December 14, 2023
Bi-Weekly Executive Newsletter
Dear Friends,
As the holidays approach, we’re all looking forward to spending time with our friends and family and spreading some joy and good cheer as we contemplate what 2024 might have in store for us.
But before we get too engrossed in “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Elf,” I’d like to take a moment to look back over 2023 and reflect on all we’ve been able to accomplish in the past year.
Just a few of the areas where we’ve made major investments include: expanding access to physical and mental health care services; improving and adding to Oakland County parks; educating and training our residents; assisting our small businesses; expanding public transportation and increasing the stock of affordable housing in Oakland County.
We started with fulfilling a commitment to improve and expand the resources we provide to Oakland County’s older residents, a population that is growing and who have contributed so much to our families and communities. We hired former state Rep. Jim Ellison in January and he’s been meeting with older residents and groups representing older residents to hear about the needs of our aging population. We also allocated $5 million to 29 senior centers across the county so that they could improve their facilities and services.
After voters approved a countywide transit millage last November, we quickly started to build the organization to ensure that public transportation services improved and expanded across the county. And the numbers tell a success story there as well. Ridership from our local providers – Western Oakland Transportation Authority, Northern Oakland Transportation Authority, OPC Social and Activity Center and People’s Express – is up by double digits and SMART has expanded into the job-rich communities of Novi and Wixom.
Theresa Rogerson, a Holly resident, said it best when she told us about the transformation she’s been able to experience since WOTA expanded to the northern corner of Oakland County.
“Prior to WOTA, my life was one of isolation from the outside world, including civic participation and the local businesses and festivals of Holly,” she wrote to us. “Before WOTA, I had to schedule a ride to the grocery store 22 days in advance. My biggest concern now is pacing myself through this transformation from desolation and isolation to independence, expansiveness, and LIFE. It is a great concern to have!”
Our Oakland80 initiative continues to pay dividends as we help our residents get the education and training they need to pursue their dream careers. In May, we learned that we’re getting closer to our goal of having 80 percent of the county’s adult-age population get a college degree or certified training by 2030. We went from 61 percent to 69 percent since we started the program two years ago.
We built on our investment in improving access to mental health services for all of our residents with out-of-school time grants for students who experienced academic and social losses due to COVID. That brought our investment in mental health services to nearly $40 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan.
Environmental sustainability continues to be a top priority with investments in parks, clean water initiatives, water infrastructure improvements, and assistance to communities looking for resources to expand EV infrastructure. And we just announced a program to provide $5 million in grants for residents looking to make energy efficiency improvements in their homes.
We’re helping people erase their medical debt and developing programs that will assist residents who have been affected by the opioid epidemic.
And we just made another unprecedented investment in increasing the stock of affordable housing in Oakland County through gap financing and incentives to developers to include affordable options in their housing projects.
Those are just a few of the things we’ve been able to accomplish in what has been an incredibly busy and productive year in 2023 for Oakland County and the thousands of dedicated employees who serve you every day.
Happy holidays! May the joy and wonder of the season fill your hearts and homes now and well into 2024.
With gratitude,
Dave Coulter
Oakland County Executive
Upcoming Veterans Resource Fairs
Jan. 18, 2024 | 9 a.m. - noon
White Lake Oaks Golf Course
Feb. 15, 2024 | 9 a.m. - noon
Lyon Oaks
Mar. 14, 2024 | 9 a.m. - noon
West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission - Senior Center
The Oakland County Veterans Resource Fairs are open to all veterans, active duty, guard and reserves, and their families.
Representatives will be onsite to serve all veterans, active duty, and their families with these resources:
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Free nonperishable food boxes.
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Detroit VA Healthcare System — offering registration help and exams for non-enrolled Veterans.
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Oakland County Veterans’ Services — providing information and claims assistance regarding veteran benefits and giving away Meijer gift cards— to be eligible you must be a veteran and Oakland County resident, and you must present a copy of your DD214.
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Oakland County Neighborhood & Housing Development — helping residents with housing counseling and more.
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Oakland Community Health Network — addressing any behavioral health issues and concerns, including a health screening.
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Oakland County Michigan Works! — providing veterans and their families with career planning, training programs, job search resources and the opportunity to meet with an employment specialist.
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Oakland County Parks —Giving out free annual vehicle permits. Learn more
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VA Suicide Prevention —Providing free gun locks
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Ride SMART —Providing information on their Veteran transportation program
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Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency —Printing DD214’s on site
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Other Resources — Free dental appointments for Veterans.
 Commissioner Linnie Taylor and Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault
New Commissioners Appointed to the Board
The Board of Commissioners voted to appoint Ann Erickson Gault and Linnie Taylor as county commissioners. Ann Erickson Gault represents District 3, which includes Hazel Park, Madison Heights and portions of Troy. Linnie Taylor represents District 18, which includes Southfield Township, the villages of Franklin, Bingham Farms, and Beverly Hills, and portions of the City of Southfield.
Have You Signed Up for OakAlert?
Residents can take steps to keep themselves and their families safe by signing up for OakAlert, the County’s emergency notification system.
The notification system is powered by CodeRed, an emergency, mass-notification system. Through CodeRed, you can create an account and register their email and/or phone number to receive emergency texts, calls and emails, such as boil water notices.
To learn more about OakAlert system, visit OakGov.com/OakAlert.
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