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At its meeting on September 23, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved the county budget resolution for fiscal years 2021 through 2023.
The Board’s Finance and Infrastructure Committee conducted an in-depth review of the plan and hosted 21 budget hearings with department heads in the months following the original proposal provided on July 1 by County Executive Dave Coulter. The total budget funds for 2021, 2022 and 2023 are $908,837,356; $916,254,528 and $922,115,865, respectively.
The bipartisan vote was the result of a budget agreement that plans to utilize county resources to fund public health, economic recovery efforts, public safety and new efforts including:
- $4 million for match funding for local and county roads across Oakland County.
- $1 million to create a public-private partnership supporting Oakland County communities interested in the adoption and implementation of community policing initiatives.
- $1 million to obtain architectural and design plans associated with a county public safety training facility and Emergency Operations Center.
- $400,000 to assist in the clean-up of the green ooze waste site in Madison Heights.
- $105,000 to create a landlord risk mitigation fund to increase access to affordable housing programs.
On September 23, the Board of Commissioners adopted two resolutions relating to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
One resolution authorizes the development of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase, maintenance and video management of body worn cameras for law enforcement by the end of this year. A body camera pilot is underway in the county and will inform the RFP and implementation of a body worn camera program for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Local law enforcement agencies around the county and state have shown that footage provided by body worn cameras has helped improve transparency and accountability in a variety of ways, such as increasing civility between law enforcement and citizens, accelerating resolutions of complaints, supporting the documentation of corroborating evidence, and enhancing training opportunities for officers.
The second resolution authorizes the development of a feasibility study for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Training Center, Sheriff’s Operation Center and Oakland County Emergency Operations Center.
Current training spaces are not co-located for personnel and are often not convenient for the wide range of training needs, including classroom teaching, emergency vehicle operations, gun range training and incident-specific scenarios. The Sheriff’s Operation Center and Emergency Operations Center house a growing number of services and agencies, including the county’s dispatch center, however the building is currently at capacity with no room for growth or expansion.
The county’s 35th Annual Economic Outlook Forecast was hosted virtually on September 21. University of Michigan researchers Dr. Gabriel M. Ehrlich and Donald Grimes led the discussion and said that the number of small businesses open in Oakland County fell by nearly 50 percent from January to April, but had recovered by August, cutting the downturn in half.
Ehrlich predicted the county would recover all but 2 percent of the job losses by the end of 2022.
Oakland County Executive David Coulter said the county’s recovery – and the forecast – was based in part on the federal government issuing a second stimulus package to assist states and local governments.
Oakland County’s workforce was severely impacted when unemployment in the county spiked at 19.5 percent in April and 19.3 percent in May. Ehrlich predicted the county’s unemployment rate for 2020 would improve dramatically to 9.1 percent for the year, with the national rate at 9.2 percent.
The job losses in the second quarter of 2020 nearly equaled the total lost in the 2000s. In a single quarter, Oakland County lost 156,100 jobs while the nation lost 18.2 million. Until the pandemic hit, the county had 10 consecutive years of job growth since a low point in 2009. Ehrlich predicted the county would lose 68,000 jobs in 2020 – a decline of 9.1 percent from the previous year – but would recover most of the job losses in the next two years, with 29,100 jobs in 2021 and more than 14,000 in 2022.
Despite the pandemic’s impact, Ehrlich said Oakland County is well-positioned for an economic recovery because of a combination of the following:
- An educated workforce
- The number of managerial and professional jobs in the county
- An attractive standard of living and a solid foundation for economic prosperity for the future
The county maintained its top 10 ranking among counties of similar population, using the following factors:
- Education – the share of the population age 25-64 with at least an associate degree
- Child poverty
- Median income
- High income senior population
- Professional occupations
Ehrlich said any potential recovery would be delayed until a vaccine is developed for the virus, which makes for substantial uncertainty for the county and nation’s economic prospects. The complete report is found at oakgov.com/economicoutlook.
Oakland County has launched a cyber security website that offers residents, schools, businesses and neighboring counties a variety of resources including training, advice and connections to help them prepare and defend themselves from cybercriminals and cyberattacks.
The website was created based on a recommendation from the Oakland County Cyber Security Taskforce, which County Executive David Coulter formed in March.
The taskforce has identified five key areas for education, growth and development via cyber security initiatives, which are:
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Citizen Cyber Training – Online education and cyber security resources to help our citizens understand risks and be better prepared for a more secure online experience.
- Cyber Security Education and Workforce Opportunities – Partnerships with local colleges, universities and employment organizations to coordinate training and staffing of cyber security resources.
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Government Cyber Security Initiatives – Resources developed for Oakland County cities, villages, and townships and neighboring counties to help bolster the region’s cyber security posture.
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K-12 School Cyber Security Resources – Resources to help increase the security of K-12 schools and foster environments for increased STEM activity for the pursuit of cyber security education opportunities.
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Small to Medium Business (SMB) Cyber Security Resources – Fundamental guidance via resource documents to provide an avenue of economic development of the small and medium businesses in Oakland County.
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, initial opportunities offered by the taskforce will be executed online. In person opportunities will be available as allowed in the future. Read more in Oakland County Prosper or visit the website at oakgov.com/cybersecurity.
Oakland County has dedicated a webpage to mental health resources during the pandemic at http://ow.ly/qVoB50zqE6R.
Topics on the webpage include coping with stress and anxiety, tips for health care workers and first responders, living with a mental health condition or substance abuse disorder, and help for mental health providers.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has created a statewide, peer-run warmline for Michiganders living with persistent mental health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The warmline operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. at 888-PEER-753 (888-733-7753). It is intended to serve individuals living with persistent mental health challenges including anxiety, depression and trauma.
Oakland County residents in crisis, including those considering suicide, are urged to contact the Disaster Distress Helpline 24/7 at 800-985-5990 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 800-273-8255.
Oakland County, in partnership with Honor Community Health, offers free drive-through COVID-19 testing to Oakland County residents by appointment only (same day appointments are not available).
Testing has expanded to include children ages 4-17 with symptoms of COVID-19. Parents can schedule an appointment for their symptomatic children through the Oakland County Health Division’s Nurse on Call hotline at 800-848-5533. No doctor’s note or prescription is needed, plus there is no fee.
Dates and times are:
- Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1200 N Telegraph Rd., Pontiac
Medical Examiners Facility (Bldg. 28E) Parking Lot
- Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
27725 Greenfield Rd., Southfield
Oakland County Health Division Parking Lot
- Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
45175 W 10 Mile Rd, Novi
Novi Civic Center Parking Lot
Individuals are screened for symptoms, age, and whether or not they are part of a priority testing population, etc. before an appointment is scheduled. The Health Division encourages all residents to monitor their health symptoms carefully, including daily temperature checks, and to stay home when feeling mildly sick, or if feeling the onset of symptoms.
Individuals over the age of 18 should call Oakland County’s “Nurse on Call” at 1-800-848-5533 to schedule an appointment.
COVID-19 testing is also available to any resident of the tri-county region (Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County) through the Coronavirus Community Care Network located at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit. To schedule an appointment, call 313-230-0505 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Some laboratories are experiencing a delay (one week or longer) in delivering test results. For more information, visit oakgov.com/covid.
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