is kind of problematic. I mean, Consumers doesn’t want to do it. They don’t want to have to do all the improvements (federal regulators are) going to require. They want to be considerate to all those residents near and around those dams, because they’re used significantly for recreational opportunities for everyone,” Bosworth continued.

Budget: “We are expecting, post-spring break, a heavy dose of budget discussions to really get up and going and kind of take the air out of the room for the next few months, as we get closer to the July 1st deadline,” said Stephan Currie. “Let’s talk a little bit about some of our budget highlights … over the next couple months.”

“Revenue sharing is always at the top of the list,” replied Bosworth. “We’re concerned, because this would be another year of flat funding, at least according to what the governor has recommended. And we do know that the state budget is already hurting. They’re going to be looking for a significant number of cuts from what current budget looks like.”

Episode 135 – Released on 3/17/26

In a quick-hit episode this week, MAC’s Podcast 83 team discussed the House’s efforts to do away with two policies: the state’s clean energy standards and a cap on the number of hours worked by retired sheriff employees who return to service.

House Bill 5711, by Rep. Pat Outman (R-Montcalm) “would repeal the 100 percent clean energy standards by 2040 that was put into effect in 2023,” said Samantha Gibson, “and that coincided with the wind and solar reform efforts that we saw a few years back as well, the total preemption of local control for wind and solar siting. This is part of a larger effort that House Republicans have put forth to kind of walk back the energy reforms that the Democratic ‘trifecta’ did a few years ago.”

House Bill 4471, by Rep. Mike Harris (R-Oakland) seeks to remove the 1,000-hour cap on rehiring former sheriff’s office employees.

“I want to say it’s 13 counties that are not part of MERS and they cannot rehire former employees at the sheriff’s office for over 1,000 hours,” Gibson said. “Obviously, all the sheriff’s offices are facing staffing shortages in the jails and for road patrol, so bringing those additional counties in would allow them to alleviate some of those shortages.”

Episode 134 – Released on 3/11/26

Host Stephan Currie welcomed the MAC team to the newest episode of Podcast 83 with an unusual observation for recent times at the State Capitol:

“They have been busy in Lansing-ish, I guess. There are bills being introduced, committee meetings, hearings and sessions being held. And some voting, I guess we could say.”

“Except for they still have this goal,” Deena Bosworth quipped, “at least the House does, to have the fewest number of bills again this year.”

Among topics addressed in this week’s episode:

Housing regulation: “So, we’ve got all these housing preemption bills,” said Bosworth, “as I’m going to call them, where they’re saying that your zoning has to allow for X, Y and Z, small lot sizes, small buildings, mobile homes everywhere. But they’re not taking into account the stress on the infrastructure for more of those buildings. And so, we may all have priorities … we don’t want to pay much more in taxes. We don’t want to pay assessments. We want better housing stock, smaller entry-level housing stock. But none of that’s going to really work unless you have the infrastructure underneath, so I think it’s going to be a larger conversation, this legislative term, on the value of infrastructure and responsible buildouts.

Legislation to ease rehiring of retired law enforcement personnel: “It’s House Bill 4771. It’s up in the (Government Operations Committee) this week for a vote,” said Deena Bosworth. “The holdup has really been … we were trying to expand this countywide, but at this point, the sheriffs are really kind of pushing us and a little bit desperate to have it done … They don’t mind that it was for other county employees, but we had some pushback from legislators, which stalled it in the process, both last year and this year. So, now we’re kind of backing off, letting it get done for the sheriffs, and we will revisit other countywide employees after that.”

Statewide septic code: “It’s going to be kind of layered based upon what the priority is, so if you’re in a 100-year floodplain, if you are within 500 feet of water or any kind of environmental hazard, that’s going to be moving up towards the top (of the inspection list),” said Jimmy Johnson. “And then at that point, every 10 years, you will be getting looked at.”

Drone regulation: “The intent is to alleviate this concern about Chinese companies that manufacture drones that U.S. law enforcement agencies utilize,” said Samantha Gibson. “(F)rom what I’ve gathered … the U.S. drone market is not able to compete adequately with what the Chinese drone market has to offer. And so, the presidential administration and the Michigan House are trying to advance ways that the U.S. drone market can compete. And part of that is limiting the use of state and local governments for these Chinese drones.”

Episode 133 – Released on 3/3/26

In a wide-ranging episode this week, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reviewed a variety of policy proposals in Lansing that could harm ― and help ― county governments.

Keying off Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposals for housing affordability, in her State of the State address, MAC’s Deena Bosworth said:

“There’s a package of bills again this year, and it’s all about how you build more housing in urban areas especially, at an affordable rate. And we applaud that effort. I mean, we have problems from Southeast Michigan to the Upper Peninsula in affordability and accessibility of housing … But the approach that the Legislature is taking in a series of bills, so it’s House Bills 5529 through 5531, and 5581 through 5585, it’s all about local preemption. …

“What they’re doing is usurping local control. What they’re doing is taking away local planning. And trying to make it the same pretty much everywhere. And in ways that really don’t make a ton of sense.”

Another topic regaining Capitol attention, and MAC concern, is a bid to create a statewide septic code.

“Conceptually, we are not opposed to any kind of septic code,” said MAC’s Jimmy Johnson. “However, the way that this legislation is currently written, we will be opposing it.

“It’s going to be adding significantly new responsibilities for local health departments without guaranteeing funding. … There are some timeline issues that are quite unclear, stating when these evaluations should be taking place. … There are questions that need clarity on this right now.”

In more positive news, MAC’s Samantha Gibson spoke about a new bill on trial court funding:

“(State Rep. Sarah) Lightner (R-Jackson) has introduced a bill to not just extend the sunset for court funding authority, but to do away with it.

“(This is) better than we were even hoping for,” Gibson added. “Those who have reviewed our MAC priorities for this year, and even in previous years, know we have worked diligently to get that sunset extended as recommendations from various work groups were being considered by the Legislature. But Rep. Lightner, again, took it a step further and said, let’s just do away with this sunset, and have this be the status quo, (with the) authority to collect fees within the local courts.

“It’s a great relief to have a bill like this … There’s still a long way to go; it has yet to get a committee hearing, and it’s got to make it through the House and through the Senate as well, but it’s a really great first step.”

Special Episode on NACo’s Prescription Drug Program – Released on 2/24/26

In a special episode of Podcast 83, host Stephan Currie talks with the National Association of Counties (NACo) about a health benefit that can aid county employees and residents alike.

Jamara Green, assistant for special projects for NACo, detailed the benefits of NACo’s Live Healthy program, which provides prescription savings in partnership with CVS.

“It is offered exclusively to NACO member counties,” Green noted. “Of those counties, the residents utilize the program. So, using the program is really easy.

“Once your county is enrolled in the program, residents can visit our site, nacorx.org, enter their county name and download either a print or digital version of that prescription discount card.

“You’ll visit your local pharmacy, and your pharmacist will apply between 40 percent to 80 percent in savings.”

“You mentioned it’s a partnership with CVS, correct?” Currie asked, “Does that mean you have to only use it at CVS pharmacies, or … can the card be used at any pharmacy?”

“It can be used at any pharmacy,” Green replied. “CVS has been a partner of ours for more than 15 years. They do provide some flexibility, so, a lot of residents visit their local CVS, their local Walgreens, but they also visit the smaller, more independent, pharmacies, too.”

“Anyone in the county can use, or is it county employees only, or is it any residents in the counties?” Currie asked.

“Any resident in the county,” Green stated. “The only thing that we ask is that your county is a NACO member, and once the county has checked that box off, any resident within your county’s jurisdiction can use the program. … We don’t have any income limits, any age restrictions and no enrollment process for the residents. The program was designed for uninsured and underinsured residents.”

Green added that counties themselves can benefit through the program’s use, too.

“Those (counties that also endorse the program) receive a dollar for every prescription filed within their county jurisdiction,” she said. “So, if you have 100 prescriptions using the Live Healthy prescription card in the month of March, then CVS will write you a check for $100 in March.”

To see if your county is a member of NACo, click here. For information on joining NACo, visit their website.

Episode 132 – Released on 2/17/26

Follow the money.

That’s theme of the newest Podcast 83 episode, which breaks down Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal, released last week.

“We’ve got a budget presentation from last week we want to talk about,” said host Stephan Currie. “So, let’s jump right into it. Deena, do you want to kick us off a little bit on our top legislative item on the budget? We typically look at revenue sharing.

