This week, I am going to take a different approach to this blog. While I usually report what is going on at the County Commission, I would like to focus on one of the many independent boards and commissions that Commissioners serve on – the Tri-County Office on Aging.
The Tri-County Office on Aging (TCOA) runs many awesome programs to assist and protect seniors and elder residents of the Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton couhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnty area. This includes Meals on Wheels, the MIChoice Home and Community Based Waiver, long-term care programs, Medicaid and Medicare programs, etc. You can see all they do at www.tcoa.org and it is definitely an impressive list.
I am one of three Ingham County Commissioners that serve on the Tri-County Office on Aging board. We are joined by three representatives of the City of Lansing, as well as representatives of Eaton and Clinton counties. Our role is to make policy decisions for the Tri-County Office of Aging (which is one of the several Office on Aging Boards statewide).
On the Board, we set and review the budget of TCOA on a monthly basis. They have excellent staff, lead by Marion Owen (the executive director) and there are not many controversial items.
I have been greatly involved in several issues that come up frequently regarding important services provided to our seniors. One is Meals on Wheels. I don’t think I have to explain that one…it ensures that seniors receive balanced and nutritional meals regularly, and is has volunteers pick up the food at our facility and drive it to seniors in need. What a great program. The second great program the home MIChoice and community based waiver. Seniors generally want to remain in their homes as they get older. Unfortunately, there is more money available for nursing care than for at-home care. Nursing homes and care facilities are far more expensive for seniors and communities. The MIChoice program provides assistance to seniors for this home health care who want to stay in their home and just need a certain level of medical assistance. As Commissioner Rebecca Bahar-Cook pointed out in a recent Lansing State Journal op-ed (July 7, 2011), “the average home health care visit under Medicare Part A and Part B is just $137. That same service if performed in a skilled nursing facility is $325 a day. If that service is performed in a hospital the cost is almost $1,500 a day.” I am not against nursing homes - they serve an important resource for those that need that level of care. I just believe that we need to also allow people to stay in their homes as they get older, and need to provide these necessary services at less cost to the elder and the community.
At the most recent meeting, we learned several interesting things. First, we learned that our budget would not have to be amended because the state budget did not include cuts to in-home services, volunteer services or nutrition. That is good news for our seniors, and for ensuring that we can provide the best care for those older citizens in need. Now we can get started on the 2012 budget. We also learned that the state Department of Community Health is holding a series of forums around the state regarding their plan for developing a Medicare and Medicaid integrated care initiative in Michigan. Michigan is one of 15 states to win a grant from the federal government to do this. DCH will develop a plan with public and consumer input. While I am happy they are looking into this to see about efficiencies and maximizing federal dollars, they are not holding a forum in the Lansing area which is very disappointing.
In addition, we heard updates about the nutrition programs that TCOA runs, as well as the Meals on Wheels program and input regarding that program. We also worked on updating the employee handbook to ensure that all procedures are clearly spelled out to employees.
The TCOA board is just one of many boards and commissions that county commissioners serve on as representatives of our constituents and the community. There are so many others, and I will try to highlight them in this blog when possible
NOTE: As always, I will add a reminder here that I will be posting this blog through facebook on my political facebook page (www.facebook.com/andyschor) instead of my personal facebook page. Please go to www.facebook.com/andyschor and click on “like” if you want to be on the list of people to have the notice in your news feed. I will also continue to send out the blog through my facebook group, but facebook is eliminating that group shortly.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
County to Maintain City of Lansing Parks, Hawk Island Tubing Hill, 911 Center, County Budget
After taking a week off, the Schor County blog is back.
In County Services and Finance, we finalized the resolution to take over maintenance of many of the City of Lansing Parks. The City has not been able to afford to mow or maintain several parks. They approached the County and asked us to maintain and mow the lawn. Our Parks Director gave an estimate on the amount that it will take to do this, and a contract was negotiated. Once all the issues that were raised by the County Commissioners were resolved, this was brought back to us for our consideration. All of the changes we requested were adopted, and the resolution passed both committees. We also added a provision that the City has until November 1 to sign the contract. We do not want to have this hanging out for a while, as was done with the dog park and zoo. One commissioner opposed this in County Services (Dragonetti) and one in Finance (Dougan). Both indicated that they thought that this would lead to the City expecting us to do more things for them. After changes were made, I was happy to vote for this as a good regional effort. Ingham County is very efficient and well run, and we can ensure that these parks are mowed and maintained. As such, we are stepping up by accepting the request of the City of Lansing.
The parks included are:
5 acres or under:
Barb Dean, Bassett, Bluebell, Everett, Glen Eden, Hillsdale, Holly, Horsebrook, Jones, Lake, Kay North, Marscot H. Moore, Osborne, Regent, Reutter, Seventh, Stabler, Tammany, Walsh, Waldo, Caesar Donora, Greencroft, Parcel B, Hull Court, Wilson
Parks on the river trail:
Dietrich, Edmore, Dodge, Burchard-East, Burchard-West, Wentworth, Cherry Hill, Kalamazoo Plaza, Cooley, Scott Center, Crego, Trager, Elm, River Point, Maguire
We also passed a resolution adjusting the budget for the Hawk Island snow tubing hill. This was a project that was started about 6 years ago, and is now being finalized. Unfortunately, there were several expenses that have risen and need to be paid for. Although we got the dirt for free, we need to purchase the snow making machine and lifts. Also, the City of Lansing has a very expensive Soil Erosion Permit. Our staff had hoped that the City would reduce the price for the permit or allow us to have our own Drain Commissioner certify the soil erosion issues, but the City would not agree to that. Fortunately, our excellent Parks staff was able to find the dollars to pay for these final pieces. We unanimously approved transfers of $62,558. This will make the total budget of the project a maximum of $289,548 but could be $12,000 less if we are able to get a cheaper lift. We also expect the snow boarding portion to have equipment donated to reduce the cost. The transferred money comes from the Parks Capital Improvement fund and was previously budgeted, so there is no new general fund dollars to be used.
