Board of Commissioners

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2003 State of the County

February 13, 2003
David Morren, Chair

Good morning. It is my pleasure - and honor - as Chair of the Kent County Board of Commissioners to present the 2003 State of the County address to you. I have had the privilege of serving on the Board for eight years and the one thing that has impressed me most is that historically, this elected legislative body has not been fearful of making decisions based upon long-term benefit to our citizens and not short-term "payoffs." I can point to numerous initiatives that have been tackled by the Board of Commissioners over the past several years where the benefits will not be seen for 5, 10, and even 20 years from now. Prevention, health care for people of color, parkland acquisition, and urban sprawl are just a few of the initiatives. We have not been afraid to make tough decisions that will result in long-term benefits for our citizens.

To me, past elected Boards of Commissioners have demonstrated:

  1. a sincere interest in the County at large;
  2. no hidden agendas;
  3. honesty and integrity;
  4. a far-sighted approach to improve the future of Kent County for our families and children;
  5. a respect for our processes and procedures;
  6. a good working relationship with the County's elected officers;
  7. a willingness to work with local units and the private sector; and
  8. a strong sense and tradition of community service.

Ghandi once said "It's the action, not the fruit of the action that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that does not mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no results." This can be said for the actions of previous Boards of Commissioners. I expect no less from this Board of Commissioners, and I am confident that we will demonstrate the same outstanding characteristics as our predecessors!

Under former Chair Steve Heacock's leadership, the County reached new heights. But it wasn't Steve alone-nor can it be me alone. The paths we have taken were, and are, a testament to the Board of Commissioners for our willingness to stretch ourselves. They are also a testament to our exceptional staff, which consistently demonstrates its willingness, and ability, to tackle the many tasks and issues that we face. And they are is a testament to a strong tradition of fiscal conservancy and careful financial stewardship practiced by both the Board and staff.

While the state of Kent County remains strong and healthy, we will be challenged over the next several years by the State government's financial shortfalls. State revenues account for approximately 32 percent of the County's total budgeted revenues. Some departments and funds, like the Friend of the Court (67%), Health Department (48%), and Child Care Fund (50%) rely on state funding more than other departments. We will be challenged over the next several years to ensure that services our citizens have come to expect, and deserve, are provided in the midst of dwindling resources from the state. The County has the luxury of a healthy fund balance, even though this past year our fund balance was used-albeit both intentionally and responsibly-to create long term enhancements for the future of our families and children. But we will be faced with the task of more critically reviewing proposals and funding requests, as well as looking at more creative ways to fund shortfalls. This, however, is not a bad thing; it is something we should be doing on a regular basis as elected stewards of public funds. We have, however, excellent administrative and fiscal staff that we can rely on for thorough analysis and thoughtful recommendations.

In preparing to discuss what is in store for the County in 2003, I would like to spend just a few minutes highlighting what has taken place over the past several years that has led us to this point. As I mentioned earlier, the Board over the last several years took deliberate steps to reinvest a significant portion of our fund balance in quality of life improvements and projects that make County services more effective and better able to meet the needs of our residents. A few examples of the things we have been able to accomplish so far, include:

Parkland Acquisition

Over the past five years, more than $20 million has been spent or committed to parks acquisition funding. The County has added over 670 acres of parkland to the County's "inventory" for enjoyment by the public. This does not include acquisitions that have taken place for Millennium Park, which amount to another 600 acres that have been acquired. The County added more than 200 acres of property to Wahlfield Park, originally established with a generous land donation from Commissioner Fritz Wahlfield and his wife, Marilyn. In recognition of the emphasis that has been placed on parkland acquisition and open space preservation, in 2002 the Board of Commissioners established a Parkland Acquisition and Development Fund. In addition, recognizing the fiduciary responsibility that we - as a Board of Commissioners - have in overseeing the operations of the Parks Department, it was transferred from the oversight of the Road Commission to the County. We certainly appreciate the outstanding efforts of the Road Commission and its staff, but the time had come for us to assume the responsibility for which we were elected. In addition to acquisition, we are also in process of developing what will be one of the largest urban parks in the nation. Construction on Phase I of Millennium Park from the beach house north is underway and we are looking forward to a grand opening in 2003. County residents and regional visitors will have a fantastic facility to enjoy including a beach with spring fed water, playground areas for different ages, spray park, basketball and volleyball areas, picnic shelters, trails by land and water, and a beach house. In effect, we have invested more than $20 million into our parkland acquisition program.

