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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2010.07.12 - 36454CHRISTINE LONG Chairperson SHELLEY TAUB Vice Chairperson MARCIA GERSHENSON Minority Vice Chairperson July 12, 2010 Chairperson Long called the meeting of the General Government Committee to order at 9:35 a.m. in Committee Room A of the Commissioners’ Auditorium Wing, County Service Center in Pontiac, Michigan. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT : Christine Long, Shelley Taub, Marcia Gershenso n, John Scott , Bradford J acobsen, David Potts, Jim Runestad, Mattie Hatchett, Jim Nash, Gary McGillivray, Steve Schwartz COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT WITH NOTICE: Kim Capello OTHERS PRESENT CIRCUIT COURT Kevin Oeffner, Administrator CORPORATION COUN SEL Judy Cunningham, Corporation Counsel HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES George Miller, Director LIBRARY BOARD Laura Mancini, Director AREA AGENCY ON AGING Tina Abbate Marzolf, Chief Executive Officer AMBASSADOR BRIDGE Mickey Blashfield, Government Relations AUTOMATION ALLEY Charles DeUries, Director, Gov. Relations DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER Sarah Hubbard, Sr. V.P., Gov. Relations OLHSA Ron Borngesser, Chief Executive Officer SOUTHWEST DETROIT COMMUNITY Michael Christopher, Resident BENEFITS COALITION Simone Sagovac, Resident Debra Williams, Resident BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Tim Greimel, District #11 David Woodward, District #18 Sheryl Mitchell, Senior Analyst Harvey Wedell, Senior Analyst Julia Ruffin, BOC Liaison Helen Hanger, Sr. Committee Coordinator PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 1200 N. TELEGRAPH ROAD, PONTIAC, MI 48341-0475 Telephone (248) 858 -0100 FAX (248) 858 -1572 GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE John Scott Bradford Jacobsen David Potts Kim Capello Jim Runestad Mattie Hatchett Jim Nash Gary McGillivray Steve Schwartz GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 2 July 12, 2010 PUBLIC COMMENT Ms. Hubbard and Mr. DeUries spoke in support of the proposed resolution #10144 to endorse the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) and encourage the State Senate to approve the project. Ms. Hubbard distributed an information sheet from the Detroit Regional Chamber on the proposed bridge project. Mr. Blashfield spoke in opposition to the DRIC project. Commissioner Greimel indicated that several other individuals were on their way to the meeting to speak and requested that public comment be continued once they had arrived. The Chairperson agreed. APPROVAL OF THE PREVIOUS MINUTES Taub moved approval of the minutes of May 24, 2010 as printed. Supported by Jacobsen. Motion carried on a voice vote. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Potts moved the agenda, with an amendment to add as item 7 a recommendation for appointment of the Public Services Chair. Supported by Taub. Motion carried on a voice vote. 1. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – AREA AGENCY ON AGING 1 -B – FY 2011 ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The Area Agency on Aging 1 -B (AAA 1-B) is requesting approval of the AAA 1 -B Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Implementation Plan for the purpose of conveyin g such support to the AAA 1 -B and the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (MOS), which requires that county boards of commissioners be given the opportunity to review and approve the annual implementation plan. Ms. Marzolf reviewed the plan in summary and explained that they had worked with stakeholders to restructure and prioritize their programs within the requirements set by the state. The strategic planning process included looking at where else resources could be obtained without government restrictions. The mission of the AAA 1 -B is to get as many services to users as possible. Mr. Miller explained that in order to avoid duplication of services, he has asked Ms. Forzley, Manager of the Health Division, to work closer with the AAA 1 -B and the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA). As an example, OLHSA provides a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in areas that the County’s Health Division can not. Taub moved approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Jacobsen. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello and Schwartz absent. PUBLIC COMMENT CONTINUED Ms. Williams and Mr. Christopher spoke in support of the DRIC Project and the proposed resolution. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 3 July 12, 2010 2. MR #10144 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION ENDORSING THE DETROIT RIVER INTERNATIONAL CROSSING AND ENCOURAGING THE STATE SENATE TO APPROVE THE PROJECT The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Greimel and Woodward and encourages the State Senate to approve the Detroit River Internation al Crossing project and to allow construction of the project to proceed expeditiously, so long as Michigan’s government and its taxpayers are completely insulated from any financial liability or obligation associated with the project. The resolution directs the Board’s lobbyist to work in support of the legislation and requires that copies of the resolution be sent to all involved parties as indicated. Commissioner Greimel stated that the project was supported by a broad array of southeast Michigan businesses, including Automation Alley, the Detroit Regional Chamber, auto manufacturers and suppliers, Oakland County Executive Patterson, Wayne County Executive Ficano, Macomb County Board Chairman Paul Gieleghem and City of Detroit Mayor Bing. The project proposes to create 10,000 construction jobs and over 30,000 additional indirect jobs and will provide a positive economic impact to the surrounding community . While Mr. Blashfield indicated that traffic has not increased since 1999 , it is projected that traffic will go up substantially over the next 20 years. The new bridge would connect directly to Canada’s freeway while the existing bridge does not. Commissioner Woodward stated that this project would move the region forward in allowing Michigan to be competitive in a global economy. Commissioner Potts expressed concerns regarding how the legislation was written pertaining to the cap on the public funding obligation and infrastructure exposure and Canada’s interest in the project. Commissioner Taub stated that she would rather see improvements to I -75 done first. Commissioner Jacobsen