We once again had to consider the 911 consolidated center. If you are a faithful reader of this blog (and I know you are!), then you know that we combined the Lansing and East Lansing 911 centers and are about to break ground on a new center. Well, the bids for the new center were expected to come in a little higher than expected (about $800,000 higher). Staff went to work and revised the bid documents and we now expect the cost overrun to be about $200,000 higher. Staff asked for us to approve a $400,000, just in case the bids are higher than expected. I was not interested in approving double the amount needed, so I offered an amendment in County Services to allow a transfer of $200,000 and the ability of staff to approve up to another $200,000 if the Controller and Board Chair approve. I would have required staff to come back to the Board, but that could push back breaking ground into the winter and there are many more costs associated with building in the winter. I was comfortable with the Board chair and Controller reviewing anything over $200,000 and approving what may be necessary. My amendment passed in County Services, and was further amended in Finance to ensure that all Commissioners receive notice of anything over $200,000.
In Finance, we approved a resolution accepting a Child & Adolescent Health Center grant award from the Michigan Department of Community Health to continue funding Willow Health Center, Otto Health Center and the School Wellness Program at Gardner Middle School. The Health Department also proposed the addition of a new school-based health center at a high school in the Lansing School District, and the Michigan Department of Community Health awarded the grant for the maximum award period of five years. These awards will provide a total of $3.4 million over five years. One hundred thousand per year will support the continued operations of the School Wellness Program at Gardner Middle School; $175,000 per year will support the continued operations at Otto Community Health Center; $225,000 will support the continued operations at Willow Health Center, and $175,000 will start a new school-based health center and fund its operations at a Lansing School District High School. These awards will fund seven new positions, which are essential to the operations of these Health Centers. As a condition of these awards, the Health Department is required to establish a local community advisory committee. The advisory committee must be representative of the community and include a
broad range of stakeholders and school staff. One-third of the committee members must be parents of school-aged youth. The committee must approve certain policies related to the health center. In order to establish and maintain this required committee, the ICHD proposes to enter into an agreement with the School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan (SCHA-MI). SCHA-MI will provide support and assist in parent and youth engagement to the committee as required. The budgeted amount for this agreement will not exceed $25,000. Both County Services and Finance approved these unanimously, and in Finance we learned that if a school closes, the money can go to another school.
In Finance, we also went over our annual county audit, our general fund reserves, our Budget Stabilization Plan, and the upcoming budget deficit of $5.5 million. Our Controller will be coming up with recommended possibilities that she will present to us to consider to close the budget hole. Because this is already long enough, I will report on this in a future blog.
I hope everyone is staying cool! And don't forget to visit my Andy Schor for State Representative page at www.andyschor.com and to check out my facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/andyschor !
Andy
In County Services and Finance, we finalized the resolution to take over maintenance of many of the City of Lansing Parks. The City has not been able to afford to mow or maintain several parks. They approached the County and asked us to maintain and mow the lawn. Our Parks Director gave an estimate on the amount that it will take to do this, and a contract was negotiated. Once all the issues that were raised by the County Commissioners were resolved, this was brought back to us for our consideration. All of the changes we requested were adopted, and the resolution passed both committees. We also added a provision that the City has until November 1 to sign the contract. We do not want to have this hanging out for a while, as was done with the dog park and zoo. One commissioner opposed this in County Services (Dragonetti) and one in Finance (Dougan). Both indicated that they thought that this would lead to the City expecting us to do more things for them. After changes were made, I was happy to vote for this as a good regional effort. Ingham County is very efficient and well run, and we can ensure that these parks are mowed and maintained. As such, we are stepping up by accepting the request of the City of Lansing.
The parks included are:
5 acres or under:
Barb Dean, Bassett, Bluebell, Everett, Glen Eden, Hillsdale, Holly, Horsebrook, Jones, Lake, Kay North, Marscot H. Moore, Osborne, Regent, Reutter, Seventh, Stabler, Tammany, Walsh, Waldo, Caesar Donora, Greencroft, Parcel B, Hull Court, Wilson
Parks on the river trail:
Dietrich, Edmore, Dodge, Burchard-East, Burchard-West, Wentworth, Cherry Hill, Kalamazoo Plaza, Cooley, Scott Center, Crego, Trager, Elm, River Point, Maguire
We also passed a resolution adjusting the budget for the Hawk Island snow tubing hill. This was a project that was started about 6 years ago, and is now being finalized. Unfortunately, there were several expenses that have risen and need to be paid for. Although we got the dirt for free, we need to purchase the snow making machine and lifts. Also, the City of Lansing has a very expensive Soil Erosion Permit. Our staff had hoped that the City would reduce the price for the permit or allow us to have our own Drain Commissioner certify the soil erosion issues, but the City would not agree to that. Fortunately, our excellent Parks staff was able to find the dollars to pay for these final pieces. We unanimously approved transfers of $62,558. This will make the total budget of the project a maximum of $289,548 but could be $12,000 less if we are able to get a cheaper lift. We also expect the snow boarding portion to have equipment donated to reduce the cost. The transferred money comes from the Parks Capital Improvement fund and was previously budgeted, so there is no new general fund dollars to be used.