“So, again this year, we’re looking at the governor recommended flat funding (on county revenue sharing),” said Deena Bosworth, MAC governmental affairs director. “There are no increases proposed.

“We’ve been successful in the Senate in getting increases in their versions of the budget, but as it stands right now, the governor is recommending just flat funding. (The governor pointed in her budget presentation to some other items that … help her justify no increase in revenue sharing for counties. And that is the road funding package,” Bosworth continued.

“From our perspective, the road funding package is great, absolutely, but it doesn’t do anything to help a county general fund budget. Those are restricted revenues that are going to go to county road departments for roads. … So, we are disappointed in that budget recommendation.”

“We also saw a property tax exemption proposed by the governor,” Currie noted. “Deena, do you want to talk briefly about what the governor’s proposing as far as property tax exemptions or cuts, and how that could possibly affect counties if it does?”

“As proposed by the governor, it would not impact local government revenue,” Bosworth replied.

“What she’s calling for is exactly what we’ve been calling for on the Veterans Property Tax Exemption, which is a refundable income tax credit for seniors.

“We’ve heard a lot of talk across the state for several years now on how we need property tax reform … The governor proposed a refundable income tax credit somewhere, and there’s going to be income qualifications for it,” Bosworth continued. “It would probably mean about $345 for the average senior homeowner, with a cost to the state budget of about $90 million. … She’s also proposing pulling $400 million out of the budget stabilization Fund, which may be a way to help pay for this refundable income tax credit for seniors.”

Also touched on in the episode, recorded Feb. 17, were:

• A proposed increase in the tipping fee for waste, which MAC has issues with.
• Proposed new taxes on gambling, vaping and advertising to shore up the Medicaid program after federal cutbacks.
• The timing of budget passage in an election year.

Episode 131 – Released on 2/10/26

MAC’s Podcast 83 team discussed concerning trends this week as the state awaits Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s formal budget presentation on Wednesday afternoon.

“Over the weekend, we saw (Whitmer) talk about property taxes,” said Deena Bosworth, “which, you know, … I’m a little nervous about what that means.

“It’s a theme we’ve heard a few times now from different people,” replied host Stephan Currie.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Bosworth said. “Speaker (Matt) Hall (R-Kalamazoo) talks about it quite a bit. He talked about it again last week at his press conference. …

“We’ve been told over and over again that it would be revenue neutral, that they’re not looking at decreasing the revenue available to local units of government. But you know how these things shake out, so it’s something that we will watch very, very closely, and make sure that it’s not any kind of cut to local property tax revenue.”

Also looming over a fiscal 2027 budget will be Medicaid resources:

“Jimmy, you’ve spoken to it before, we still haven’t seen what the budget’s going to look like as far as Medicaid goes, right? Because what are the numbers you’re hearing as far as the range that it could impact the state budget?” Currie asked.

“It’s a very wide range,” replied Jimmy Johnson. “It’s honestly scary numbers when you hear $200 million to $600 million. I know that is a huge discrepancy, but what we have to factor in is there’s different Medicaid eligibility rules that they’re factoring in here, the SNAP error rates. So, again, you know, bottom line, it’s going to be about $200 million that you either have to backfill it, or we have to find out what is the best service to cut so then the state can have a good return on investment. I don’t want to be in their shoes for that.”

Legislator Spotlight: Rep. Steve Frisbie – Released on 2/3/26

Expect to see a great deal of discussion on property tax changes in 2026 but maybe not any action, said Rep. Steve Frisbie (R-Calhoun) in the latest “Legislator Spotlight” episode of Podcast 83.

Frisbie is now in his first term from the 44th House District after serving more than a decade on the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners.

Asked by host Deena Bosworth about House Speaker Matt Hall’s (R-Kalamazoo) recent comments on property tax legislation, Frisbie replied:

“What really started the whole conversation (in Lansing) was the Ax Mi Tax, movement. Not sure that’s going to actually make it to the ballot with signatures, but it really did stimulate more conversation among the members in the (Republican) caucus about what could we do to make home and land ownership a heck of a lot easier for folks.

“The consistent message is, you know, it feels like we never own our property, we never own our home, that we’re, you know, a couple of years away from no payment, of taxes for not having anything. So, I think Prop A was designed to, you know, kind of cap the growth and limit what was going on back in the day, but we’ve seen such tremendous growth in values that when homes are sold, and those property taxes come uncapped, there’s tremendous growth in taxes. And that’s led to a couple problems. No 1: people paying a lot higher taxes than they anticipated. And no. 2, it’s contributed to this housing shortage, in that the natural evolution of a family was you start off with a starter house, you started having kids, you got a forever house, allegedly, and then your kids all moved out, and you were living in a 3- or 4- or 5-bedroom home with no kids. It’s like, we don’t need this. Let’s downsize. Well, now you downsize, and you’re going to have to go purchase property that’s uncapped as well. So, it just creates this whole vacuum of, I can’t afford to keep my house (and) I can’t afford to sell my house and buy a new house. So, I think it really helps contribute to the shortage of housing stock …

“But from (the government side), how do we continue to fund government, especially at the local level, without creating harm? So, I don’t think there’s a specific plan that I’ve seen yet. Just a lot of chatter about uncapping and those kinds of things that we’ve already talked about. So, I think you’ll see some kind of plan. … Honestly, I would be shocked if it made it all the way through and is signed by the governor in this term, but it sets a pathway of which way we want to head as a caucus.”

Frisbie also spoke on:

• Establishment of a Public Safety Trust Fund in 2025
• Positive impacts of specialty courts, such as the sobriety court in Calhoun County
• The need to “balance” funding between prosecutors and public defenders

Legislator Spotlight: Rep. John Fitzgerald – Released on 1/27/26

State Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Kent) urged county leaders to reach out more to him and his colleagues in the Legislature during 2026’s first “Legislator Spotlight” episode of Podcast 83.

“You’ve always been great to local units of government and wonderful to work with and talk to, so I appreciate that, and I appreciate you still maintaining that focus,” said MAC’s Deena Bosworth, filling in for Executive Director Stephan Currie as episode host.

“I think that that’s really where the different levels of government really do coexist and depend on one another,” Fitzgerald replied. “It’s a coexistence and a cooperation that is completely necessary to ensure that government functions well for the people.

“We could have a short-sighted policy or decision made at the state level that doesn’t consider the potential impacts. And there are times where we have policies at the state level that are not the no. 1 choice of local governments … Understanding that those decisions can and will be made, but there are also times and, you know, it’s necessary to include that in the decision-making process,” he continued. “And so, when I talk about the cooperation, just like I hope my congressperson calls me about what’s happening in my communities, I hope that my county commissioners … call me to say, ‘I’m running into a roadblock here. They’re telling me that it’s something at the state level that must change before we can tackle that issue.’”

Also in the episode, Fitzgerald, who is now in his second term in the House, touched on:

The impact of changes in the House, such as the absence of a Local Government Committee and the new legislatively directed spending process

The challenges of budget constraints and the importance of place-making projects to attract and retain residents, citing examples from his district

Episode 130 – Released on 1/21/26 

Comments by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) about his 2026 priorities were a focus of this week’s episode of Podcast 83.

“The biggest one that affects our members the most is Speaker Hall is talking about property tax reform,” said Deena Bosworth.

“We don’t know what this looks like. We don’t know if he’s talking about elimination of property taxes with a replacement of some kind of mechanism. We don’t know if he’s talking about getting rid of just a certain number of mills, like the state education tax, and then replacing it with something else. …

“You’ve got certain groups out there who are advocating for the elimination of property taxes. You’ve got other states that are looking at significant property tax reform. So, it isn’t a new conversation, but the fact that he’s making it a priority, and one of his priorities is significant. …

“The case that we (at MAC) will be making out there when they’re talking about this reform is, no. 1, Michigan’s property tax system is extremely restrictive. We are capped by increases of 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. We are required to do Headlee rollbacks, unless you have to go to the voters and get an override on it. …

“So whatever replacement mechanism is out there has to be able to be locally controlled, locally managed and provide enough money to actually supplement whatever is going to be taken away from property tax revenue.”

