Hallmark of 2023 was Service to Residents

Pontiac, Mich. – With balanced budgets as far as the eye can see, and a sterling AAA fiscal reputation, Oakland County continues to put residents and small businesses at the top of its forward-thinking agenda.

“County government stood squarely on the side of county residents and businesses this year,” said County Executive Dave Coulter. “Together, we sought to secure the jobs of the future through EV innovations and educational attainment, expanded access to health care and mental health services, and we supported quality of life issues like transit, housing, and recreation.”

In 2023, supporting law enforcement and first responders remained a top priority. Oakland County implemented the use of body-worn cameras for sheriff deputies and piloted a program supporting law enforcement with mental health professionals when they encounter individuals who may have mental health challenges at a scene. The county is also ahead of schedule replacing its countywide radio system for first responders. The $58 million investment in the new P25 radio system has resulted in 6,300 radios being programmed and 20 dispatch centers being upgraded by December of 2023. All police and fire agencies are scheduled to be operating on the new system by mid-January, which will enable them to communicate with each other and other agencies on the State of Michigan radio system.

Mental health programs continue to have a broad impact in our communities. Through the end of 2023, Oakland County’s more than $40 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds dedicated to increasing the reach of mental health services for children and adults continued to serve thousands of residents. From the Jewish Family Service and Black Family Development Inc.’s suicide prevention training program for mental health providers to the Centro Multicultural La Familia Inc. initiative to combat racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care, 41 organizations reached more than 55,000 individuals across Oakland County over 18 months.

Children and teenagers also benefited from ARPA. Through the Out of School grant, Oakland County and United Way For Southeastern Michigan awarded $4.8 million to 30 youth programs that support social-emotional learning and academic tutoring in the summer months and give students additional enrichment to offset the pandemic’s negative effects.

Oakland County invested its remaining ARPA Funds in 2023 as some programs get underway in the new year. Oakland County’s emphasis has been on investing its $244 million in ARPA funds to make transformational improvements for residents, businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits. Under federal rules, local governments are required to obligate all ARPA funds by the end of 2024, and all funds must be spent by the end of 2026.

Medical debt burdens many Oakland County residents. Coulter and the Board of Commissioners are collaborating with RIP Medical Debt to erase medical debt for up to 80,000 residents. The county will leverage $2 million of its ARPA funds to purchase up to $200 million in medical debt for a fraction of its cost. In 2024, RIP Medical Debt will notify individuals that some or all their medical debt has been eliminated and cleared from their credit reports.
Homeowners can also apply for funding beginning in January of 2024 if they are making energy efficiency improvements to their homes. Coulter and the Board of Commissioners announced a partnership with Michigan Saves on Nov. 20, 2023 to administer a grant program called Oakland SAVES, which will be funded by $5 million ARPA dollars. The goal of Oakland SAVES is to make at least 1,000 households energy-efficient through home improvements.

As the county’s population ages, Oakland County is supporting improvements for their quality of life by using $5 million in ARPA funds to improve services and upgrade facilities at 29 senior centers. These centers are essential to the mental and physical well-being of older adults. Not only do they provide ways for older adults to connect through social events, but senior centers also offer essential services such as transportation to doctor visits.

Public transit is making strides in Oakland County a year after voters approved a public transportation millage in November of 2022. Multi-year agreements are in place with SMART, Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA), North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA), OPC Social and Activity Center, and People’s Express, while route and service planning continues with input from communities, businesses, and residents. In 2024, SMART will extend fixed routes from Troy into Rochester and from Pontiac into Waterford and White Lake along M-59, among other improvements.
Oakland County and transportation service providers did not wait for the planning process to be complete before filling gaps in public transit. Some highlights from 2023 include:
● SMART has expanded fixed routes to Novi and Wixom.
● SMART has a fixed route stop at Woodward and Long Lake in Bloomfield Hills.
● Ridership is up more than 20 percent for WOTA, NOTA, OPC, and People’s Express just this year as they expanded their service areas and hours of operation and standardized fees to $2 per ride.
● The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan is facilitating a regional federal grant application for Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties and SMART to attract federal investment in transit, including for Woodward Bus Rapid Transit. This would not have been possible if Oakland County did not have county-wide public transportation.

In response to the strategic goals outlined by Coulter in his 2022 State of the County address, the Board of Commissioners created the Oakland Together Housing Trust Fund as a powerful tool to increase the availability of affordable and attainable housing throughout the county. The initiative provides gap funding to build new housing for working families. The fund will assist affordable housing developers in identifying sites in neighborhoods while offsetting land prices. Plus, it will serve as a catalyst for investment in targeted redevelopment which, when combined with private sector funds and infrastructure improvements, can help revitalize a community.

In 2023, the board appropriated an additional $13 million to the Housing Trust Fund that will increase access to rental and/or home ownership for families living below the federal poverty level. Coulter appointed the county’s first housing and neighborhood development officer, Khadija Walker-Fobbs, to lead the Neighborhood & Housing Development Division, and the first housing trust fund manager Kyle Hines earlier in 2023.

Beginning in 2023, Oakland County launched a hybrid model for indigent defense consisting of a public defender’s office, staffed by Oakland County employees, and the current roster of independent contractor attorneys, for Sixth Circuit Court and 52nd District Court indigent defense appointments. Coulter appointed Paulette Loftin as the county’s first public defender.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s purchase of the Ottawa Towers, former General Motors Building, and four adjacent parcels in downtown Pontiac. Oakland County intends to move up to 600 public-facing employees from yet to be determined departments to create a significant county presence in downtown Pontiac. The last time the county had a substantial presence in the historic downtown of Pontiac was the early 1960s. The State of Michigan approved a $50 million investment for the project to help with building renovations, blight removal, redeveloping commercial and green spaces and streetscaping, reconnecting city streets, and developing safe parking options.

Oakland County dedicated a historical plaque honoring Elizabeth Denison Forth, the first woman of color to own property in Oakland County and the territory of Michigan, in front of the Sixth Circuit Court Building in Pontiac during its first celebration of Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the official end of slavery in the United States. During the ceremony Wednesday, participants also raised the Juneteenth flag at the courthouse.
Finally, additional ARPA investments include:
● Oakland Thrive which is helping to diversify the county’s economic landscape. The non-profit opened in 2023 to support Oakland County’s 36,000-plus small businesses with a focus on minority-, woman- and veteran-owned companies. Through its services, residents can get help building their own businesses from finding consumers to hiring employees. Oakland Thrive’s lead program, Business Forward, was previously a county government initiative, created from an $18 million ARPA grant.
● $15 million in additional appropriations for Coulter’s Oakland 80 initiative to have 80 percent of Oakland County adults attain a post-secondary degree or certification by 2030.
● $15 million assigned to Project Diamond Phase II to build on the successful distribution of 3-D printers to local manufacturers and build a network of Industry 4.0 companies.
● $15 million reserved for critical investments in the county parks system and enhance opportunities in underserved areas.