We once again had to consider the 911 consolidated center. If you are a faithful reader of this blog (and I know you are!), then you know that we combined the Lansing and East Lansing 911 centers and are about to break ground on a new center. Well, the bids for the new center were expected to come in a little higher than expected (about $800,000 higher). Staff went to work and revised the bid documents and we now expect the cost overrun to be about $200,000 higher. Staff asked for us to approve a $400,000, just in case the bids are higher than expected. I was not interested in approving double the amount needed, so I offered an amendment in County Services to allow a transfer of $200,000 and the ability of staff to approve up to another $200,000 if the Controller and Board Chair approve. I would have required staff to come back to the Board, but that could push back breaking ground into the winter and there are many more costs associated with building in the winter. I was comfortable with the Board chair and Controller reviewing anything over $200,000 and approving what may be necessary. My amendment passed in County Services, and was further amended in Finance to ensure that all Commissioners receive notice of anything over $200,000.
In Finance, we approved a resolution accepting a Child & Adolescent Health Center grant award from the Michigan Department of Community Health to continue funding Willow Health Center, Otto Health Center and the School Wellness Program at Gardner Middle School. The Health Department also proposed the addition of a new school-based health center at a high school in the Lansing School District, and the Michigan Department of Community Health awarded the grant for the maximum award period of five years. These awards will provide a total of $3.4 million over five years. One hundred thousand per year will support the continued operations of the School Wellness Program at Gardner Middle School; $175,000 per year will support the continued operations at Otto Community Health Center; $225,000 will support the continued operations at Willow Health Center, and $175,000 will start a new school-based health center and fund its operations at a Lansing School District High School. These awards will fund seven new positions, which are essential to the operations of these Health Centers. As a condition of these awards, the Health Department is required to establish a local community advisory committee. The advisory committee must be representative of the community and include a
broad range of stakeholders and school staff. One-third of the committee members must be parents of school-aged youth. The committee must approve certain policies related to the health center. In order to establish and maintain this required committee, the ICHD proposes to enter into an agreement with the School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan (SCHA-MI). SCHA-MI will provide support and assist in parent and youth engagement to the committee as required. The budgeted amount for this agreement will not exceed $25,000. Both County Services and Finance approved these unanimously, and in Finance we learned that if a school closes, the money can go to another school.
In Finance, we also went over our annual county audit, our general fund reserves, our Budget Stabilization Plan, and the upcoming budget deficit of $5.5 million. Our Controller will be coming up with recommended possibilities that she will present to us to consider to close the budget hole. Because this is already long enough, I will report on this in a future blog.
I hope everyone is staying cool! And don't forget to visit my Andy Schor for State Representative page at www.andyschor.com and to check out my facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/andyschor !
Andy
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Foreclosed Properties and Land Bank, Animal Control Positions Filled, Youth Day Treatment, Facebook Follows
Happy Independence Day, everyone! I hope you had a happy and healthy July 4th weekend.
I apologize for the lateness of this blog, but I couldn’t get it out before the holiday. And with the County Commission going into our summer schedule, I figure I can spread the blogs out a bit.
Last week, the Board of Commissioners meeting was mostly non-controversial. As I reported last time, there were some objections to the Treasurer’s office utilizing the County’s option to capture tax foreclosed properties. As I mentioned, the way it works is that the county captures the properties in tax foreclosure. Some of the properties are auctioned off for minimum bid at an auction, and some are bundled together and attempted to be sold (although most are not). In the end, the County is responsible for all of these properties. The Republicans voted against the resolution, presumably because they don’t like the Land Bank having as many properties as it does. They did not say, though, what they would like done with these properties. Sitting vacant creates blight for the community, lower property values, and crime. Auctioning them off for the lowest bid usually results in speculation and people purchasing properties that they can’t afford to clean up or don’t plan to. Rehabilitating the properties by the Land Bank or by bidders who want to pay off the tax liens is the best possible situation. I was happy to vote for the resolution, and it passed 12-4.
Otherwise, there were no controversial resolutions. We passed one resolution authorizing funding for two temporary animal control positions. We have been woefully short-staffed in animal control, and have been hearing several complaints as a result. We now have two positions that are empty as a result of staff on leave time, and it was critical for those positions to be staffed for the summer (the busiest time of the year). As such, we unanimously approved a resolution approving funding of two temporary positions including a clerk/dispatcher and an animal control licensing officer from July through October. We are expecting current revenues to pay for this - $5,477 from the Animal Care Fund Account and $15,000 in unexpected increased dog licensing revenue. This will cover the $20,477 for forty hours each week during this time span. I am sorry that we cannot do more to help animal control, but as everyone knoe we have a budget deficit and all departments are making do with smaller budgets as a result of cuts!
We also approved a resolution merging two day treatment programs at the Circuit Court. We merged the Crossroads program and the Ingham Academy. This will result in Ingham County now having a vocational piece and a high school diploma for all of the youth in day treatment. It also saves about $153,000 from the county general fund and will allow for new equipment to be provided to the merged Ingham Academy program. All in all, this is a win-win for the county budget and for the yhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifouth that are being helped by these programs!
For those that follow my by Facebook, I am attempting to only post personal stuff (family stuff, pictures, etc) on my personal page, and County Commission and State Rep campaign stuff on my fan page (www.facebook.com/andyschor). If you haven’t already done so, please “like” my fan page so you will get the Commission and campaign updates!
Well, that’s all for this week!
I apologize for the lateness of this blog, but I couldn’t get it out before the holiday. And with the County Commission going into our summer schedule, I figure I can spread the blogs out a bit.