Other topics discussed in the episode include:

• Initial projections for state General Fund revenue for the fiscal 2027 budget point to a “flat” budget compared to the current FY26 one: “For the most part, what that means is likely a flat budget, not a whole lot of extra spending or extra legislative-directed spending,” Bosworth said.
• The legal wrangling over “work project” funding involving House leadership, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Senate appropriators: “In early December, the House Appropriations Committee cut about $645 million in work project funding,” said Samantha Gibson. “At the request of Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony, Nessel weighed in, deeming it unconstitutional.

“The House Republicans appealed that opinion by the attorney general. It’s in the Court of Claims right now,” Gibson continued. “Last Friday morning was the first day of oral arguments in the case, and the judge in the Court of Claims issued a preliminary injunction. So, for now, the portion of funds (not already encumbered), which seems to be around 30 percent of that $645 million, is blocked.”

Episode 129 – Released on 1/14/26

As the Legislature prepares its 2026 work schedule, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reviewed several continuing issues from 2025 in its latest episode.

In the wake of a Court of Claims ruling on a mental health revamp planned by the state, eyes now have turned to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the lead agency on the project, said MAC’s Jimmy Johnson.

“So … what happens next? Jan. 29 is the deadline that MDHHS has to appeal this,” Johnson explained, so we’re going to be watching that very closely. We could see some timelines change. … There are some rules that are impermissible with Michigan law, so now MDHHS is going to have to come up with those fixes, bring it to the judge and the judge is going to have to concur.”

“There’s a lot of moving parts on that, and timeframe issues, especially when you start looking at, again, an election year and an administration change coming at the end of this year,” replied host Steve Currie. “You know, this Oct. 1 deadline that was originally put out there or the changeover … if you start putting out a new RFP, we’re already halfway through January, so that extends things out. It’ll be interesting to see what the department does at this point, with regards to this change.”

Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth reviewed how an Attorney General’s opinion has reversed a major change in state spending sought by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo): “The Attorney General’s opinion came out and said, no, (the House action) is unconstitutional; there is a separation of powers issue that once an appropriations bill passes through the House and the Senate and gets signed by the governor, then it’s up to the administration to administer this. It’s now a law.

“Now, all of a sudden, we’ve got an issue where the speaker is, going to appeal that decision … and we think there’s going to be a hearing yet at the end of this week,” she added.

MAC’s Samantha Gibson gave a summary of key legislative dates in coming weeks as work will begin on the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget.

“The first (key date) is this Friday. The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, also known as CREC, will be Jan. 16,” Gibson reported. “Following that is the governor’s budget presentation, which maybe will be Feb. 12, so we’ll have more insight as to what the governor’s priorities are. …

“And beyond that, we have State of the State coming up on Feb. 25, so even more insight into the governor’s priorities going into 2026,” she added. 

Episode 128 – Released on 1/7/26

MAC’s Podcast 83 team opened its 2026 schedule this week with an analysis of what will go on in Lansing this year.

The short answer: Not much.

“We recently heard from the House Fiscal Agency at a luncheon, and the numbers projected for the coming (budget) year weren’t super promising,” said Samantha Gibson. “I don’t think anything too detrimental, as far as the deficit goes, but definitely not what we saw a few years ago when there was a $9 billion surplus …

“(Looking) much like last year, where there was not a ton to go around … So, I think this budget season, deficit or not, will look similar to the last.”

Gibson also noted the court fight over a key element of the 2025 road funding package could further slow legislative activity in 2026: “As far as road funding alone goes, there’s a question around whether the marijuana tax is going to move forward? That lawsuit is ongoing. There is uncertainty as to when Treasury is going to be able to start collecting and then distributing on the new corporate income tax, too.”

Putting the team on the spot, Currie asked all three MAC panelists whether there would be more or fewer bills enacted in 2026 than in 2025, when the Legislature set a historic low for enactments.

All three took the under, with Gibson saying as few as 30 bills, Deena Bosworth going with 56 bills and Jimmy Johnson saying 65 to 70 bills.

Also discussed in this week’s episode:

• Continuing uncertainty over which work projects were defunded via a controversial action by the House Appropriations Committee in December. “If any of our counties are concerned (about a project) … Let us know, and we’ll do some digging with whichever department that lies in, and help figure it out for you,” said Bosworth (bosworth@micounties.org).
• Ongoing litigation over an RFP by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to alert the oversight of local mental health services.

“As of right now, we’re still in a waiting game,” said Johnson. “The last time that the judge met and gave his final meeting was on Dec. 8, 2025.”

“It’s kind of surprising it’s taken this long, to be honest,” said host Steve Currie. “The way the judge was initially speaking when he had his final hearing … it was sounding like he wanted to have a quick decision, so, interesting that it has taken this long.”

Note: MAC has placed a proposal with MDHHS on this project. Learn more here.

• The legislative calendar for the first few months of 2026, including the first Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, set for Jan. 16; a budget presentation from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for fiscal year 2027, date still not set; and, of course, the governor’s State of the State Address, which is expected on Feb. 25.

Episode 127 – Released on 12/23/25

In its final episode of 2025, the Podcast 83 team discussed the flurry of legislative activity that struck Lansing around Dec. 18.

“It’s the holiday season, and we finished up the year. Before we get into specific bills … I think they passed something like 25 bills last week. Which was more, I think, than the rest of the year, is that correct?” host Stephan Currie asked.

“That might be. It’s a very low number (for the year),” replied Samantha Gibson.

“And definitely the most in one day (in 2025),” added Jimmy Johnson.

“So, they had a record-setting day on Thursday, and then, yeah, so it was an uneventful year, eventful day. Let’s talk a little bit about some of the things they did do that affect us,” Currie said.

Among issues discussed were:

• Senate passage of House Bill 4726, which extends the “Maintenance of Effort” funding framework for county-owned Medical Care Facilities for five years. “Good work on that, Jimmy. It took an unbelievable amount of tender, loving care to get that done on such a simple bill, but hey, that’s the world we live in right now,” said Currie.
• Growing concerns about the huge road funding package passed this fall, which relies on a new marijuana wholesale tax. “So, the latest information that we have is that the Department of Treasury is likely not going to start collecting on the taxes that go into effect on Jan. 1 until December of 2026, which means they wouldn’t be distributed until January 2027,” Gibson reported.
• The state budget cycle for fiscal year 2027, which is expected to be chaotic, as a $400 million reduction in General Fund resources looms and distrust between the Republican-led House and Democratic Senate lingers.
• The potential for major property tax changes in calendar 2026, a goal identified by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo).

Also in this final episode of 2025, the MAC team gives an extensive critique of ― and interesting theory about ― the officiating and results from the Detroit Lions game with Pittsburgh on Dec. 21.

Episode 126 – Released on 12/16/25

A surprising move by the House Appropriations Committee and the potential new financial reporting requirement for commissioners topped the latest regular report from Lansing by the Podcast 83 team.

“You never know these days in town, but, last week, at the end of the week, we had some fireworks, that have to do with work projects, how they’re funded, where the money goes,” said host Stephan Currie. “So, let’s talk a little bit about that. Let’s talk about the process, what happened, what we know, what we don’t know.

“What we saw this week was the House Appropriations Committee cancel all kinds of work projects that were previously approved by the Appropriations Committee, and signed by the governor, so these are things that people get grants for,” replied Deena Bosworth. “So, whether it’s, you know, a park, a special building or an infrastructure project in people’s districts ― these are what we call work projects.

“And we saw the House Appropriations Committee cancel over $600 million of them last week. And they can do that, unilaterally.

“The only way to really get them back,” Bosworth continued, “is for the Legislature to act to do a transfer package. Which we see on a regular basis. Or to do a supplemental budget appropriation.

“But with the way the House and the Senate are getting along with each other, and the fact that the House unilaterally acted to cut all of these work projects without the input of the Senate … It’s a little bit concerning. Not sure how well that bodes for a supplemental budget bill.”

Steve “Well, let’s move on a little bit. So, Deena, there were some bills that came up last week that have to do with financial reporting for county commissioners.”

“A bill introduced by Rep. Donnie Steele of Oakland County, House Bill 5091, received testimony last week. What that bill does is it says is county commissioners in larger counties, so those counties that have a population of 150,000 or more, must comply with the same financial reporting requirements that state legislators have …”

Special Episode on State’s Opioid Efforts – Released on 12/9/25

How the state of Michigan is evolving its strategy to address substance use disorder (SUD) is the focus of a new special episode of Podcast 83.

