THE WEEK IN REVIEW
April 19, 2024
Al Vanderberg, County Administrator
Good afternoon Chair Stek and Commissioners,
It feels great to be back in the office, diving into the important issues once again. My wife and I had an incredible vacation in Hawaii; it was so relaxing, filled with unforgettable moments and adventures.
On Monday, I attended an event with Governor Whitmer, Speaker of the House Joe Tate, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, Representative John Fitzgerald, among other local elected officials and stakeholders. The purpose of the event was to highlight the economic benefits of a new law that could potentially generate new revenue for projects such as the amphitheater, the soccer stadium, and potential aquarium. Our informational meetings on this topic have raised a lot of good questions and dialogue. However, please reach out to Josh or me with any questions.
I hope to see you at Monday's Quadrant meeting in Caledonia. Have a great weekend!
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AAA Bond Rating Affirmed By Rating Agencies
Last week, S&P Global and Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed our Triple-A (AAA) credit ratings, marking the 26th consecutive year we have received the highest credit rating possible from both agencies. These ratings reflect our strong financial position and ability to meet our obligations.
Office of the Public Defender
Over the course of the last three weeks, there has been a lot of dialogue and questions raised about my recommendation to implement an internal Office of the Public Defender, replacing the non-profit Kent County Office of the Defender. I wanted to provide additional materials for your review.
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Updated FAQs: This document compiles the questions asked to date about the proposed implementation of the Office of the Public Defender.
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Map Showing the Public Service Delivery Model Across Michigan: This resource offers a comparative analysis of public service delivery models across the state.
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National Association for Public Defense Study, originally sent on on March 19, 2024.
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National Association for Public Defense Study Executive Summary, originally sent on March 18, 2024.
The last informational meeting is scheduled on Monday (April 22) at 9:30 a.m. Please feel to reach out to me with any questions.
Issues on the Horizon
Broadband Map Challenge
Please continue to encourage your constituents to participate in the statewide Map Challenge. The state extended the deadline to April 30 so there’s more time to participate. We ask households, businesses and other entities to enter their address at https://challenge.merit.edu and confirm that the information about high speed internet access at their property is correct. Kent County has had good response so far and we look forward to even more participation in the final weeks of the challenge. Your support in spreading the word is appreciated!
Legislative Updates
- On Thursday, April 18, the Michigan House passed legislation to extend the sunset to allow courts to impose reasonable costs on defendants to help cover operational expenses. If the sunset is not extended by May 1, our courts would be prohibited from imposing costs which would have significant financial implications for the County.
- On April 5, Rep. John Moolenaar sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency urging it to reconsider its proposed Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards and inquired about the residual risk analysis.
- The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, along with other business organizations, recently issued a statement opposing the proposed tipping fee included in the Governor's Executive Budget recommendations.
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