Last week, the Board of Commissioners meeting was mostly non-controversial. As I reported last time, there were some objections to the Treasurer’s office utilizing the County’s option to capture tax foreclosed properties. As I mentioned, the way it works is that the county captures the properties in tax foreclosure. Some of the properties are auctioned off for minimum bid at an auction, and some are bundled together and attempted to be sold (although most are not). In the end, the County is responsible for all of these properties. The Republicans voted against the resolution, presumably because they don’t like the Land Bank having as many properties as it does. They did not say, though, what they would like done with these properties. Sitting vacant creates blight for the community, lower property values, and crime. Auctioning them off for the lowest bid usually results in speculation and people purchasing properties that they can’t afford to clean up or don’t plan to. Rehabilitating the properties by the Land Bank or by bidders who want to pay off the tax liens is the best possible situation. I was happy to vote for the resolution, and it passed 12-4.
Otherwise, there were no controversial resolutions. We passed one resolution authorizing funding for two temporary animal control positions. We have been woefully short-staffed in animal control, and have been hearing several complaints as a result. We now have two positions that are empty as a result of staff on leave time, and it was critical for those positions to be staffed for the summer (the busiest time of the year). As such, we unanimously approved a resolution approving funding of two temporary positions including a clerk/dispatcher and an animal control licensing officer from July through October. We are expecting current revenues to pay for this - $5,477 from the Animal Care Fund Account and $15,000 in unexpected increased dog licensing revenue. This will cover the $20,477 for forty hours each week during this time span. I am sorry that we cannot do more to help animal control, but as everyone knoe we have a budget deficit and all departments are making do with smaller budgets as a result of cuts!
We also approved a resolution merging two day treatment programs at the Circuit Court. We merged the Crossroads program and the Ingham Academy. This will result in Ingham County now having a vocational piece and a high school diploma for all of the youth in day treatment. It also saves about $153,000 from the county general fund and will allow for new equipment to be provided to the merged Ingham Academy program. All in all, this is a win-win for the county budget and for the yhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifouth that are being helped by these programs!
For those that follow my by Facebook, I am attempting to only post personal stuff (family stuff, pictures, etc) on my personal page, and County Commission and State Rep campaign stuff on my fan page (www.facebook.com/andyschor). If you haven’t already done so, please “like” my fan page so you will get the Commission and campaign updates!
Well, that’s all for this week!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Land Bank properties, County Maintaining City of Lansing Parks, Juvenile Justice Agencies, Hertel Sues for Taxes, State Rep Campaign Raises 35k
This week was very busy for the County Commission. As I have said before, we do much of our work in committees, and we spent considerable time on several items this week.
In County Services, we started out with about an hour discussing the Land Bank. Treasurer Schertzing presented us with about 130 tax foreclosed properties for the county to acquire. When a property goes into tax foreclosure, the county acquires it and, in our case, decides how that property is disposed of. Some are auctioned off, some are demolished, and some are purchased by the Land Bank to be redeveloped and resold. Some commissioners are concerned that our Land Bank has too many properties as it is and do not want us to take on any further burden. Schertzing explained that many of the properties are bundled and sold at auction, and only some are retained by the Land Bank. And those that are retained are redeveloped and sold to go back on the tax rolls. The Land Bank has been doing an excellent job getting properties back in shape, especially with the current state of the economy leading to so many tax foreclosed properties. This includes both residential and commercial properties. In County Services, the resolution passed 4-2, and in Finance it passed 6-0.
A resolution was put before us that would have the County maintain several City of Lansing parks. The Mayor has apparently requested that the County maintain 25 city parks of 5 acres or less, and 15 parks on the river trail. The language provided by the Mayor’s office, though, was greatly concerning to many of us. We discussed this with our Parks Director. The resolution itself listed several think that the County would do. The primary function would be mowing, with specific conditions listed. These include mowing to a certain height, pick up grass clippings, trimming all vegetation around obstacles (fences, signs, posts, curbs, sidewalks, etc), removal of branches and leaves on trails, snow removal, removal of all litter and trash debris on the lawn, and emptying trash barrels daily. Also listed was signs to be installed by County staff and graffiti removal, but we rejected those two conditions because they would take significantly more manpower and time. It requires that the county do a thorough clean up before the first mowing in the spring, compliance of the Snow Removal Ordinance regarding sidewalks, and other things. In exchange for all this and more, the City will pay the County $236,000. While many Commissioners had some initial doubts, our Parks Director assured us that we could accomplish the needs for this amount. Questions were raised, though, if our actions here would result in layoffs at the city or have other labor implications. We are looking into those questions. We also heard that the Mayor sent this to us without discussing it with Council. Many of us Commissioners are hesitant to get in the middle of another fight between the Mayor and Council (as we did with the zoo), so we wanted to be sure that all parties at the City are aware of this request from the Mayor. We have sent this to our City Attorney for review, and will start negotiations with the appropriate City entities.
In Finance, we had a very active discussion about the Juvenile Justice millage. This is the millage that was approved twice by Ingham County residents. Every year we approve a certain amount of money from the millage to go towards community agencies that assist youths that are at-risk and have not yet gone through the courts (pre-adjudicated). This amount now is $100,000, and Commissioner Nolan expressed that she would like to see more money going towards these prevention efforts when possible. Commissioner Bahar-Cook also discussed the makeup of those that have applied in the past and how they can use the money. The committee had a good discussion of the dollars available, the amount matched by the state through the Child Care fund, and the importance of prevention. We will move forward with the $100,000 amount, but several of us (including me) expressed that we would like to see more for prevention if there are enough agencies applying.