Prevention

In 2002 the County approved a plan for its prevention initiative that will provide approximately $2 million annually toward Prevention efforts. And-as with parks-the Board of Commissioners recognized the importance of long-term funding and established a Prevention Evaluation and Programming Fund to ensure that the efforts to provide and evaluate programs in three priority areas are in place:

  • Primary Prevention Family Support
  • Services for families with children at risk of abuse or neglect
  • Substance Abuse, prevention and early intervention

Inadequate parenting, child abuse and neglect, and substance abuse are cyclical problems that can negatively impact children and families generation after generation. The funds set aside by the County will provide primary prevention family support services to approximately 420 more families, increase the intensity of early intervention services for 1,244 families identified at risk of abuse and neglect, and provide substance abuse services to at least 392 more families each year. By breaking the cycles of poor parenting, abuse and neglect, and substance abuse, investment in these services will impact countless generations to come, not only by improving the quality of life of these families, but also by reducing costs for incarceration, mental and physical health services, and the number of delinquent, abused, or neglected youth in our community.

Improvements to the Justice and Public Safety Services

In September 2001, we presented the public with a $60 million Courthouse-designed to offer the latest in security and efficiency. During 2002, Commissioners Morgan and Vaughn conducted a series of meetings focusing on the County's Justice System. Adopted by the Board of Commissioners on October 24, 2002, the Justice Task Force Report included numerous recommendations for the County to explore during the coming year, including:

  • Establish routine meetings between members of the Board of Commissioners, the Courts, the legal community and the Prosecutor and Sheriff to review annual performance data
  • Engage local units in a discussion of the use of appearance tickets as an alternative to booking for certain offenses
  • Implement a customer survey project at the Courthouse
  • Conduct a countywide survey to determine public perceptions of the Justice System
  • Offer life and work skills training to individuals incarcerated for certain lighter offenses and work with the local community to provide support to the individual upon release
  • Track the effectiveness of various programs in reducing jail population.

Urban Sprawl

In December 2002, the Board of Commissioners approved a Purchase of Development Rights Ordinance. While a controversial issue, it reflected the Board's interest in open space preservation and preservation of farmland. The next steps to implement the Urban Sprawl Subcommittee Report, adopted by the Board in October 2001, include the following:

  1. Complete implementation of Purchase of Development Rights initiative
    • Seek applications for Agricultural Preservation Board (APB) members, interview applicants, and make appointments, which is taking place; and
    • ensuring that the APB creates administrative guidelines and application process/procedures
  2. Consider recommendations from the Grand Valley Water Resources Institute, which has been working with area organizations including the Kent County Drain Commissioner, Department of Public Works and Health Department on a septage management program and a model storm water drainage ordinance. This will include review of recommended changes to Health Department Sewage Disposal Regulations.
  3. Consider approval of an agreement with the Grand Valley Metro Council for development of a countywide master land use plan for use with the PDR initiative and also for County financial support of and active participation in Blueprint II development.

As an observation, if you heard Governor Granholm's recent State of the State, or speech at the Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, she happened to mention two initiatives she is planning for the State, which I am pleased to say are areas that Kent County started looking at several years ago: prevention and land use (or urban sprawl). This once again demonstrates our ability to be ahead of the curve on major issues that not only face Kent County, but also the entire State of Michigan.

Other major accomplishments in 2002 made possible by the County's reinvestment of its fund balance include:

  • Completion of a long-overdo major renovation and expansion of the Sheriff Department headquarters
  • Implementation of the Health Care for People of Color initiative
  • Planning for the move of Cooperative Extension to the former District Library Headquarters building on Ball Avenue, which is now undergoing renovation for the move to take place this year

Perhaps no industry was more adversely affected by the 9-11 terrorist attach than the air transportation industry. I am proud to say that our Department of Aeronautics led the nation in response to these new threats. In May, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport conducted a full-scale drill of its response to an off airport airplane crash. Our police officers, firefighters, and operations people performed superbly in their response with other local agencies. Also in May, the new federal Transportation Safety Administration selected our airport to be their national test site for explosive screening in checking bags. In June, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport was the first one in the nation to fully screen EVERY piece of checked baggage. GFIA further led the way in August by becoming the first airport in the nation to have a fully federalized workforce conduct passenger screening.