indicated that he would prefer to hear current details on this proposal. He reported that this issue was discussed at the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC) C onference and concerns were expressed about passing resolutions without knowing those details. If the legislation passes it would be set up administratively and it is likely an authority would be created. If low traffic volumes continued, the Authority w ould have the power to increase fees as they see fit which could result in increased gas taxes with no legislative approval required. Also, Southeast Detroit was originally opposed to this project. Hatchett moved approval of the attached suggested res olution. Supported by Gershenson. Schwartz moved to postpone consideration of this resolution until the July 26, 2010 General Government Committee meeting. Supported by Hatchett. Roll Call: AYES: Gershenson, Hatchett, Nash, McGillivray, Schwartz NAYS: Scott, Jacobsen, Potts, Runestad, Taub, Long ABSENT: Capello Motion to postpone failed. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 4 July 12, 2010 Roll Call on the main motion: AYES: Gershenson, Hatchett, Nash, McGillivray NAYS: Scott, Jacobsen, Potts, Runestad, Schwartz, Taub, Long ABSENT: Capello Motion failed. Without objection, item 6 was moved up on the agenda so that Ms. Mancini and Mr. Oeffner could return to their departments. 6. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – APPOINTMENT TO THE LIBRARY BOARD A seat on the Oakland County Library Board has b ecome vacant due to the resignation of the current member, Steven Andrews. This seat is filled based on a recommendation of the Circuit Court, which is recommending that Gene Schnelz be appointed to complete this five year term ending August 23, 2014. Taub moved to report to recommend the appointment of Gene Schnelz to the Library Board to complete a five-year term ending August 23, 2014. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. Scott moved to report to recommend the appoint ment of Shelley Taub to the Library Board to complete a five year term ending August 23, 2012. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 3a. MR #10125 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 6092 TO INCREASE OAKLAND COUNTY’S SHARE OF WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION FEES The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Greimel in support of House Bill 6092 which would ensure that at least 49 percent of all watercraft registration fees are returned to counties to fund marine safety education and marine patrols and would require the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment to use a transparent funding formula in determining how much money each county receives in watercraft registration fees. Copies of t he resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. Currently Oakland County receives only 25 cents on the dollar from what its watercraft owners send in to Lansing for registration fees. Taub moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution with amendments to incorporate those paragraphs in MR #10151 that do not contain redundancies. Supported by Jacobsen. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 3b. MR #10155 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 6092 TO CREATE A FORMULA TO EQ UALLY DISTRIBUTE WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION FEES The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Scott, et al. in support of House Bill 6092 which GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 5 July 12, 2010 would ensure that at least 49 percent of all watercraft registration fees are returned to counties to fund marine safety education and marine patrols and would require the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment to use a transparent funding formula in determining how much money each county receives in watercraft registration fees. Currently Oakland County receives only 25 cents on the dollar from what its watercraft owners send in to Lansing for registration fees. Copies of the resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. 4a. MR #10124 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SENATE BILL 395 TO MAKE THE PROCESS BY WHICH TO APPEAL PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS FAIRER The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Burns and Greimel in support of Senate Bill 395 which would require that notices of property tax assessments be mailed to property owners at least 14 days in advance of the meeting of the board of review instead of only 10 days as required by the current law. Copies of the resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. Scott moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Gershenson. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 4b. MR #10146 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SENATE BILL 373 AND HB 4567 TO MAKE THE PROPERTY TAX APPEAL PROCESS MORE TRANSPARENT AND TAXPAYER FRIENDLY The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Burns and Gre imel in support of Senate Bill 373 and House Bill 4567 which would require the property tax assessment appeal process be adequately explained in the notices of property tax assessments that are mailed to property owners. Copies of the resolution would be s ent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. McGillivray moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Hatchett. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 4c. MR #10147 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SB 806, HB 4874 AND HB 5259 TO MAKE THE PROPERTY TAX APPEAL PROCESS MORE TAXPAYER FRIENDLY The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Burns and Greimel in support of Senate Bill 806 and House Bills 4874 and 5259 which would allow resident property owners to appeal their property tax assessments by sending a letter to the board of review, rather than by attending in person. Copies of the resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legisl ature and the Governor. Scott moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Gershenson. