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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2008.03.10 - 36248CHRISTINE LONG Chairperson MICHAEL GINGELL Vice Chairperson MATTIE MCKINNEY HATCHETT Minority Vice Chairperson March 10, 2008 Chairperson Long called the meeting of the General Government Committee to order at 9:32 a.m. in Committee Room A, Commissioners’ Wing, County Service Center, Pontiac, Michigan. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Christine Long, Michael Gingell, Mattie McKinney Hatchett, Hugh D. Crawford, Eileen Kowall, Jeff Potter, Bradford Jacobsen, David Potts, Vincent Gregory, Jim Nash, Tim Greimel COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: George Suarez OTHERS PRESENT CIRCUIT COURT Kevin Oeffner, Court Administrator CLERK/REGISTER OF DEEDS Jim VanLeuven, Deputy Clerk/Register of Deeds CORPORATION COUNSEL Jody Hall, Assistant Corporation Counsel HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Thomas Gordon, Director INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Pat Coates, CLEMIS Administrator PARKS AND RECREATION Joe Figa, Chief of Design Jon Noyes, Landscape Designer ROAD COMMISSION FOR OAKLAND COUNTY Eric Wilson, Commissioner GENERAL PUBLIC Mindy Fernandez, Campaign Director, Divided We Fail John Bowker, Board Member, OCCMHA Ed Farragher, Board Member, OCCMHA Robert Dillaber, Board Member, OCCMHA Doris Taylor, Applicant, OCCMHA John Paul Torres, Applicant, OCCMHA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Larry Doyle, Administrative Director Dave Woodward, Commissioner, District #18 Pamela Worthington, Committee Coordinator PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 1200 N. TELEGRAPH ROAD, PONTIAC, MI 48341-0470 Telephone (248) 858-0100 FAX (248) 858 -1572 GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Hugh D. Crawford Eileen Kowall Jeff Potter Bradford Jacobsen David Potts Vincent Gregory George Suarez Jim Nash Tim Greimel GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 2 March 10, 2008 PUBLIC COMMENT Mindy Fernandes expressed her support for MR #08031 - Board of Commissioners – Support for “Divided We Fail” Effort. Road Commissioner Eric Wilson addressed the lawsuit that was filed against the Road Commission in regards to the roundabout and the safety of pedestrians. He wanted to inform the commissioners that the Road Commission is moving forward with the roundabout initiative, and to address the lawsuit, they are installing beepers and traffic signal controls to assist pedestrians with crossing the street safely at the roundabouts. APPROVAL OF THE PREVIOUS MINUTES Crawford moved approval of the previous minutes of February 25, 2008, as printed. Supported by Gingell. Motion carried on a voice vote. AGENDA Crawford moved to amend the agenda by moving Item #3 Clerk/Register of Deeds – Calendar Year 2008 Assistance for Survey, Monumentation and Remonumentation Grant Acceptance up on the agenda to be taken up first and adding Oakland County’s Response to the Telecommunications Association of Michigan’s March 4, 2008 Statement to the Commission as an informational item to be presented by Pat Coates, Department of Information Technology, and Jody Hall, Corporation Counsel, as Item #5. Supported by Kowall. Motion carried on a voice vote. AGENDA ITEMS 3. CLERK/REGISTER OF DEEDS – CALENDAR YEAR 2008 ASSISTANCE FOR SURVEY, MONUMENTATION AND REMONUMENTATION GRANT ACCEPTANCE The State of Michigan, Department of Labor and Economic Growth has awarded Oakland County $503,120 in grant funding, which includes $403,120 in current program costs and $100,000 as reimbursement for past expedited expenditures. The funds are to be used for surveying, monumentation and remonumentaiton of public land survey corners and other activities in accordance with PA 345 of 1990 and the Grantee’s Survey, Monumentation and Remonumentation Plan. This is the 15th year of grant funding, and the current grant period is January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008. The resolution authorizes the acceptance of the grant award and appoints the County Clerk/Register of Deeds, or her designee, as the Grant Administrator. Crawford moved approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supp orted by Greimel. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Hatchett, Jacobsen and Suarez absent. 1. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – INTERVIEWS FOR APPOINTMENTS TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 3 March 10, 2008 COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY There are three members of the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority whose terms are expiring on March 31, 2008. All three have applied for reappointment, and several other applications were received as well. There were a total of 15 applications submitted for the two General Public seats and 2 applications received for the Primary Consumer seat. Commissioner Potts and Hatchett reviewed all the applications and narrowed them down to seven. Six interviews were scheduled today, including the three incumbents. Another applicant, Delores T ripp, was unable to be scheduled for an interview today due to a previously scheduled vacation. Ed Farragher, incumbent, General Public, was interviewed at 9:44 a.m. Robert Dillaber, incumbent, Primary Consumer, was interviewed at 9:56 a.m. Doris Taylor , applicant, General Public, was interviewed at 10:15 a.m. Ms. Gieske had not returned the committee coordinator’s phone call to confirm her interview, and she was not present. Myrna LeBrun, incumbent, General Public, was interviewed at 10:25 a.m. John Paul Torres was interviewed at 10:34 a.m. Chairperson Long suggested postponing consideration for the recommended appointments until after the other items on the agenda. There were no objections. 2. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION – SUPPORT FOR APPLICATION TO THE MICHIGAN NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND FOR THE OAKLAND COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION NATURAL AREAS ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM Joe Figa and Jon Noyes gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Natural Areas Accessibility Program at Highland, Lyon and Rose Oaks County Parks. The State of Michigan requests adoption of a resolution from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners authorizing the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission to submit a grant application for the Natural Areas Accessibility Program Development Grant. The funds, if awarded, would assist in the construction of boardwalks, fishing piers, boat launches and wildlife viewing platforms at Highland, Lyon and Rose Oaks County Parks. Kowall moved approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Crawford. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Suarez absent. 