Guest host Amy Dolinky, who leads MAC’s opioid settlement advisory work, interviewed Peter Lindeman, a consultant to the state Department of Health and Human Services for the episode.

“Share with our listeners today a little bit about the big picture of what the state is looking at in terms of utilization related to all of the settlement funds coming in?”

“So, at the start of the settlements coming out, our real priority was addressing the crisis,” Lindeman replied, “and getting dollars out to community organizations, municipal partners and other groups to get naloxone in hand, expand access to harm reduction resources and build up our treatment infrastructure, so that there are places for people to go get treatment. (When state first started spending), we were constantly seeing 3,000 people a year die to overdose in Michigan.

“Now that number in 2024 was much closer to, like, 1,800, which is obviously still far too many people dying due to overdose, but a great improvement from where we saw ourselves a few years ago. …

“Our kind of overall goal (now) is still decrease that fatal overdose rate but also eliminate demographic and geographic disparities. We know that for different Michiganders, the opioid epidemic is still hitting really hard, whether that’s people in very urban communities or very rural communities. …

“So, in prevention, we’re really focused on delaying the average age of first use, because we know that the earlier in life someone uses illicit substances for the first time, the more likely they are to be impacted by substance use disorder later in life.”

Special Episode on Airspace Link -Released on 12/2/25

 A start-up firm based in Detroit is now working with counties and other local governments to ensure that safety comes first in airspace increasingly filled with drones.

Michael Healander of Airspace Link spoke with MAC’s Samantha Gibson in a new special episode of Podcast 83 on his firm’s work and what the challenges are ahead for county governments.

“Our primary focus is government agencies,” Healander said. “Even though we have hundreds of thousands of commercial operators that use our system. Think of us as the systems to support who’s flying and the safety and security of our airspace.”

Airspace Link is a Federal Aviation Administration-approved UAS Service Supplier of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) and is approved to provide B4UFLY Services. Airspace Link provides airspace authorizations to both Part 107 Pilots and Recreational Flyers through the AirHub Portal application.

“The county is in a unique situation. I’ll give an example. Oakland County, in their drone program. They have the capabilities to have drones go out in an emergency and support search and rescue; it’s a very successful program,” Healander noted.

“So, we’re seeing some counties start to say, ‘Here’s a common network and platform that maybe we push down to our cities. And this is a really great opportunity for counties to take the lead, to be able to put it in a common system …”

Special Episode on Homelessness – Released on 11/25/25 

A special episode of MAC’s Podcast 83 this week looks at a growing crisis in all corners of our state: homelessness.

“Since 2020, home prices, or rental prices, in Michigan have gone up over 25 percent since the pandemic,” said Nick Cook of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH), “and this is leading to this exacerbated situation of homelessness. We’re starting to see more families, more seniors losing their housing access.”

“The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness is a statewide nonprofit that provides supports to homeless service providers, counties, communities, anyone interested in addressing and preventing homelessness,” explained Sarah Rennie, Cook’s colleague. “We look at this as an affordable housing, and economic development, issue, and so we represent hundreds of folks across the state who have joined together to say hey, this is an issue for our communities.”

Homeless counts reached record levels in 2024, reports the National Alliance to End Homelessness in a report, adding, “More people experiencing homelessness in rural and suburban areas are unsheltered, in part due to federal cuts to rural housing programs and barriers to rural development. Still, most people experiencing homelessness live in urban areas in a handful of states due to the larger populations in these areas.”

Cook and Rennie explained that county leaders and others wishing to connect constituents to resources should engage with two resources:

• The local Housing Assistance Resource Advocacy (HARA)
• Continuum of Care (COC)

“There is a structure in the state that there will be a housing assistance resource advocacy, specific nonprofit that’s designated to sort of be the hub to take in folks who have needs, and then refer them to the correct, place,” Rennie said. “So, you should find out who your HARA is, because they’ll be able to sort of direct folks exactly where they need to go.

“Together with the HARA is also part of a larger network called your Continuum of Care, and all those folks meet to see how they can best use resources and serve folks, and they meet weekly. … I would really recommend for the listeners here that you sit down with your local COC chair.”

“If you could talk to any county commissioner right now about the work that you guys are doing that maybe they don’t fully realize, what would you tell them?” asked the episode’s host, Jimmy Johnson of MAC.

“What I would like folks to know is there’s this weird stereotype that these are sort of dangerous people that are gonna get you in the streets … These are our neighbors, these are families, these are people who have served our country. And they are all one paycheck away from needing these support services, because this is an affordable housing issue. … We have more than 298,000 units missing of affordable housing … So, I would want folks to know that (the coalition) is here to support you; that criminalization doesn’t work; but that we can make a difference together.”

For more details, watch the full episode by clicking here or on the image above.

Cook can be reached at ncook@mihomeless.org, while Rennie can be reached at srennie@mihomeless.org.

Episode 125 – Released on 11/18/25

The MAC Podcast’s 83 team reported on a number of topics in their newest episode.

Samantha Gibson gave an update on Trial Court Funding, which saw recommendations presented to the legislature last week in a joint hearing in the Senate and House Judiciary Committee. “There’s a long way to go before any of this is implemented. Bills have yet to be introduced, so plenty of negotiations to be had, and of course, that looming sunset for court authority to assess those costs is December of 2026.”

Samantha also gave an update on House Bill 4749, sponsored by Rep. Roth, which would establish the 99th District Court in Antrim County. The bill was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and now heads to the House floor for a vote.

Jimmy Johnson gave an update on SNAP Benefits, “As soon as the federal budget shutdown was ended, there was information sent over to MDHHS saying that full funding is going to be released through the Department of Agriculture.”

Also discussed, the Road Funding Package and a key component being the marijuana excise tax, adding an additional 24%. There are concerns surrounding the tax, Samantha Gibson explained, “There’s oral arguments in the Court of Claims on whether or not this excise tax is constitutional, is going to take place on November 25th, and of course, keep in mind that the tax will be implemented on January 1. We’re coming up on the second quarter of fiscal year 26, where we’re going to expect this tax to begin, and that’s $420 million of road funding.”

Episode 124 – Released on 11/12/25

MAC’s Podcast 83 team reported on what happened last week here in Lansing and even a little bit of what’s going to happen this week in their newest episode.

Deena Bosworth, Director of Governmental Affairs, started the podcast on the public safety revenue sharing payment. Providing more information about the payment schedule. “We anticipate probably 2 payments in the calendar year, but not until the spring. So, if you’re looking for those public safety dollars, just know that you’re going to have to wait until next year sometime to get them.”

Jimmy Johnson provided an update on House Bill 4726, by Rep. Matthew Bierlein, a former MAC Board president, passed out of the House almost unanimously and is now headed to the Senate.

Samantha Gibson provided an update on Trial Court Funding. “The Alternative Trial Court Funding Workgroup had their recommendations approved by the Michigan Judicial Council and we’re going to have a joint hearing, in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on November 13th at 9am to go through the recommendations.” After the hearing this Thursday, we expect to have additional updates and information to share.

Special Episode on Property Tax – Released on 11/4/25

Citizens in Michigan and other states who think there’s a practical way to replace the revenue brought in by property taxes are in for a rude awakening, said the author of a new report on taxing options in a special episode of Podcast 83.

Jared Walczak authored There’s No Good Way to Pay for Property Tax Repeal, a report issued by the National Tax Foundation in early October. One of its findings is: “All revenue alternatives are less conducive to economic growth than the existing property tax regime, but some transfer regimes are sharply degrowth.”

That’s of particular importance in Michigan these days as efforts continue to repeal the property tax via a ballot proposal.

“(O)ur latest paper is trying to fill what I think is an important gap, because a lot of the conversation around property tax elimination has really been half of a conversation,” Walczak told podcast host Stephan Currie. “It’s been, essentially, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to pay property taxes?’ with very little grappling with: What’s the alternative?”

In short, there are no good ones, Walczak explained.

“Statewide in Florida, you’d need about a 15.3 percent sales tax rate (to replace property taxes there) … But if you did that on a county-by-county level, it would range from 9.8 percent to 32.5 percent, based on which county it is. Because if you have a retail concentration, or you’ve got a lot of tourism, you can raise a lot of revenue. on your base. If you’re an agricultural area, if you are a bedroom community, if there’s just not a whole lot of retail activity going on in your jurisdiction, the rates necessary to offset that revenue are going to be ludicrously high, and that’s before we think about cross-border shopping. …

“Fundamentally, as unpopular as the property tax can be with some people, it’s a tax that really corresponds reasonably well to the benefits you’re receiving,” Walczak said. “It makes sense as a tax; that’s why it’s economically efficient. It’s not perfect. We can always talk about ways to make it better, and I think in an environment where assessed values have risen rapidly, and sometimes people are paying a lot more, those are conversations that are absolutely worth having.

