January 5, 2022
Bi-Weekly Executive Newsletter
Dear Friends,
2023. A new year. A new beginning. Time to review, revaluate and recommit.
There are the easy things that bear repeating and are worthy of New Year’s promises. Get my steps in each day. Drink much more water. Remember sunscreen every day.
Then there are the things that I’ve been passionate about and committed to moving forward during my two decades I’ve been in public office:
- Advancing the expansion of countywide public transportation. With the help of Oakland County voters, that promise will become closer to reality in 2023 as we strive to improve and grow transit to all corners of the county. It is a resolution that I intend to keep with the help of residents, businesses, transit providers, communities and organizations as we develop local solutions that will meet the needs of residents throughout the county.
- Widely available access to affordable and quality health care, both physical and behavioral services, is a reality now in Oakland County with public clinics in Pontiac and Southfield and mental health care services in programs being offered by more than 40 agencies across the county. In 2022, more than 51,000 people got the mental health help they needed. We are committed to continuing to grow those services in 2023.
- When it comes to Oakland County’s K-12 students, failure is not an option. So, another resolution that will come to fruition in the coming months is more help for our kids as they deal with the challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, ranging from learning delays to loss of social networks to crippling isolation. Stay tuned for more news on that front.
- We’re also expecting big things on a pair of resolutions that we started in 2022 but expect to fully ramp up this year. Our Business Forward program and Oakland80 initiative started last summer to provide consultants and coaches for our small business owners and our residents who are looking for the education and training they need to launch successful careers. My main goal and a continuing resolution is to give our families, our young people and our businesses an opportunity, and to make sure that they have access to the same opportunities.
- That plays into another resolution for the New Year about creating equitable opportunities for all in our county. It is vital that Oakland County maintains its well-deserved and long-standing reputation of fiscal responsibility with a balanced budget and consistent AAA bond rating. I absolutely intend to continue that stewardship of the county and will take action in areas that are critical to Oakland County’s future.
Those are just a few of my resolutions for 2023. What are your goals for the New Year?
With gratitude,
Dave Coulter Oakland County Executive
Oakland County makes significant and transformative investments in 2022
Innovation and transformation sums up 2022 in Oakland County. From voters deciding the county should be all-in on transit to General Motors announcing the investment of billions of dollars in expanding electric vehicle production at its Orion Township plant to the start of major parks and recreation improvements in Oakland County, the county was in all ways, moving forward this past year.
Congressional delegation secures $9 million in projects for Oakland County
Several Oakland County projects ranging from water system improvements to expansion of the Oakland County Farmer's Market will move forward thanks to Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Reps. Brenda Lawrence, Elissa Slotkin, and Haley Stevens. Congress approved nearly $9 million in Community Project Funding for Oakland County today when it passed the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill as one its final acts this session.
Oakland County Health Division offering reduced-cost radon test kits
During National Radon Action month in January, the Oakland County Health Division will offer radon test kits for half off. For only $5, residents can pick up the kits at the health division offices in Pontiac and Southfield, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Radon kits will test for naturally occurring, invisible, odorless gas that can get into homes through cracks in floors or walls and can accumulate and become a health hazard.
Visit www.epa.gov/radon or www.oakgov.com/health for more information, or contact Nurse on Call, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 800-848-5533 or noc@oakgov.com.
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