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 6 July 12, 2010 4d. MR #10148 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 5814 TO MAKE THE PROCESS BY WHICH TO APPEAL PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS FAIRER The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Burns and Greimel in support of House Bill 5814 and House Bills 4874 and 5259 which would require that notices of property tax assessments be mailed to property owners at least 30 days in advance of the board of review meeting instead of the current 10 days in advance. Copies of the resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. Scott moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by McGillivray. Schwartz moved to report to amend the fourth WHEREAS of the resolution to insert the word “calendar” between “30” and “days.” Motion to amend carried on a voice vote. Main motion as amended carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 4e. MR #10149 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SB 804 AND SB 805 TO MAKE PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS FAIRER AND MORE JUST The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Burns and Greimel in support of Senate Bills 804 and 805 to require that when a property owner and taxpayer wins an appeal before the Michigan Tax Tribunal to have the assessed or taxable value of their property reduced, the local tax collecting unit must use the reduced amount as the basis for calculating the property’s taxable value in the immediately following year and future years. Under current law, win an appeal is won the assessment is lowered for the following year but is then often unjustifiably increased to the assessed value that existed on the property prior to the appeal and the local tax collecting unit is not statutorily required to use the order of the Michigan Tax Tribunal as the basis f or calculating the property’s taxable value in the immediately following year. Copies of the resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. Scott moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolu tion. Supported by Potts. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 4f. MR #10150 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SB 803 TO MAKE PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS FAIRER AND MORE ACCURATE The resolution was introduced by Commissioners Burns and Greimel in support of Senate Bill 803 which would direct the Michigan Department of Treasury to require assessors to use a sales ration study based on the calendar year in determining assessments. Copies of the resolution wo uld be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. Taub moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by McGillivray. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 7 July 12, 2010 Schwartz moved to report to amend the resolution to add a first BE IT FUR THER RESOLVED paragraph to state that the Oakland County Board of commissioners encourages the legislature to define “the calendar year.” Supported by Taub. Motion carried on a voice vote. Main motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capell o absent. 5. MR #10141 – BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – SUPPORT FOR THE “CLOSE ALL ROUTS AND PREVENT ASIAN CARP TODAY ACT OF 2010” The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Taub et al. in support of Congressional House Bill 4472 and Senate Bill 2946, “Clos e All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today Act of 2010” (the CARP Act) to close the necessary pathways to the Great Lakes, specifically the Illinois locks, and to take other specific actions as outlined in the Act, in an effort to prevent migration of Asian carp. These fish are a significant threat to native fish species and could significantly impact the state’s economic base by severely eroding fishery activities. Because these carp can weight up to 100 pounds and can jump from the water, they also p ose a threat to boater safety. Copies of the resolution would be sent to members of the Michigan Legislature and the Governor. Taub moved to report to recommend approval of the attached suggested resolution. Supported by Potts. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote with Capello absent. 7. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS – APPOINTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES CHAIRPERSON Potts moved to report to recommend that Jim Runestad to appointed to serve as Chairperson of the Public Services Committee for the remainde r of calendar year 2010. Supported by Scott. Roll Call: Ayes: Potts, Runestad, Schwartz, Taub, Scott, Jacobsen, Long Nays: Hatchett, Nash, McGillivray, Gershenson Absent: Capello Motion carried. COMMUNICATIONS A. Health and Human Services – Children’s Village – FY 2010-2011 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant Application B. Department of Health and Human Services – Health Division 2010 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Pilot Project C. Lenawee County Resolution Opposing a Reduction to th e Sheriff’s Secondary Road Patrol Funding D. **Women’s Commission Minutes of 4/22/10 1. **Executive Committee Minutes of 4/14/10 and 5/13/10 2. **Women Against Violence Subcommittee Minutes of 5/27/10 GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Page 8 July 12, 2010 3. **Health and Wellness Committee Minutes – 4/22/10 E. **Road Commission for Oakland County Board Minutes of 4/29/10 F. **Oakland County Library Board Minutes of 4/28/10 G. **Michigan Department of Human Services Board – Oakland County Minutes of 4/27/10 H. **Michigan Department of Human Services Board – Oakland County Minutes of 5/25/10 I. **Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency Board Minutes of 4/28/10 J. **Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency Board Minutes of 5/26/10 Commissioner Gershenson spoke in support of Communications A and B. Also regarding these items, Commissioner Taub asked staff to contact Mr. Miller to find out if the County could assist its local units in applying for this type of funding and to ask if the County was doing these types of programs in other areas of the County. Jacobsen moved to receive and file the communication. Supported by Runestad. Motion carried on a voice vote. OTHER BUSINESS/ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Hatchett asked that Commissioner Jacobsen get together with Commissioner Coulter and discuss the Board Rules requirement for introduction of new resolutions during caucuses. Commissioner Jacobsen indicated he would pursue this topic with Commissioner Coulter, as well the issue of appointing the Public Services Chair. There being no other busin ess to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 11:53 a.m. ______________________________ _______________________________ Helen A. Hanger Lawrence Doyle Sr. Committee Coordinator Administrative Director NOTE: The foregoing minutes are subject to Committee approval.