“But it’s about improving a system, not eliminating it.”

For more analysis from Walczak and the central role played by property taxes in delivering public services, watch the full episode by clicking here or on the image above.

Episode 123 – Released on 10/28/25

County leaders should not expect to see a great deal of action in the State Capitol as autumn turns to winter, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reported in their newest episode.

“I mean, there’s really no … pressure on the Legislature needing something to get done,” said host Stephan Currie. “They got together (on paid sick time rules early in 2025) and got something done. The next thing really wasn’t until the budget, and that took a long time, obviously, to get done. Now, there’s really nothing out there that I can think of that would be really an urgent ‘Hey, they need this by this date to get done’ until we get to the next budget, right?”

That said, the MAC team reviewed news affecting counties from the State Capitol and the courts:

House Bill 4726, by Rep. Matthew Bierlein, a former MAC Board president, is expected to reach the House floor by the end of the week. The legislation would extend the sunset for MOE (Maintenance of Effort) payments for county medical care facilities.

Senate Bill 314, by Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-Macomb), has cleared the Senate and moved to the House of Representatives. The legislation would remove the work hour cap for rehired county retirees.

The Michigan Court of Appeals issued a ruling that counties cannot deduct legal expenses from surplus funds generated by tax foreclosure sales before returning those funds to former property owners. The opinion clarifies that only certain costs — such as those that could have been included in a property’s minimum bid price at auction — may be deducted.

For more details, view the full episode by clicking here or on the image above.

Special Episode on Drones – Released on 10/21/25

The expanding role and regulatory future of drones is the focus of a new special episode of MAC’s Podcast 83.

Matt Rybar of the Michigan Drone Association was interviewed by MAC’s Stephan Currie and Samantha Gibson about his organization’s work and the growing use of drones, aerial and otherwise, in county functions.

“So, we’ve been around as the Michigan Public Safety Drone Association since 2022,” said Rybar. “We recently have gone through a bit of a rebrand to become the Michigan Drone Association.

“Really, there’s a bunch of different reasons that drove that change, but the last legislative cycle opened some eyes to us about many parts of the industry could really use a trade organization to help support them …”

“Who are your members?” Currie asked. “Primarily those people who fly the drones, own the drones? Are they businesses? Are they hobbyists?”

“We have about 700 members, with 120 different organizations represented in that membership,” Rybar replied. “To this point, because we’re just so new into this change over to be the Michigan Drone Association, most of those are going to be governmental organizations, governmental operators, county sheriff’s offices, local police and fire departments and other organizations like that.”

“What are some ways that county governments can utilize drones beyond the public safety aspects of it,” asked Gibson, “and are there opportunities for county governments to work with industry in this space as well?”

“The public safety agencies have been the trailblazers for the use of the technology,” Rybar replied, “but they’re helping support many other aspects of the county government, whether it be inspection of parks, roof inspection, road inspections, a lot of different use cases go into that. So, while that technology has traditionally started in public safety, just because of the regulatory environment and really that life-saving use case, we see those departments are then being tapped in for so many different aspects of county government to be used for other aspects …”

“Can you speak to who regulates the use of these?” Currie asked.

“It’s a hot question,” Rybar said. “At the end of the day, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulates, on the federal side, anything that leaves the ground, whether it’s one inch off the ground or 30,000 feet in the air. The FAA is the regulatory body of that airspace, and what we’ve seen is, over time, some different carve-outs and abilities for the states to do different things. But, for the most part, the actual application of those drones flying in the airspace is regulated by the FAA.”

Special Episode on DTE’s Work on Electric Grid – Released on 10/14/25

Michigan residents frustrated by power outages can lay a good deal of blame on our leafy companions, said an executive with one of the state’s largest utilities in a new episode of Podcast 83.

“Trees cause 50 percent of the (electric) outages,” explained Brian Calka, senior vice president for distribution operations for DTE Electric.

“You think about these 60- to 70-mph winds. They are ripping trees out of the ground and throwing them into our infrastructure,” Calka said. “We have over 1,000 people out there every day trimming trees to minimize that …”

Calka and his team are responsible for an electric grid serving 2.3 million customers with 45,000 miles of wire and cable and more than 1 million electric poles – “those things that you see on the side of the road,” Calka noted.

Pushing against this system, on top of the normal aging process for equipment, is the increasing wrath of Mother Nature.

“It is at an all-time high for the frequency of (extreme weather) events that we are seeing, the magnitude of these events that we are seeing,” Calka said. “It’s been growing at a much higher rate than what we’ve ever seen before. So, it’s really incumbent on utilities like DTE to harden the grid, to make it more resilient.”

These challenges to the lines must be addressed at the same time the utility is engaged in a transformational project to create the power to send through them.

DTE has invested $5 billion in renewable energy since 2010 and plans to invest an additional $8 billion by the end of the decade, Calka noted.

“(I)n Michigan, we started doing this type of work with wind and solar 15 years ago. Or you think about the original RPS (renewable portfolio standard). This was set many, many years ago, and we built out a number of projects to support that,” Calka said. “And then in the latter part of the previous decade, it increased a little bit. But then, gosh, a couple of years ago, really, it got moving again through very noble ambitions to clean up all the generation sources.”

Episode 122 – Released on 10/7/25

A “pretty tumultuous” state budget process for fiscal 2026 ended last week in a flurry of action in Lansing ― and yielding a generally positive result for Michigan counties, MAC’s Deena Bosworth reported in the newest episode of Podcast 83.

“Our county commissioners stepped up to the plate and communicated with their legislators about revenue sharing and what that really means for county government,” Bosworth noted. “And at the end of the day, we ended up with the same number that we had in FY25 so we avoided a 12 percent cut to our county revenue sharing thanks to all of our efforts, which was awesome.

“But there was a lot more in that budget that I think we also have need to celebrate,” Bosworth continued. “We’ve talked for many months about the Public Safety Trust Fund bills and how monies would be set aside for public safety and for our members. … We’ve got a $2.5 million, one-time appropriation to counties for that they can use toward public safety. And then (there’s) an ongoing fund that is $11.6 million, so although our statutory revenue sharing was flat, there are these (wins).”

Episode 121 – Released on 9/29/25

Michigan’s state government is likely to shut down at the end of Sept. 30 as legislators continue to wrangle with details for a fiscal 2026 budget year that is supposed to start on Oct. 1.

That was the view in MAC’s Lansing offices at midday on Monday, Sept. 29 as the association convened its Podcast 83 team for a quick update episode.

“I anticipate a government shutdown. I do,” said Deena Bosworth, MAC’s director of governmental affairs. “And I know that they’re doing their very best to avoid it. But we’ve all worked on the inside, right? We’ve all worked in the Legislature at one point or another, and we know how long it takes to get bills drafted, to fly spec them, to have it run through the Legislative Service Bureau and have the numbers run by the fiscal agencies in the boilerplate put together and have that whole budget bill done. It takes a long time just for that process.”

And while the process remains in flux, Bosworth urged county commissioners to renew their contacts with legislators over the available money for statutory revenue sharing for counties.

“We’ve talked about this on our podcast. We’ve sent out action alerts. We’ve written about it in the Legislative Update.” Statutory revenue sharing,” Bosworth said. “The governor recommended a small increase … the Senate increased that even further … The House passed out their version of the budget, which eliminated the taxable value payment and decreased us back to around fiscal 2024 number … So, it was a 12 percent decrease on the House side.

“When you’re talking to your legislators, please remind them that we provide services other than roads and public safety, and that we rely on that revenue sharing for those services, whether it be courts or jails or public health or, you know, juvenile justice … Tell your legislators about it, because we’re trying to ensure that statutory revenue sharing stays where it is.”

Episode 120 – Released on 9/23/25

MAC’s participation in a press conference last week to draw attention to a state plan that threatens local public control of mental health services was one of several topics discussed in this week’s episode of Podcast 83.

The event was designed to showcase opposition to the PIHP RFP process, started by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, to alter oversight of community mental health services.  MAC First Vice President Antoinette Wallace was among local leaders to speak.