Finally, if you haven’t seen the Lansing State Journal or national news, Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel, Jr filed a personal lawsuit against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for not paying taxes owed. The County Services and Finance committees passed a resolution to have the County enter into an agreement with the Home Defense League to represent the County and file suit to recapture these fees. In essence, we would replace Hertel as the plaintiff in the lawsuit. Hertel is the statewide leader in this effort (once again) and filed the suit himself because time was of the essence. With passage of this resolution, the County will officially take on the lawsuit, as is appropriate. We expect to receive tens of millions of dollars that are owed to the County by Freddie Mac and Fannie May, who chose not to pay the county and state taxes that are owed. Read here for more information!
And for those following my political State House campaign, I sent out an email this week to supporters indicating that we have raised more than $35,000 in 4 months and have received tremendous support from elected and neighborhood leaders. The momentum has been tremendous, and continues to grow. Stay tuned!
That’s it for this week. That is just a snapshot of everything that we have done, but I think it is long enough!
In County Services, we started out with about an hour discussing the Land Bank. Treasurer Schertzing presented us with about 130 tax foreclosed properties for the county to acquire. When a property goes into tax foreclosure, the county acquires it and, in our case, decides how that property is disposed of. Some are auctioned off, some are demolished, and some are purchased by the Land Bank to be redeveloped and resold. Some commissioners are concerned that our Land Bank has too many properties as it is and do not want us to take on any further burden. Schertzing explained that many of the properties are bundled and sold at auction, and only some are retained by the Land Bank. And those that are retained are redeveloped and sold to go back on the tax rolls. The Land Bank has been doing an excellent job getting properties back in shape, especially with the current state of the economy leading to so many tax foreclosed properties. This includes both residential and commercial properties. In County Services, the resolution passed 4-2, and in Finance it passed 6-0.
A resolution was put before us that would have the County maintain several City of Lansing parks. The Mayor has apparently requested that the County maintain 25 city parks of 5 acres or less, and 15 parks on the river trail. The language provided by the Mayor’s office, though, was greatly concerning to many of us. We discussed this with our Parks Director. The resolution itself listed several think that the County would do. The primary function would be mowing, with specific conditions listed. These include mowing to a certain height, pick up grass clippings, trimming all vegetation around obstacles (fences, signs, posts, curbs, sidewalks, etc), removal of branches and leaves on trails, snow removal, removal of all litter and trash debris on the lawn, and emptying trash barrels daily. Also listed was signs to be installed by County staff and graffiti removal, but we rejected those two conditions because they would take significantly more manpower and time. It requires that the county do a thorough clean up before the first mowing in the spring, compliance of the Snow Removal Ordinance regarding sidewalks, and other things. In exchange for all this and more, the City will pay the County $236,000. While many Commissioners had some initial doubts, our Parks Director assured us that we could accomplish the needs for this amount. Questions were raised, though, if our actions here would result in layoffs at the city or have other labor implications. We are looking into those questions. We also heard that the Mayor sent this to us without discussing it with Council. Many of us Commissioners are hesitant to get in the middle of another fight between the Mayor and Council (as we did with the zoo), so we wanted to be sure that all parties at the City are aware of this request from the Mayor. We have sent this to our City Attorney for review, and will start negotiations with the appropriate City entities.
In Finance, we had a very active discussion about the Juvenile Justice millage. This is the millage that was approved twice by Ingham County residents. Every year we approve a certain amount of money from the millage to go towards community agencies that assist youths that are at-risk and have not yet gone through the courts (pre-adjudicated). This amount now is $100,000, and Commissioner Nolan expressed that she would like to see more money going towards these prevention efforts when possible. Commissioner Bahar-Cook also discussed the makeup of those that have applied in the past and how they can use the money. The committee had a good discussion of the dollars available, the amount matched by the state through the Child Care fund, and the importance of prevention. We will move forward with the $100,000 amount, but several of us (including me) expressed that we would like to see more for prevention if there are enough agencies applying.
Finally, if you haven’t seen the Lansing State Journal or national news, Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel, Jr filed a personal lawsuit against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for not paying taxes owed. The County Services and Finance committees passed a resolution to have the County enter into an agreement with the Home Defense League to represent the County and file suit to recapture these fees. In essence, we would replace Hertel as the plaintiff in the lawsuit. Hertel is the statewide leader in this effort (once again) and filed the suit himself because time was of the essence. With passage of this resolution, the County will officially take on the lawsuit, as is appropriate. We expect to receive tens of millions of dollars that are owed to the County by Freddie Mac and Fannie May, who chose not to pay the county and state taxes that are owed. Read here for more information!
And for those following my political State House campaign, I sent out an email this week to supporters indicating that we have raised more than $35,000 in 4 months and have received tremendous support from elected and neighborhood leaders. The momentum has been tremendous, and continues to grow. Stay tuned!
That’s it for this week. That is just a snapshot of everything that we have done, but I think it is long enough!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Foreclosure Fraud Attorney's and Symposiums,Wolverine Pipeline Right-of-Way Clearing
This week the County Board of Commissioners had a relatively non-controversial agenda. We passed the resolution for the Register of Deeds and Treasurer that will allow for legal aide attorneys to be used for the foreclosure fraud cases. This will ensure that residents facing fraud will have the resources they need to stay in their home or get back into their homes. In addition, Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel announced a series of 10 symposiums throughout the county for people to attend to learn more and lodge complaints. They are listed below. He also announced a foreclosure fraud hotline for those who are going through foreclosure and suspect foreclosure fraud or property fraud. Residents can call 676-7210, and they are guaranteed to receive a call back within 24 hours.