4. MR #08031 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – SUPPORT FOR “DIVIDED WE FAIL” EFFORT The resolution reflects that the County of Oakland supports the Divided We Fail effort and urges its state and federal elected officials and candidates to do the same. The Divided We Fail effort is basically a tool to bring people together to create broad -based, bipartisan solutions to nation al domestic issues, such as health ca re and financial security for all generations. Ms. Fernandes handed out some additional information on the Divided We Fail campaign. Hatchett moved to recommend to the full Board that the resolution be adopted. Supported by Gregory. Kowall moved to report to the full Board with the recommendation that the THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED paragraph be amended by deleting the words County of Oakland and inserting the words Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Supported by Gingell. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 4 March 10, 2008 Motion to amend carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Suarez absent. Gingell moved to report to the full Board with the recommendation that the resolution be adopted with the following amendment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, in the State of Michigan, supports the concept of the Divided We Fail effort and urges our state and federal elected officials and candidates to do the same. without endorsing any specific solution at this time. Supported by Kowall. Motion to amend carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Suarez absent. Main motion, as amended, carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Suarez absent. AGENDA Due to the fact that some committee members had to leave early today, consideration for appointments to the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority was taken up at this time. There were no objections. 1. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – INTERVIEWS FOR APPOINTMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY Crawford moved to report to the full Board with the recommendation that all three incumbents, Ed Farragher, General Public; Robert Dillaber, Primary Consumer; and Myrna LeBrun, General Public, be reappointed to the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority. Supported by Gingell. Motion carried on a roll call vote with Hatchett and Potts voting no and Suarez absent. Commissioners Potts and Hatchett wanted the record to reflect that their no votes had to do with the process for consideration of Delores Tripp, who could not be available fo r an interview today because she was out of town on vacation. They would have liked Ms. Tripp to have the opportunity to interview with the committee before the recommendations to the full Board. It had nothing to do with their opinions of the incumbents. 5. DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – OAKLAND COUNTY’S RESPONSE TO THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN’S MARCH 4, 2008 STATEMENT TO THE MICHIGAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (MPSC) Pat Coates, Information Technology, and Jody Hall, Asst. Corporation Counsel, requested to have this item added to the agenda today as it is a time-sensitive issue. Last December the Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution authorizing an extension of the operational surcharge per wire line telephone for the period of January 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008 in the amount of $.28 per wire line telephone to cover operations and necessary provisions of the Radi o Communications Fund. For the period of July 1, 2008 through February 28, 2009, the resolution GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 5 March 10, 2008 authorized $.25 per wire line telephone for the operational surcharge. The provisions of the 9-1-1 Service Enabling Act require that a county advise the Michigan Public Services Commission no later than March 17, 2008, of its intended initial surcharge rate effecti ve January 1, 2008. The County did complete the filing and has been reviewed by the Telecommunications Association of Michigan (TAM). TAM filed a document with the MPSC opposing the approval proposal submitted by 36 counties, including Oakland County, indicating that it would result in a net increase in 9-1-1 surcharge revenues greater than 2.7% as compared to the amount collected in 2007. They further claim that the increases being pursued by these counties would result in an increase of $24.4 million annually in telecommunications services. Oakland County had to submit a counter-filing by this Friday. Jody Hall, Asst. Corporation Counsel, with the assistance of Robert Daddow and Pat Coates, produced a document entitled, “Response of the County of Oakland to the Statement of the Telecommunications Association of Michigan requesting the MPSC to reject TAMS’ arguments in its March 4, 2008 Statement to the MPSC. The information that is in dispute has to do with the actual number of communication devices that will be subject to the County 9-1-1 charge in 2008, specifically the time period for July 2008 to December 2008. TAM estimates that Oakland County would have 973,406 communication devices subject to the County 9 -1-1 charge in 2008, and Oakland Coun ty estimates that they will have approximately 706,343 communication devices subject to the 9 -1-1 charge in 2008. Pat Coates indicated that the County really will not know for sure how many devices would be subject to the 9 -1-1 surcharge until September or October of this year. The numbers are only estimates, and there is nothing to suggest that TAM’s estimates are more accurate than Oakland County’s. If the MPSC does not take action by March 17, 2008, then by default the surcharge willgo into effect. Crawford moved to receive and file the Response of the County of Oakland to the Statement of the Telecommunications Association of Michigan. Supported by Potts. Motion carried on a voice vote. COMMUNICATIONS A. Iron County Board of Commissioners – Resolution to Require Users of Surface Waters to Financially Participate in Economical Application Fees, Prompt Governmental Review and Issuance of Permits and Management Efforts to Control Aquatic Nuisance Species B. Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – January 23, 2008 C. CLEMIS Funds – Financial Statements and Schedules for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2007 Gregory moved to receive and file the Communications. Supported by Potts. Motion carried on a voice vote. OTHER BUSINESS/ADJOURNMENT There being no other business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 12:20 GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 6 March 10, 2008 p.m. ________________________ _______________________________ Pamela L. Worthington Lawrence Doyle Committee Coordinator Administrative Director NOTE: The foregoing minutes are subject to Committee approval.