The Health Department has also stepped up to address new threats presented by 9-11, enhancing its laboratory and surveillance activities to be able to respond to the threat of bioterrorism. In cooperation with the Federal and State governments and our neighboring counties, the Health Department is prepared to implement a plan to inoculate healthcare workers and first responders against small pox, and while we hope and pray it is not necessary, plans are being made in case a mass vaccination of all our citizens is required as a result of a terrorist activity. Similarly, the Health Department has collected and continues to analyze data associated with last summer's incidents of the West Nile Virus. At a state conference on the West Nile Virus just last week, state officials requested copies of Kent County's data collection and analysis to share with officials at the National Centers for Disease Control as an example of the good work done by local public health departments on this issue. The Health Department is continuing to work with the State and neighboring counties to develop comprehensive and coordinated recommendations to protect the County during the upcoming West Nile season.

The County will face many challenging issues in 2003. Many of the issues noted above are still in process, although we have now institutionalized parkland acquisition and development, as well as prevention activities as part of our normal operations. As such, they may not be something we talk about as much, but they are still an integral part of our vision for the County.

On Tuesday, February 4, 2003, we met as a Board in a planning session to help determine our agenda and priorities for this year. Based upon that discussion, I am presenting an agenda that I plan to put forward during the course of 2003. It will, of course, be subject to our collective discussion and action. I believe, however, that it represents our collective thought. In addition to the Zoo, continued implementation of the Urban Sprawl report and recommendations, and implementation of the recommendations contained in the Justice Task Force report, the following are issues that we will be addressing, in no particular order, in 2003 and beyond:

County Administration Building

A developer has, for the past several years, been talking with County staff (and the City of Grand Rapids) about moving the County Administration Building and City Hall for a new hotel/office complex on the Calder Plaza. While the City Hall and County Administration Building may not be the "highest and best use" for the property on which they sit, there are issues related to the ability of the developers being able to relocate both the City and County move both at little or no cost to the public. In order to be more pro-active as it relates to the County Administration Building, I am establishing an internal Task Force comprised of Vice Chair Morgan, Commissioners Wahlfield and VanderMolen, as well as Administrator Daryl Delabbio and some of his staff to review options available to the County. Commissioner Wahlfield has graciously agreed to chair this Task Force.

Countywide 911 Dispatch

The County has worked closely over the past two years with local unit police and fire departments, the State Police, and EMS companies to develop a plan for consolidating the County dispatch and several local unit dispatch centers into a Countywide dispatch authority. Current dispatch providers are doing an excellent job with the systems that they have. However, these systems do not provide the capability for police agencies to communicate with each other and for fire departments to communicate with police departments. There is also no automated backup between systems. A new county system would be designed to provide backup and be backed up by the City of Grand Rapids dispatch, the State Police dispatch and also dispatch centers operated by surrounding counties. A new system will be designed to eliminate dead spots that currently exist in the county where officers in the field cannot communicate with their respective dispatch center. We believe that minutes can be trimmed from critical response times, giving those in medical emergencies or fire situations a better chance to survive. It will be incumbent upon the County and local units that currently fund dispatch operations, to engage their respective citizenry in a dialog as to whether roll back taxes or to fund other services that the public wants and needs with dollars saved when a county authority assumes dispatch responsibility. The necessity of an excellent emergency communications system was hammered home by the September 11 terrorist attacks where an inadequate emergency communications system compounded one of our nations foremost tragedies. I believe that creation of a countywide 911 system relates to one of the County core values of maintaining and approving public safety.

Zoo

A zoo master plan was approved by the Board of Commissioners on December 13, 2001. The City of Grand Rapids placed a moratorium to limit construction on the Park through November 2002. In 2002, Fred Meijer acquired the former Grand Rapids Golf Club and has generously offered it to the County for a new zoo. Last year, Board Chair Steve Heacock appointed a Kent County Zoological Task Force, chaired by Commissioner Tom Postmus and co-chaired by Commissioner Dean Agee. I recently re-appointed the Task Force so that it can complete its work. It's purpose is to provide a forum for communication between the parties most impacted by a potential decision to construct a new zoo on the golf club property and to review the products of the consultants on the issues and costs related to a move. County staff will issue a report to the Board of Commissioners in the next few months that includes the final reports on the Meijer proposal, current zoo master plan, financial data, and recommendations from the John Ball Zoological Society and John Ball Zoo Advisory Board. The City Commission has graciously delayed any action on historic designation at this time.