In public testimony, the Wolverine Pipeline folks announced that they will be doing a series of Right-of-Way (ROW) clearings along the ares of the pipeline. Right-of-ways are between 50 and 100 feet. They are regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Administration of the federal government. The pipeline monitored 26 times per year in specific intervals. The company does fly-overs to accomplish this. They displayed the importance of keeping these ROW's clear. Emergency response would be limited if the properties are overgrown with weeds and vegetation. The Wolverine Pipeline was formerly owned by Total petroleum. Wolverine purchased it and slowly reclaimed the rights-of-way. The program now is maintenance only and not reclamation. They said they will contact every land owner before doing any clearing on private property. They have easement rights to do this, but want to let folks know before doing any work. They gave us a variety of materials with pictures and examples. If you are on the pipeline route, then be ready for the clearing to come soon. If you have questions, you can contact Fred Hipshear, Wolverine's Right-of-Way agent, at 269 323-2491 (office), 269 217-5158 (cell), or at rightofway@wplco.com.
That's it. A relatively light agenda. Here is the list of symposiums for foreclosure:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Cristo Rey Community Center
1717 N. High Street
Lansing, Michigan 48906
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5:30 p.m.
East Lansing Hannah Center Community Center
Executive Conference Room
819 Abbott Road
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Ingham County Fair Ground
Community Hall
Mason Michigan
Thursday, August 25, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Gar Hall
107 E. Bellevue
Leslie, Michigan
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 7:00 p.m.
Eastside Neighborhood
Foster Community Center
200 N. Foster
Room 213
Lansing, Michigan 48912
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Williamston Community Center
Thursday, October 13, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Webberville
Village of Weberville Cultural Center
115 S. Main
Tuesday, October 25 2011 5:30 p.m.
African American Health Institute
835 West Genesse
Lansing, Michigan 48933
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Okemos High School
Okemos, Michigan
Thursday, November 17, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Grace of Love Church Ministry
2618 S. Waverly Hwy.
Lansing, Michigan 48911
In public testimony, the Wolverine Pipeline folks announced that they will be doing a series of Right-of-Way (ROW) clearings along the ares of the pipeline. Right-of-ways are between 50 and 100 feet. They are regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Administration of the federal government. The pipeline monitored 26 times per year in specific intervals. The company does fly-overs to accomplish this. They displayed the importance of keeping these ROW's clear. Emergency response would be limited if the properties are overgrown with weeds and vegetation. The Wolverine Pipeline was formerly owned by Total petroleum. Wolverine purchased it and slowly reclaimed the rights-of-way. The program now is maintenance only and not reclamation. They said they will contact every land owner before doing any clearing on private property. They have easement rights to do this, but want to let folks know before doing any work. They gave us a variety of materials with pictures and examples. If you are on the pipeline route, then be ready for the clearing to come soon. If you have questions, you can contact Fred Hipshear, Wolverine's Right-of-Way agent, at 269 323-2491 (office), 269 217-5158 (cell), or at rightofway@wplco.com.
That's it. A relatively light agenda. Here is the list of symposiums for foreclosure:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Cristo Rey Community Center
1717 N. High Street
Lansing, Michigan 48906
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5:30 p.m.
East Lansing Hannah Center Community Center
Executive Conference Room
819 Abbott Road
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Ingham County Fair Ground
Community Hall
Mason Michigan
Thursday, August 25, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Gar Hall
107 E. Bellevue
Leslie, Michigan
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 7:00 p.m.
Eastside Neighborhood
Foster Community Center
200 N. Foster
Room 213
Lansing, Michigan 48912
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Williamston Community Center
Thursday, October 13, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Webberville
Village of Weberville Cultural Center
115 S. Main
Tuesday, October 25 2011 5:30 p.m.
African American Health Institute
835 West Genesse
Lansing, Michigan 48933
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Okemos High School
Okemos, Michigan
Thursday, November 17, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Grace of Love Church Ministry
2618 S. Waverly Hwy.
Lansing, Michigan 48911
Thursday, June 9, 2011
New Drain Project, Foreclosure Fraud, Efficiencies in Register of Deeds Ofc, Fundraiser Update
The County Commission was back in action this week. We had committee meetings, where we do most of the details of our work (as you know if you are a weekly reader).
In County Services and Finance, we took up a resolution pledging full faith and credit of the count for the bonds for the Kalamink Consolidated Drain Drainage
District Bonds. Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann discussed the project. Webberville village and LeRoy Twp initiated this. The Drain Commissioner held meetings in the affected communities (2 townships and the village). This is a consolidation of two older drains into one. There are 933 parcels in the district and it is 12 ½ miles long. Drain Commissioner Lindemann told us that with 10,250 acres in the drainage district, individual assessments won’t be that large. The Drain Commissioner will replace a culvert, and will also take out 2 old pipes and put in a spanned bridge for 5 homes (that they will pay for) to relieve water backs up and very flooded driveways. There were over 25 potential bidders at a pre-bid meeting (which tool 2 ½ hours to show what needs to be done and bid on). The project will follow prevailing wage and will have a Project Labor Agreement. They are expecting at least 12 bids. After the County Commission approves this resolution, bids will come in (the bid process opens on Wednesday) then there will be a meeting with residents to talk about cost. The drain will be maintenance free for 20 years or more. The County pledges full faith and credit so that the Drain Commissioner can get a lower credit rating and save money.