“We’re hoping this press conference is going to get a little bit more traction here in the press,” said Jimmy Johnson, governmental affairs specialist. “And we’ll be able to start putting some pen to paper and getting some changes.”

Of course, the news in Lansing continues to revolve around the Legislature’s inability to adopt a fiscal 2026 budget.

“We thought they were really getting close,” said Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth. “And then we heard today (Sept. 22), it all fell apart. The devil is in the details. … They (have to) decide they can’t live with one thing or another and they have to dig in their heels. So here we sit a week out. We don’t have a budget. We’re not in great shape. We’re not in terrible shape, but we’re not in great shape. And everybody’s preparing for a government shutdown.”

Episode 119 – Released on 9/16/25

Frustration remains high in Lansing as state legislators seem little closer to a fiscal year 2026 budget, with only two weeks to start of the budget year.

MAC’s concerns center around the House’s budget plan to ax $35 million in county revenue sharing, said Director of Governmental Affairs Deena Bosworth in the latest episode of Podcast 83.

“They’re meeting. They’re talking, they’re trying to sort out some of the details of it, but we’re still a long way from having it done,” Bosworth noted.

A rising point of confusion in Lansing, especially in House Republican circles, is that their proposed increases in public safety dollars for sheriffs and for more road dollars somehow compensate for revenue sharing dollars.

“That’s the education campaign that we’re on right now with our legislators,” Bosworth explained “Same with the road plan; most counties do not use general fund dollars to pay for the county roads. So, cutting revenue sharing means cutting our general fund budget. The road funding dollars don’t make up for that.”

In the good news segment of this week’s episode, Governmental Affairs Specialist Jimmy Johnson said support for so-called “Maintenance of Effort” (MOE) fees for county medical care facilities looks strong. “A lot of people understand the important work that (medical care facilities) are doing. And the exciting aspect of this as well is that there is an opening, it would appear, where the (House Insurance Committee) chair is open to completely removing the sunset (on MOE fees).

Episode 118 – Released on 9/9/25

A fiscal 2026 state budget seems ever more distant, even as the start of that fiscal year and a possible government shutdown loom ever larger over Michigan.

That’s the assessment of MAC’s Podcast 83 team in its latest Legislative Update report from Lansing.

While all three players in the budget process (governor, House, Senate) now have advanced budget documents, the variances in them are massive and create far too much uncertainty for counties.

“We are not very happy at all with the House-passed version of the budget, especially when it comes to revenue sharing,” said Deena Bosworth. “And I want to be upset with many of our former county commissioners (now in the Legislature), but honestly, they didn’t have time to look at this budget. The House budget skipped votes in subcommittee, skipped votes in the full Appropriations Committee. It was discharged onto the House floor, and they had an hour to look over this budget, which is, I don’t even know how many pages, hundreds and hundreds … and they had an hour to vote on it.”

The House plan, in fact, would cut $35 million from county revenue sharing in FY26, as part of a bid to carve out hundreds of millions of dollars for road work.

It’s not all doom and gloom on budget particulars, so watch the full episode (recorded on Sept. 8) for details on public safety funding and more.

MAC continues to encourage county leaders to reach out to legislators to reverse the House’s bid to cut revenue sharing. Complete contact details can be found in our Advocacy Center.

Special Episode on Prosecutor Funding – Released on 8/26/25

County commissioners need to send a clear and consistent message to state lawmakers that continued inaction on prosecutor funding will not end well for Michigan.

That was the message from Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd in a new special episode of Podcast 83.

Lloyd, a former president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and an announced candidate for the Republican nomination for state attorney general in 2026, discussed the critical need for increased prosecutor funding and the impact of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission on county prosecutor offices with MAC’s Samantha Gibson during the episode.

“In my county, there’s 34 departments. I’m one of those departments, and at the prosecutor level, if we aren’t able to secure some separate grants, so some separate funding to actually increase the funding or help with the funding in our in our office, then we are stuck with whatever budget the county commissioners develop in their budget each year,” Lloyd explained.

Lloyd emphasized the unfunded mandates and the challenges in retaining and recruiting prosecutors and noted that the governor’s $250 million budget allocation for indigent defense excluded prosecutors.

“If you want your community safe, then your local prosecutors have to be able to do their job,” Lloyd concluded. “Because if they can’t, you’re just going to see your local county go downhill. And I don’t believe that’s any citizen wants that, and I’m sure there’s no county commissioner who would want that.”

To watch the full episode, recorded in mid-August, click here or on the image.

Special Episode on Purdue Opioid Settlement – Released on 8/15/25

Counties now have new reporting requirements for their opioid settlement funds, said Assistant Attorney General Matt Walker in a special episode of Podcast 83 this week.

Those rules are a result of the new Purdue/Sackler settlement released publicly this month.

“These settlements are rather complicated from a legal standpoint, but they’ve been trying to make them as easy as possible for local governments to sign on to,” Walker explained. “There’s what I usually refer to as an implementation manager, and it’s a company named Rubris. They have a software program where they can push out DocuSign packages to local governments, and then so they get them in their email and they’re able to sign them via Docusign.”

Beyond the funding, the Purdue settlement also sets new rules on reporting, beginning in fiscal 2026. To address what has been a long-standing challenge with opioid fund use, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office will provide guidance on what is appropriate or inappropriate expenditures.

“If you have a question, please email our opioids litigation box (AG-OpioidLitigation@michigan.gov) and we’re happy to respond,” Walker said.

Walker emphasized the importance of broad participation in this process to maximize the funding: “Participation is the key factor in how much money Michigan gets. So, the more participation, the more we get from the incentives in the structure of the settlement. … So please, if you have questions, ask, and please participate.” 

How counties can use federal energy tax credits is the focus of a special episode of Podcast 83, featuring MAC Premier Partner Rehmann.

Tony Licavoli of Rehmann was interviewed by host Stephan Currie on the benefits for counties of credits under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and how time-pressed local leaders can most quickly navigate the rules.

These credits can be claimed by filing a federal tax return, using a modified form 990-T, Licavoli explained. Qualified projects include solar installations, geothermal HVAC systems, EV charging stations and EVs.

“I think one of the major misconceptions that we come across on some of these conversations is that these are credits are only for large-scale projects,” Licavoli said. “You think about utility-type scale, but the ones that we work with the majority of the time are what we call smaller-scale projects. And these are typically the projects that we’re working with, with governmental entities.”

Credits can range up to 30 percent based on project size and can extend to 50 percent with additional requirements.

To learn more details about this option, and how Rehmann can assist you in pursuing it, click here to view the full episode, which was recorded in late April.

Episode 117 – Released on 8/5/25

Budget stalemate.

That’s the theme of the summer at the State Capitol in Lansing, reports MAC’s Podcast 83 team in a new episode this week.

Sitting in for regular host Stephan Currie, Director of Governmental Affairs Deena Bosworth led her team through the “whys” and “what nows” of Michigan’s current budget mess.

“The elephant in the room is roads,” said Samantha Gibson, governmental affairs specialist. “The governor says, ‘I don’t want a budget that doesn’t have a road funding deal negotiated as part of it.’ And in the meantime, the political landscape in Lansing and at the federal level is no party is passing the other party’s legislation. The six bills that have been signed into law this year are, I would say, nonpartisan issues.”

“It’s going to be difficult for local units of government that don’t know what their allocations are going to be, right (due to the budget delays)?” responded Bosworth. “We’ve seen lots of numbers come out on that ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act and what that financial implication is on Michigan’s budget. We’re talking a revenue shortfall of almost $700 million, and we’re talking increased costs. So that brings us about $1.1 billion that they have to come up with in order to make things work right.”

“Speaker (Matt) Hall and House Republicans have put their road funding plan out,” noted Gibson. “The Senate has yet to be forthcoming on what their plan may or may not be. The governor has been vocal in her need for a road funding plan and that she’s not interested in a budget that doesn’t include one.”

To learn more about what August and September may bring to the State Capitol, click here.

Special Episode on Nationwide’s Services for County Employees – Released on 7/15/25

“The reality is that many pension benefits today are frozen; and to the extent pension benefits are still offered, the accrual formula may have also been reduced from what we’ve seen in the past, meaning the retirement benefit is not as generous as it used to be. That is certainly the case with many counties right here in Michigan.”