Comprehensive Facilities Needs Plan

In 1990 and again in 1999, a Building Needs Survey was completed by the County in an effort to plan for the future of the County's needs and formulate more strategic thinking about County facilities. A number of the recommendations included in the 1999 plan have been realized, but there are also a number of issues that need to be addressed. While I previously mentioned the new Sheriff headquarters and Cooperative Extension facility, there are other County facility needs that require attention. I believe that there has to be a more comprehensive plan for facilities, using "out of the box" thinking that requires a shift from the "normal way of doing things." This will require strategic planning on facilities that is based upon how the County wants to do business in the future. This will require that planning for facilities be based on services and service levels that are provided by the County. This will require planning that reflects a shifting population away from the central city. I am calling upon County Administration to begin the process to develop a facilities plan based upon strategic thinking about the desired future state of affairs for Kent County. This might even entail looking at regional arrangements with neighboring counties if it makes sense and if there is a willingness to do so.

State Funding

As mentioned previously, the state has been undergoing severe financial difficulties which have potential implications for the County, not only in terms of State Shared Revenues which go into the General Fund coffers, but also for state supported programs in the areas of Health and Children's Services. On December 5, 2002, former Governor Engler issued an Executive Order to reduce the state's 2002-03 budget, which will likely amount in a loss of approximately $430,000 in state shared revenues for Kent County. There are, however, cuts in state department budgets that will also affect the County, especially in areas where state funding is significant, such as the Health Department. The state Department of Community Health is facing an $83 million cut, which will affect the County but as yet we are not sure how. In addition, the cuts approved in the Governor's Executive Order are retroactive in nature, and we expect more cuts when the state starts looking at its 2003-04 budget, that will take effect October 1, 2003.

This leads to the final challenge I am issuing to the Board and to staff. I believe the Board of Commissioners must plan and act even more strategically than we have in the past. I believe the Board has an obligation to provide our staff with overall policy guidance based on a series of "guiding principles" or "strategic directives" that articulate the County's mission statement as well as our collective vision for each of the County's five functional areas: Administrative Services, General Government, Human Services, Justice, and Enterprise Activities. My challenge is for staff to begin the development of these "guiding principles" or "strategic directives" that can be reviewed and adopted by the Board of Commissioners. I am enlisting the talents of Board Vice Chair Roger Morgan, Legislative & Human Resources Chair Dan Koorndyk, and Commissioners Agee, Postmus, Boelema, Horton, and Wahlfield to work with staff and me to develop these statements for consideration by the Board, where we will all have an opportunity for input.

We are in an enviable position, and we want to stay there. To do so, we have to plan for the future. Stephen Covey, who authored The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, states that we must begin with the end in mind, and to take a hard look at important, but not necessarily urgent, needs. It is a good time for us to plan so that we are not simply reactive as we are faced with a changing economy and new demands on our resources. We must work together, and develop new partnerships that build on the strong spirit of community service and public-private, and faith based collaboration to meet the needs of our citizens. We should all be inspired by the work of Commissioners Vaughn, Mayhue and Postmus to engage local churches to address the needs of our community's elderly for hot, nutritious meals. They are expanding that effort this year to meet the shortfall caused by state reductions to the Senior Meals program.

We are strong now, and we must remain strong for our future so that we can have a County where our children can grow up safe and healthy and happy, and where they will want to raise their children.

In conclusion, I am honored, privileged, and humbled to present this State of the County address to you. Kent County is a tremendous place to live, work, and prosper. The County of Kent is an exceptional, excellence-driven, organization. I want to extend my appreciation to the Board of Commissioners, to all of the dedicated citizens who volunteer to serve on our appointed Boards, Committees, and Commissions, to our exceptional County workforce, and most important to our outstanding citizens for making Kent County what it is. And while we have much to be proud of, we have many exciting challenges facing us in the near future.

God bless you all.