A second resolution that passed was to contract with Legal Aide of Central Michigan to take Referrals from the Ingham County Register of Deeds and the Ingham County treasurer for foreclosure fraud cases. As reported in previous County Updates, hundreds of fraudulent foreclosure cases have been discovered by Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel, Jr. He is a statewide leader in rooting out these fraudulent foreclosures. He said that there are over 400 MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems) problematic foreclosures. In fact, all assignments my MERS were recently declared illegal. Hertel is working with County Treasurer Eric Schertzing and they have been doing great work, but there is too much for any one person to do. Legal Aide will be very helpful because they have foreclosure experts and counselors that can supplement what the County is doing. The Register of Deeds and Treasurer are mailing to those individuals that can be found and offering help from legal aide and other resources. We are trying to get these people back into their houses. Not only is this the right thing to do, it will also bring in more money to the county because it keeps people in their homes and keeps the tax base up. Even banks are coming to table to keep people in their homes, and this will help that effort. The only thing that residents can do now is to hire their own attorney. The Register of Deeds is trying to create a 3rd party tribunal in state law, but that hasn't happened yet. The Register of Deeds will also be conducting symposiums across the county soon to address foreclosure, foreclosure fraud, and property fraud. While anyone can get advice from Legal Aide and their are no income restrictions, they are not taking people as clients who can afford their own attorney. If you are in need of advice or assistance, you can contact the Register of Deeds or Legal Aide.
Finally, we considered a resolution to authorize the purchase of a new record management system for the Register of Deeds Office. The current system is not working and we had real problems with the current vendor which just couldn't be bridged. An evaluation committee comprised of staff from the Register of Deeds Office, Purchasing and MIS recommended awarding a contract to Fidlar Acquisition for $555,000 for a new land records management system (which includes five years of support and maintenance). Fidlar has a high degree of knowledge of the various aspects of recording land and vital documents in the State of Michigan – currently 15 other County Register of Deeds clients in Michigan are using Fidlar. In total, Fidlar has 218 county clients throughout 14 states and has been providing technology solutions to Recorder’s offices since 1987. Fidlar has a well-qualified staff consisting of 52 people, 7 of which were added in the past 18 months. Fidlar has agreed to meet all the County’s contractual terms and conditions and procurement policies. Also, MIS will purchase the required computer hardware for the new system from registered County vendors at a not to exceed cost of $25,189. This new contract is expected to bring in about $400,000 additional revenues in next 4 years
to the general fund. The contract will be paid for by the Register of Deeds Automation Fund, and not the General Fund. The contract will be a 4 year contract, and anything new that the company creates we get for free. Register of Deeds Hertel told us that this will improve accuracy and speed of work flow in his office. It will also ensure that the County is complying with state law in dealing with the order in which documents are put on record. It will capture more data on each document to help protect citizens from fraud, and will insure the protection of our online data. Finally, it will allow us to market ourselves against overseas title mills. I commend the Register of Deeds for his proactive work on this to make systems better and more efficient!
For all those following my political campaign, I hope you will join me at my next fundraiser on Monday. You can see the details on my webpage at www.andyschor.com. The campaign has been going really well and the support has been tremendous. I look to keep the momentum going for the next 15 months! Thanks everyone!!!
In County Services and Finance, we took up a resolution pledging full faith and credit of the count for the bonds for the Kalamink Consolidated Drain Drainage
District Bonds. Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann discussed the project. Webberville village and LeRoy Twp initiated this. The Drain Commissioner held meetings in the affected communities (2 townships and the village). This is a consolidation of two older drains into one. There are 933 parcels in the district and it is 12 ½ miles long. Drain Commissioner Lindemann told us that with 10,250 acres in the drainage district, individual assessments won’t be that large. The Drain Commissioner will replace a culvert, and will also take out 2 old pipes and put in a spanned bridge for 5 homes (that they will pay for) to relieve water backs up and very flooded driveways. There were over 25 potential bidders at a pre-bid meeting (which tool 2 ½ hours to show what needs to be done and bid on). The project will follow prevailing wage and will have a Project Labor Agreement. They are expecting at least 12 bids. After the County Commission approves this resolution, bids will come in (the bid process opens on Wednesday) then there will be a meeting with residents to talk about cost. The drain will be maintenance free for 20 years or more. The County pledges full faith and credit so that the Drain Commissioner can get a lower credit rating and save money.
A second resolution that passed was to contract with Legal Aide of Central Michigan to take Referrals from the Ingham County Register of Deeds and the Ingham County treasurer for foreclosure fraud cases. As reported in previous County Updates, hundreds of fraudulent foreclosure cases have been discovered by Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel, Jr. He is a statewide leader in rooting out these fraudulent foreclosures. He said that there are over 400 MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems) problematic foreclosures. In fact, all assignments my MERS were recently declared illegal. Hertel is working with County Treasurer Eric Schertzing and they have been doing great work, but there is too much for any one person to do. Legal Aide will be very helpful because they have foreclosure experts and counselors that can supplement what the County is doing. The Register of Deeds and Treasurer are mailing to those individuals that can be found and offering help from legal aide and other resources. We are trying to get these people back into their houses. Not only is this the right thing to do, it will also bring in more money to the county because it keeps people in their homes and keeps the tax base up. Even banks are coming to table to keep people in their homes, and this will help that effort. The only thing that residents can do now is to hire their own attorney. The Register of Deeds is trying to create a 3rd party tribunal in state law, but that hasn't happened yet. The Register of Deeds will also be conducting symposiums across the county soon to address foreclosure, foreclosure fraud, and property fraud. While anyone can get advice from Legal Aide and their are no income restrictions, they are not taking people as clients who can afford their own attorney. If you are in need of advice or assistance, you can contact the Register of Deeds or Legal Aide.
