County of Ottawa - miOttawa - Ottawa County, Michigan

County of Ottawa

Administrator's Office

12220 Fillmore Street, Room 331, West Olive, Michigan 49460

Alan G. Vanderberg

County Administrator

(616) 738-4068 e-mail: avanderberg@

County Administrator's Weekly Digest May 7, 2010

COURTHOUSE GRAND OPENING ? DEDICATION CEREMONY Thanks to all who made the Courthouse Grand Opening ? Dedication Ceremony a success yesterday. I can't say enough about the others on the planning committee: Kevin Bowling, Sandi Metcalf, Keith Van Beek, GH City Manager Pat McGinnis and Misty Cunningham. Great Job! The speakers did an outstanding job yesterday and really made it a historic day to remember. Speakers included: Board Chair Phil Kuyers, GH Mayor Roger Bergman, Ogema (Chief) Larry Romanelli of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver, Commissioner (and Tri-Cities Historical Museum Director) Denny Swartout, and Chief Circuit Judge Ed Post.

The cake donated by Scholten and Fant made quite a stir and was created by Deserts By Design from Grand Haven.

SHERIFF ROSEMA AWARD Ottawa County sheriff awarded in Lansing By Staff reports The Holland Sentinel Posted Apr 28, 2010 @ 03:28 PM Ottawa County Sheriff Gary Rosema was named Outstanding Crime Advocate of the Year as part of last week's Crime Victims' Rights Week. Rosema "was praised for emphasizing law enforcement's role in serving victims and their families," according to a release from the Crime Victim Foundation.

Rosema was presented the award at the state Capitol building in Lansing during a victims' rights vigil last week. Rosema became sheriff of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office in 1993. He has been with the department since 1974. The Crime Victim Foundation, established in 1992, helps victims pay for expenses related to their cases when no other financial assistance is available. OTTAWA 6TH LARGEST BY SEV We typically say that Ottawa County is the 8th largest county by population and 7th largest by SEV. Apparently we have climbed past Genesee County or they have slipped past us in this economy. Ottawa is now the 8th largest county by population and the 6th largest by SEV. GIS STATE AWARD (Dave Hulst) IMAGIN Conference IMAGIN is a network of individuals and organizations interested in the use and application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in Michigan. Members of this professional organization are committed to continually improving the quality and availability of digital geospatial data necessary for effective use of GIS.

GIS in Government Innovation Award This past week, Ottawa County GIS was recognized for its work with Holland Township in developing the Comprehensive Addressing Project. This is one of two GIS project awards presented at the conference to recognize a government organization that finds innovative ways to use geospatial solutions to enhance workflow processes. Candidates for this award have successfully implemented a geospatial technology, service, or application that is new and innovative to their organization. Applicants are judged on collaborative efforts, contribution to the workflow, and original ideas. Aaron Bodbyl-Mast attended the luncheon to receive the award on behalf of Ottawa County. Law Enforcement Applications in GIS

During the IMAGIN Conference, Patrick Lowman (IT/GIS) and Steve Kraai (Sheriff's Department) gave a presentation of the GIS applications developed to support Ottawa County Sheriff operations. Pat and Steve provided both technical and operational information on the three applications: Incident Mapping, Sex Offender Locator and School Safety Zones. The audience received the presentation enthusiastically and we have already been contacted by attendees interested in developing similar capabilities.

TRUTH IN TAXATION HEARING NOT NECESSARY THIS YEAR (June Hagan) Truth in Taxation information from the Guide to Michigan County Government, Fourth Edition, by Kenneth VerBurg

The so-called "truth in taxation" law adds a possible rollback to the annual tax rate to eliminate extra revenue to a government as a result of inflationary increases in property values greater than the rate of the Consumers Price Index. A taxing unit may not generate more revenue than it generated in the prior year unless it holds a Truth in Taxation public hearing. The County must also include the estimate of revenues that it will receive from the state liquor and hotel tax in their estimate of revenue for the current year. Historically, the County has held the Truth in Taxation hearings each year indicating that the County would collect more revenue than in the prior year even though the County did not increase the millage rate. This year, the tax revenue and revenue from the liquor and hotel tax will not exceed the amount of revenue received in 2009. Therefore, the County is not required to hold a public hearing prior to the Board approval of the millage resolution (no increase at 3.6 mills) for the July tax levy.

