‘Never’ Does Not Exist - Ideas For A New Shiawassee

May 18th, 2006 | by christine |

“We will never have the prosperity we had in the 90’s. The people of Michigan just have to learn to live with less.”
–Richard Ball, debate with Mike Powers, September 2004

Note: This is the first in a series on revitalizing Shiawassee County

Introduction

Imagine you are sitting in a boat with no motor, and the waves are pounding you against the rocks. You know you need to get back out to sea, and you have been hoping for a favorable tide. It has been this way for a long time. Then it occurs to you; you can continue to wait, or you can put a motor on the boat and take control of your own destiny. Which do you choose?

Shiawassee County is much like a boat with no motor, with external influences controlling her destiny. Residents are tired of searching for hope, which myopic local representatives have done little to offer. People are increasingly alienated from their government, and power is increasingly centralized in the hands of a few. What follows is a vision for a new Shiawassee; one that looks very different from the Shiawassee of today.

In the new Shiawassee, the county government is open, modern, and efficient. Wasted tax dollars are reclaimed and invested in programs that create a population that is healthier and better educated. Our community is bursting with opportunities as new businesses are created and nurtured, and new families move here to build their lives. The new Shiawassee government is humble before its citizens, and operates on a budget that serves and values all of our people.

The new Shiawassee is built on three core components: government transformation, community support, and self-sufficiency.


Government Transformation — Reclaim Wasted Dollars

Every day we are reminded that our government has no money. First responders are laid off, public schools are short staffed, services are cut, and our roads are in disrepair. Citizens are expected to accept this decline in standards or to pay higher taxes, but this is not our only choice. Our county has more money than we think.

Each year we pay nearly $8 million in taxes to support the county general fund, and another $4 million in federal and state taxes that work their way back into our county. The government makes approximately $3 million selling services to the constituency. This is approximately $15 million to support county level government1. The people of Shiawassee are also required to fund 27 other city, village, and township governments, while giving spare change to keep services like Holman Pool available. The government of Shiawassee is mean, but not lean.

This situation can be reversed. Too much of our money is squandered in redundancy, non-essential offices, outdated practices, and reactive agencies. While any real effort to streamline our government must include the smaller units, we can save millions at the county level by shifting our priorities.

  • Explore the costs and benefits consolidating the offices of the Clerk and the Register of Deeds and if prudent, combine the offices. This would result in fewer staff members and fewer elections, and is allowed by the Michigan Constitution. Several other Michigan counties use this model very effectively.
  • Automate tasks and empower citizens to serve themselves. Not all transactions should require a county employee to handle a piece of paper. Through the use of transactional Internet tools and other eGovernment technologies, many simple tasks can be performed without the use of hourly labor.
  • Eliminate the health benefits for the County Commissioners. The seven Commissioners are afforded $65,000 worth of benefits. In contrast, the total budget of Shiawassee Veterans Affairs, as determined by these same seven Commissioners, is $40,000.
  • Reduce and cap salaries of the highest paid officials, including our elected servants and the County Coordinator. Public service should not be more lucrative than the private opportunities in the surrounding area.
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    Next time: Government Transformation — Let The Sun Shine In

    1 2005 Shiawassee County Budget

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    2. Aug 6, 2006: christinebarry.com - The only blog focusing on the people & politics of Shiawassee County, Michigan » Shiawassee Weekly - August 6, 2006

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