Finally, we considered a resolution to authorize the purchase of a new record management system for the Register of Deeds Office. The current system is not working and we had real problems with the current vendor which just couldn't be bridged. An evaluation committee comprised of staff from the Register of Deeds Office, Purchasing and MIS recommended awarding a contract to Fidlar Acquisition for $555,000 for a new land records management system (which includes five years of support and maintenance). Fidlar has a high degree of knowledge of the various aspects of recording land and vital documents in the State of Michigan – currently 15 other County Register of Deeds clients in Michigan are using Fidlar. In total, Fidlar has 218 county clients throughout 14 states and has been providing technology solutions to Recorder’s offices since 1987. Fidlar has a well-qualified staff consisting of 52 people, 7 of which were added in the past 18 months. Fidlar has agreed to meet all the County’s contractual terms and conditions and procurement policies. Also, MIS will purchase the required computer hardware for the new system from registered County vendors at a not to exceed cost of $25,189. This new contract is expected to bring in about $400,000 additional revenues in next 4 years
to the general fund. The contract will be paid for by the Register of Deeds Automation Fund, and not the General Fund. The contract will be a 4 year contract, and anything new that the company creates we get for free. Register of Deeds Hertel told us that this will improve accuracy and speed of work flow in his office. It will also ensure that the County is complying with state law in dealing with the order in which documents are put on record. It will capture more data on each document to help protect citizens from fraud, and will insure the protection of our online data. Finally, it will allow us to market ourselves against overseas title mills. I commend the Register of Deeds for his proactive work on this to make systems better and more efficient!
For all those following my political campaign, I hope you will join me at my next fundraiser on Monday. You can see the details on my webpage at www.andyschor.com. The campaign has been going really well and the support has been tremendous. I look to keep the momentum going for the next 15 months! Thanks everyone!!!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Snowboarding Hill, Point-of-Sale Fees, New Commissioner Maps and Districts
At the County Board meeting this week, we went through the same issues that I reported on last week. We had two resolutions pulled from the consent agenda and debated.
The first issue was the snowboarding hill. As a refresher, we considered a resolution returning money from the Parks Department to the county general fund. In that resolution, we allowed for $35,000 to be spent on a snowboarding hill. We are already building a sledding hill, and had a bunch of dirt donated. We were approached by a conglomerate that wanted Ingham County to create the second public snowboarding hill in the nation. We will have user fees that will generate significant revenue and expect to recoup the dollars in two years or so. We also will have much of the equipment donated. There will be a snow making machine so that there will always be snow, and security and parks staff to assist users. Because of the concern that we were putting money into this instead of police or health department or employees, we added language to the resolution that require the Controller to ensure that the county is repaid this money. That amendment, offered by Commissioner DeLeon, was passed unanimously as was the final resolution.
We also considered the point-of-sale portion of the fees resolution. We created a program a few years ago that requires septic fields to be inspected when a house on a septic field (mostly in the out-county) is sold. I voted for that at the time because the fee is way less than what we in Lansing pay for municipal sewer and water. The folks on private septic systems should also be paying to ensure that those fields are not leaking (which many were) and contaminating the county water supply. Because we keep most fees at 100% of the cost of that fee (to ensure that county taxpayers are not paying for these things), this fee was raised. The fee resolution passed on a 10-5 vote. Commissioner Dianne Holman spoke against it saying that it was still a relatively new fee and should not go up.
Finally, we learned what the new county commission districts would look like. The Ingham County Apportionment Committee considers maps submitted to them and votes on those maps. The Committee is made up of the County Prosecutor, County Clerk, County Treasurer, and Democratic and Republican Party Chairs. Prosecutor Dunnings submitted a map that follows election law. It was one of three maps submitted and received enough votes to pass. The map creates 14 County Commission districts (reduced from the current 16). If you want to see the new maps, click here.
Due to the the fact that there is a fifth week in May, we do not have any meetings next week. So, I will probably skip next week for the blog (unless I find a guest blogger).
I hope everyone has a happy and health Memorial Day weekend, and spends some time remembering all of those who sacrificed so that we can all live free lives in our Democracy!
Andy
The first issue was the snowboarding hill. As a refresher, we considered a resolution returning money from the Parks Department to the county general fund. In that resolution, we allowed for $35,000 to be spent on a snowboarding hill. We are already building a sledding hill, and had a bunch of dirt donated. We were approached by a conglomerate that wanted Ingham County to create the second public snowboarding hill in the nation. We will have user fees that will generate significant revenue and expect to recoup the dollars in two years or so. We also will have much of the equipment donated. There will be a snow making machine so that there will always be snow, and security and parks staff to assist users. Because of the concern that we were putting money into this instead of police or health department or employees, we added language to the resolution that require the Controller to ensure that the county is repaid this money. That amendment, offered by Commissioner DeLeon, was passed unanimously as was the final resolution.
We also considered the point-of-sale portion of the fees resolution. We created a program a few years ago that requires septic fields to be inspected when a house on a septic field (mostly in the out-county) is sold. I voted for that at the time because the fee is way less than what we in Lansing pay for municipal sewer and water. The folks on private septic systems should also be paying to ensure that those fields are not leaking (which many were) and contaminating the county water supply. Because we keep most fees at 100% of the cost of that fee (to ensure that county taxpayers are not paying for these things), this fee was raised. The fee resolution passed on a 10-5 vote. Commissioner Dianne Holman spoke against it saying that it was still a relatively new fee and should not go up.
Finally, we learned what the new county commission districts would look like. The Ingham County Apportionment Committee considers maps submitted to them and votes on those maps. The Committee is made up of the County Prosecutor, County Clerk, County Treasurer, and Democratic and Republican Party Chairs. Prosecutor Dunnings submitted a map that follows election law. It was one of three maps submitted and received enough votes to pass. The map creates 14 County Commission districts (reduced from the current 16). If you want to see the new maps, click here.
Due to the the fact that there is a fifth week in May, we do not have any meetings next week. So, I will probably skip next week for the blog (unless I find a guest blogger).
I hope everyone has a happy and health Memorial Day weekend, and spends some time remembering all of those who sacrificed so that we can all live free lives in our Democracy!
Andy
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