That overview was provided by Eric Glinsky of Nationwide Retirement Solutions in a special episode of MAC’s Podcast 83.

“In today’s world, it’s not unusual for participants to change jobs more frequently, especially for those younger adults, and as a result, you know, this often leads to lower pension benefits if they’re offered at all, and because younger workers do not stay long enough to accrue a significant benefit, in some cases, they don’t even stay long enough to be vested even when a pension is offered. And so really, in either case, this places an additional burden of retirement savings more directly on the participant in the form of a defined contribution plan, like a 457, and while this trend really started in the private sector, it’s certainly carrying over into the public sector as well,” Glinsky continued.

“What options are available through nationwide that can help (county employees)?” asked podcast host Stephan Currie.

“We offer a few different lifetime income solutions that can be chosen to fit the needs of the county,” Glinsky replied, noting the typical “target date funds” that are based on an employee’s planned retirement. “But like other funds, target date funds are subject to market risk and loss, and there is no guarantee that target date funds will provide enough income for retirement. So, these new lifetime income funds take the typical target date fund to the next level, as they allow participants to continue to grow their savings, and then at retirement, they offer a simple way to turn that savings into a stream of guaranteed lifetime income.

“The part that’s really cool is that income is protected from market downturns … and will last a lifetime. And this is because the lifetime income component is backed by an insurance company, which adds that layer of protection,” he added.

Episode 116 – Released on 7/8/25

Host: Stephan Currie 
Guests: Deena Bosworth, Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Topics: It’s a tale of two cities in the newest episode of Podcast 83:

• In Lansing, the Legislature remains at an impasse on pretty much everything, MAC staffers report.
• Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., new spending legislation enacted will mean massive – yet still not clarified – effects for Michigan counties.

“The (Michigan) House and Senate are at an impasse,” said Samantha Gibson, governmental affairs specialist, “as they have been for the last six or seven months now. … Typically, the school aid budget is done (by now) and the rest of the budget is done by July 1. … There’s no roads plan that anyone can agree on. The governor has made it clear she wants to see a road plan. Speaker (Matt) Hall has put forth a plan. Senate Democrats have yet to put anything forth, so we will see if and when they do that. But I think until that point, there’s not going to be much to talk about, because House Republicans are steadfast in if you want to do (the school aid budget), we’re going to do roads with it, and Senate leadership is adamant that everything gets done as a package deal together. So, a lot of discussions, a lot of meetings last week, but no movement on the needle, unfortunately.”

By contrast, federal lawmakers took historic action with a reconciliation bill that means massive changes for Medicaid coverage, food assistance programs and more.

On the plus side, reported Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth, an effort to end tax-exempt status for municipal bonds was thwarted.

Still to be determined, though, is the ultimate impact of changes to Medicaid and SNAP (federal food assistance) for Michigan counties, said Jimmy Johnson, governmental affairs specialist.

“We have 1.5 million residents in Michigan that use SNAP benefits,” Johnson noted. “With these new cuts … we could see $285 billion to $300 billion over 10 years that are going to be cut as well. You are going to be putting in the work requirements. So, there’s going to be an additional administrative burden. And with that administrative burden, we could see, on the state side, up to $890 million of additional costs that the state’s going to have to be picking up the dime for. So, these are some things that we’re going to be watching.”

“Yes, they’ve got to figure out where they want to fill in (on the state budget),” replied Executive Director Stephan Currie, “and if they want to fill in in some of these areas. A lot of tough decisions are going to have to be made going forward. … (B)ut it does provide some clarity, at least, of what they have to deal with now, which I think is helpful in the overall budget process, when we start looking at getting a (state) budget done by Oct. 1.”

Episode 115 – Released on 7/1/25

Host: Deena Bosworth
Guests: State Rep. Matthew Bierlein (R-Tuscola), Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Topics: The House Republican majority in Michigan is taking a “deliberate” approach to its work on the state budget, which “has ballooned so much over the last six years,” said Rep. Matthew Bierlein in the newest episode of Podcast 83.

Bierlein, a Tuscola County Republican and former county commissioner and MAC Board president, spoke with guest host Deena Bosworth and the rest of the MAC team about fiscal 2026 budget dealings and hearings Bierlein has led on the need for action on psychiatric beds in Michigan.

“There has to be room to decrease some of (the budget spending),” Bierlein said, “whether that’s through positions that were approved, and were never filled … or if it’s discretionary spending. Whatever it is, there’s only a finite number of resources if we want to put money into schools, if we want to put money into roads. The taxpayers of Michigan have been pretty vocal that they think they pay enough in taxes, so we need to find that money from somewhere else. And I think that’s, I wouldn’t say it’s a delay. I think that’s the current process and why it’s taken the time it has from the House side.”

Bierlein also detailed how the state ended up with a shortage of treatment beds for psychiatric patients.

“We started asking questions, started looking around, doing some research and what became really evident really fast is Michigan really trails the nation in the number of available beds. Michigan has about five psychiatric beds per 100,000 people. The national average is around 30 beds per 100,000 people, and the gold standard is like 50. So, this is a big discrepancy from the state’s perspective.

“(The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) did come in and testify,” he continued “They don’t believe we have a bed shortage … they stated that there is not an issue. When we’ve talked to our private providers, though, that’s not the story we’re hearing.”

To hear more about Bierlein’s work on mental health policy, food security and more, watch the full episode by clicking here or on the image above.

Special Episode on Enbridge’s Impact on Counties – Released on 6/24/25

An energy transmission firm that operates in about 30 percent of Michigan counties is the focus of a new special episode of Podcast 83.

Paul Meneghini of Enbridge sat down digitally with host Stephan Currie to discuss Enbridge’s work across Michigan, including its plans for the Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac.

“Obviously, we’re most known for in Michigan is our crude oil or our liquids transportation system,” Meneghini said. “Line 5 is very well known in the state, but we do also operate three other liquids pipelines in the southern part of Michigan. …

“We operate the vector pipeline, which is a large interstate natural gas pipeline, which essentially starts in the northeast corner of the Chicagoland area and then goes around the south end of the lake and goes across follows Interstate 94 … And then also the Nexus pipeline, which comes in from Ohio into the southeast part of the state and feeds some assets there in Michigan,” Meneghini explained.

“Most known in Michigan is our crude oil transportation network, which consists of Line 5 and then Line 78,” he continued.

Meneghini also noted that Michigan itself produces “12,000 to 14,000 barrels of crude oil” and much of it is moved through Line 5. “It is gathering about … 80 percent of Michigan’s produced crude oil and transferring it to market. That takes a lot of trucks off of the roads in rural parts of the northern Lower Peninsula.”

“You touched on a little bit on Line 5, and the tunnel has been a hot topic,” said Currie. “Can you give us any updates on where things stand with the tunnel and protecting that line?

“The tunnel project is really to make a safe pipeline safer at the end of the day. That pipeline is very, very heavily inspected, especially that four-mile crossing in the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. I think it’s fair to say it’s the most inspected segment of over 100,000 miles of pipelines that we own and operate here in North America. …”

To learn details about the ongoing legal and regulatory issues on Line 5, plus what Enbridge does in the realm of community investment, watch the full episode.

Special Episode on Blue Cross’ Work to Reduce Health Costs – Released on 6/17/25

Host: Stephan Currie
Guest: Andy Hetzel of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Topics: In a special episode of Podcast 83, host Stephan Currie interviews an executive with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan about the insurer’s new affordability campaign.

“It’s an attempt to engage and meet people where they are right now, in terms of how they think about the cost of health care,” said Andy Hetzel, vice president of communications for BCBSM. “And what are our customers concerned about? Across the board, people are really concerned about the affordability problem that is in health insurance, and that stems from cost problems that are upstream in the system, in terms of how much health care costs, because anybody that has any type of insurance, it could be property insurance or health insurance or otherwise, the cost of that product is impacted by the cost of claims upstream in the system.

“We’ve seen hospital prices increase by 250 percent since 2000; that is five times greater than inflation,” Hetzel continued. “Over that period, we have seen the cost of medical care rise 40 percent, which is far greater than the rate of inflation. And last year, Blue Cross paid 15 percent more in pharmacy claims than we paid the year before, which again is five times the rate of inflation.

“Those extraordinary cost pressures upstream in the system are being felt now downstream. Last year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan paid $1 for every $1 we took in in premiums.”