MICHIGAN HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Thanks to Vice-Chair Jim Holtrop who attended the Michigan House Judiciary Committee meeting Wednesday to lend his presence to encourage the committee to vote affirmatively on the proposal. A vote was not taken yesterday but general opinion seems optimistic that a positive vote will happen. The MAC summary follows:

HOUSE JUDICIARY HEARS TESTIMONY AT UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM HEARING LANSING, Mich. ? Under legislation discussed today, the state would no longer be able to push down new costs to people in local communities for state programs. House Bills 5797, 5799-5801, were all up for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, May 5 which would address the habit of adopting unfunded mandates in the state of Michigan. Present in support of this legislation were county officials from around the state including 25 staff and commissioners with the Michigan Association of Counties. "We recommend moving forward on this important legislation to address an issue which has remained unaddressed for roughly 30 years," said Robert J. Daddow, Deputy Oakland County Executive. Daddow, speaking in support of this legislation, was present along with county commissioners from across Michigan to support these bills which will make future mandates optional if no funding is provided, streamline the process for Headlee challenges and require all bill analyses to attach a fiscal note which details the cost of proposed legislation to local units of government. MAC President Larry Emig and board member Jon Campbell testified with Tom Hickson Jr., MAC Director of Legislative Affairs, that this could be one of the best reforms the legislature could pass and that the passage of this legislation would go a long way to restoring some of the trust that has been lost between counties and the state. "We want to extend our hand and work with the legislature because we're all representing the same people and I think it's incumbent on all of us, especially in these budget times, to work together," said Campbell. Present at this hearing was Tim McGuire, MAC Executive Director; Tom Hickson Jr., MAC Director of Legislative Affairs; Ben Bodkin, MAC Legislative Coordinator; and county officials:

? Terry Burns, Allegan County Commissioner

? Jon Campbell, Allegan County Commissioner ? Tom Mullaney, Alpena County Commissioner ? Paul McNamara, Clinton County Commissioner ? Leo Farhat, Eaton County Commissioner ? Clark Elftman, Huron County Commissioner ? David Peruski, Huron County Commissioner ? Andy Schor, Ingham County Commissioner ? Franklin Thompson, Kalamazoo County Commissioner ? Jack Urban, Kalamazoo County Commissioner ? Bob Myers, Lake County Commissioner ? Ken Wenzel, Lake County Commissioner ? Jim Van Doren, Lenawee County Commissioner ? Chris Hyzer, Montcalm County Controller ? Bill Bullard Jr., Oakland County Commissioner ? Jeff Potter, Oakland County Commissioner ? Dave Woodward, Oakland County Commissioner ? Larry Emig, Osceola County Commissioner and MAC Board President ? Jim Holtrop, Ottawa County Commissioner ? Ann Doyle, Saginaw County Commissioner ? Dennis Krafft, Saginaw County Commissioner ? Judy Lincoln, Saginaw County Commissioner ? Joe Palamara, Wayne County Commissioner ? Kristin Judge, Washtenaw County Commissioner ### CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION HISTORICAL ANALYSIS GVMC Executive Director Don stypula sent this article which is an excellent analysis of state structural issues.

Roots of State Gridlock Tied to 1961-62 Constitutional Convention Con-con politics failed to resolve legislative boundary issues by Dick Olson April 16, 2010 The legislative gridlock gripping Michigan state government has its origins in the failures of our last state constitutional convention in 1961?62. Recent budget breakdowns and reapportionment impasses over the past 40-plus years are prime examples of how the politics of the previous con-con failed to provide a good working structure for the future. A good constitution should stand the test of time, but the constitution adopted by voters in 1963 -- Michigan's fourth -- failed in critical areas. Two of the biggest were in the areas of apportioning the Senate and in deciding how all legislative districts would be reapportioned every decade following new census figures. For example, the new constitution set forth a complicated plan to overcount rural voters and undercount urban voters in apportioning the state Senate: an 80-20 split between population and land. That effort didn't survive 15 months before the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the whole scheme. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Reynolds v. Sims in June 1964 threw the upcoming Michigan elections into chaos and left election officials shell-shocked. Less than five months before the November elections, district lines had to be redrawn and candidates had to figure out their new districts. The state Supreme Court, which a few weeks earlier had approved an apportionment based on undercounting urban voters, reversed gears: on June 22, 1964, it approved the Democratic redistricting plan (Austin-Kleiner) based entirely on population.

"The obvious moral," reflected Dr. Alfred Kelly, a co-director of research at the 1961?62 state convention, is that " a constitutional convention has to be technically abreast of the latest in constitutional law and, above all, alert to its potential drift and political importance: otherwise much of its work may be swept away." (Dr. Kelly, a professor of history at Wayne State University, made these comments in a 1996 letter to Professor Albert J. Sturm, co-author of Implementing A New Constitution: the Michigan Experience.)

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