To learn more about how BCBSM is countering prices on pharmaceuticals such as Humira and avoiding rehospitalizations and other strains, watch the full episode, recorded on June 4, by clicking here or on the image above.

Episode 114 – Released on 6/10/25
Host: Stephan Currie
Guests: Deena Bosworth and Samantha Gibson of MAC
Topics: Podcast 83 takes on a Washington, D.C., flavor this week as the MAC team discussed the details of a briefing from the National Association of Counties (NACo) on June 5.

“(NACo Executive Director Matt Chase) and his team talked a lot about what’s happening with federal funding, and some of the concerns that we have around that, whether it’s Medicaid or the SNAP program,” reported Deena Bosworth. “They talked about this designation as sanctuary cities or sanctuary counties, and some of the confusion surrounding that … and then they really dove into some issues with FEMA and the different attempts by both the administration and Congress to make some changes to how FEMA operates, how money gets out the door and how eligibility is determined.

“There was a council put together to talk about what they want to do to make some changes to FEMA,” Bosworth continued. “And I’ve heard from a couple of emergency managers from across Michigan who are really concerned with what that implies. Are they going to get rid of FEMA? Is it going to be its own separate department? And I think at this point, they’re not sure.”

MAC’s Samantha Gibson detailed the latest news on Medicaid:

“President Trump ran on this changing Medicaid and cutting costs. The way they’ve chosen to go about it is interesting, though. Instead of increasing the income eligibility threshold, what they are exploring is more or less an administrative burden.

“It’s not going to change who’s eligible for Medicaid, but it’s going to make it more difficult to access it. … It remains to be seen what the increased paperwork requirements will look like with Medicaid.”

“Unfortunately, that means that the state and the locals are going to have to do more fact-checking, more reporting, more administrative paperwork,” noted Bosworth. “And that’s going to be pretty difficult for everybody to handle.”

“I think that’s what we’re seeing with the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ too. It’s going to end up being cost shifts down to states,” said host Stephan Currie. And then how does the state make up those shortfalls, if there are shortfalls, and then what? How does that impact the state budget? Then, how does that impact locals? The whole trickledown effect, you have all these conversations going on at the same time, and they’re all impacted by different decisions at different levels.”

Special Episode on Savi student loan program – Released on 6/3/25

Host: Stephan Currie
Guest: Tony Raffa of Savi
Topic: With the recent alert from the U.S. Department of Education about involuntary collections on student loans, a new MAC Service Corp. sponsored program is the subject of a timely special episode of Podcast 83.

Savi is the leading social impact company helping student loan borrowers manage repayment and apply for federal programs. Programs like income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness are available to county employees, explained Savi’s Tony Raffa.

“Savi helps borrowers navigate their student debt. We do this mostly by working with both employers and borrowers, and bringing this through employers to the borrowers, whether it be residents of a county or the employees of that county,” he said.

“When we started in 2017, we looked at a great program that’s available to all government employees, called Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Many of us were trying to get through that program ourselves and realizing how much of a challenge it was. In fact, in 2017, only 1 percent of applicants actually crossed the finish line of Public Service Loan Forgiveness.”

Michigan’s Oakland County is among the county adopters of this program, Raffa said. “We’ve been seeing some pretty amazing impact, and we’ve really been seeing this grow very rapidly through counties.”

For additional details from the conversation between Raffa and host Stephan Currie, please click on the image above or here.

Special Episode on Opioid Services – Released on 5/27/25

Host: Stephan Currie
Guest: Amy Dolinky of MAC
Topic: MAC’s work with members on planning the use of opioid settlement dollars is the theme of a special episode of Podcast 83 this week.

Host Stephan Currie interviewed Amy Dolinky, MAC’s technical adviser on opioid settlement planning, about the association’s cutting-edge work in the field and how MAC is adapting to counties’ changing informational needs.

“We are still offering our existing individualized technical assistance to county governments on their opioid settlement funds,” Dolinky said. “What’s changed is really that we went from supporting counties mostly in planning efforts, and now many counties are spending or in the process of executing contracts with grantees or vendors. So, we’re really kind of transitioning to looking more at assessing the impact of the dollars, how folks are reporting and monitoring and considerations around transparency as well.

“Last year, MAC was able to work with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to adapt MAC’s guidance on transparency, to create the national guidance on transparency related to settlements, or one of the quick guides that we’ve seen come out to really support counties in their efforts related to these funds,” she added.

“We’re also involved in the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Opioid Solutions Leadership Network … and we’ve been able to participate and present in (Washington, D.C.) on the work that we’re doing to help other associations provide support to their members.”

“Yes, because really, we’re one of the unique associations that’s providing the service?” Currie asked. “Can you talk a little bit about that, what the outlook is at other state associations or other states across the country and maybe what some of the goals of this NACo program are?”

“So, specifically, the three states associations that presented at this conference were North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan. It’s important for the other states to see our three distinct and unique models for providing these supports, to understand that these services don’t have to be provided within a specific framework,” Dolinky replied. “Based on the reporting requirements in that state, based on funding for positions like mine and based on the ways in which the statewide associations are working with both local government and state government can really impact the supports that are provided. We were able to highlight three distinct models for how those services can be done, whether that’s an individual providing the support or a team providing that support to members can really make a difference. And there’s a lot of other considerations in this work that we were able to talk to the group about as well.”

Episode 113 – Released on 5/20/25
Host: Stephan Currie
Guests: Deena Bosworth, Jimmy Johnson and Samantha Gibson of MAC
Topics: 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.

Special Episode on County Veteran Services – Released on 5/13/25
Host: Stephan Currie
Guest: Michael Roof of the Michigan Association of County Veteran Counselors
Topic: How county offices assist Michigan’s approximately 600,000 veterans is the topic of a special episode of Podcast 83 this week.

Host Stephan Currie talks with Michael Roof of Grand Traverse County, president of the Michigan Association of County Veteran Counselors (MACVC) on what he and his colleagues do each day.

“Out of the 83 counties, there’s 79 counties that have a county department of veterans affairs. Some of us are general fund funded, and some are millage funded,” Roof said.

“Within those 79 counties, our duty is to help veterans and their dependents get and apply for any VA state or local benefits. That’s the basic bottom line,” Roof added. “That means VA benefits, widow benefits, financial assistance, burial assistance. We help them anytime they come to our office.”

“Just to be clear,” Currie responded, “there’s the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs at the state you’re separate from them, right?”

“Yes … those are state agencies that are tasked with basically being a referral source, of getting it out and contacting veterans,” Roof said.

“So, what is most common when a veteran comes into your office, what do you guys typically find that they need most?” Currie asked.

“Assistance and filing for disability benefits or financial assistance … When someone comes in, they have to prove that they’re a veteran, first and foremost, with documentation. They must prove they are a resident of the county. And then we usually have them provide a paycheck stub for everybody in the household, two months of bank statements to show that they don’t have an excessive amount of money to, you know, contribute to the emergency situation. And then we just kind of go through their expenses and have a conversation to find out what caused this situation and how we can help.”

To learn more, click here for the full episode, originally taped in late April.

Episode 112 – Released on 5/6/25
Host: Deena Bosworth
Guests: Jimmy Johnson and Samantha Gibson of MAC
Topics: Legislation to address a coming shortfall in county veteran service efforts was a focus of this week’s episode of Podcast 83, whose ranks were expanded with the return of a familiar face.

“The Veterans Service Grant Fund has a shortfall of roughly $3.7 million,” noted Jimmy Johnson, governmental affairs specialist. “The veterans affairs department has really been taking a lot of heat on this. And this is not a partisan issue. This has been bipartisan. And luckily, we have a very great champion in the House, Rep. Julie Rogers, who introduced House Bill 4423.

“This is an appropriation from the General Fund for $3.7 million. … We are really feeling good about the chances of this hurrying up and passing with broad, bipartisan support. … And what makes me feel really good about this is that the chair of (the key) committee is also one of the sponsors on it.”

Rejoining the Podcast 83 team is Samantha Gibson, who has returned to MAC in the role of governmental affairs specialist after assisting with the recent transition in Washington, D.C.

“I am so excited to be back at MAC,” Gibson said. “I missed this office and all of our commissioners very much. So, I went to D.C. for a little bit, but I’m a Michigan girl at heart, so I had to come back. I’m just elated to be back with the counties.”

For details on the new shape of responsibilities among MAC’s governmental affairs team and other details, view the full episode, recorded on May 5, by clicking here.