Macomb County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Macomb County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Veterans Services Advertising Contract
The $116,640 Play by Play sports media proposal for Veterans Services was pulled from the agenda at the department's own request, so it will come back another day.
CDBG Grants for Local Communities
About $1.59 million in federal CDBG dollars will fund ADA ramps, sewer lining, a playground, fire equipment, demolition and senior programs in Richmond, Mount Clemens, Macomb Township, Harrison Township, Eastpointe and New Baltimore.
Community Corrections fund deficit
A $277,000 PCE Systems contract will build electronic forms and automatic referrals linking jail intake, Community Mental Health and Community Corrections data — aimed at fewer duplicate records and smoother handoffs.
ARPA Drainage Project Funding Shift
A $1.9 million shuffle among four drainage projects keeps the county from losing any of its $40 million in federal ARPA money before the Dec. 31 spending deadline.
Midterm Election Results
Macomb County's midterm results are in — unofficial for now — and they'll shape who runs county government for the next few years. That means the winners will help set budgets, services, and local policy priorities. If you live in Macomb County, this is the crew making decisions that touch your daily life.
Macomb Orchard Trail Master Plan
The trails fund needs a $200,000 general fund transfer next year, with roughly another $30,000 expected as a future budget amendment, because bridge-program dollars are restricted and can't pay for trail upkeep. Commissioners also vented about vandalism and overflowing trash cans along the trail.
Parks fund shortfall and Freedom Hill upkeep
The parks fund lost its catering tenant at Freedom Hill, and the county is requesting a $150,000 general fund transfer for 2027. Commissioners also pressed for long-promised repairs to the aging maintenance garage at the site.
Planning and Economic Development budget
Planning & Economic Development landed a $500,000 EPA brownfield grant and is pushing business attraction around the new Selfridge fighter jets — but state MEDC support for its strategy has fallen to zero, leaving the county competing with other states for jobs.
Elections costs and state technology mandates
Multiple residents alleged vote-history manipulation, ballot-image FOIA problems and compromised data from the 2021 forensic audit, urging audits and record preservation.
Animal Control Budget Review
The committee reviewed the proposed Animal Control budget with Chief Animal Control Officer Jeff Randazzo. It covers shelter and animal welfare operations county residents rely on.
Delinquent tax foreclosure collections
The Treasurer's office will spend $156,434 on targeted ads — mostly gas-station TV and online — to warn at-risk homeowners before foreclosure, run through a consolidated no-bid contract.
First new Board of Commissioners staff in ten years?
The Board's own office wants its part-time office assistant made full-time for about $31,000 net, citing a 70% workload jump since 2021. Multiple commissioners voiced support, with some arguing the ask is too modest.
FOIA workload explosion at Corporation Counsel
Corporation Counsel has fielded 2,000 FOIA requests this year and expects 3,000 by year's end — up from 500 five years ago — and says it may eventually need another attorney just to handle records requests.
County Credit Rating Upgrade to AAA
Moody's upgraded Macomb County from AA+ to AAA, the highest possible rating, meaning the county can borrow money more cheaply for big projects like buildings and infrastructure.
Support for Macomb County nonprofits
The proposed 2027 budget raises Care House funding from $25,000 to $125,000 and Turning Point from $100,000 to $200,000 — a combined $200,000 more for domestic violence and child advocacy services.
Romeo Downtown Revitalization After Ford Plant Closure
A $100,000 state Economic Transition Fund grant (no local match) will fund wayfinding signage and placemaking in Romeo, aiming to attract a replacement for the closed Ford engine plant and the jobs it provided.
Macomb Community Action Expansion ($655,000)
A new $291,447 state funding stream replaces a wound-down program that pays for structural repairs — roofs and the like — so weatherization work can continue in qualifying homes.
Home Weatherization Funding for Low-Income Residents
A new $291,447 state funding stream replaces a wound-down program that pays for structural repairs — roofs and the like — so weatherization work can continue in qualifying homes.
New Health & Community Services Building — Phase 1 design
The county picked Integrated Design Solutions to design the new Health & Community Services building, with 19 firms showing interest. Full project budget expected around early 2027.
42-1 District Court (Romeo) Facade Renovation
The 1991-built Romeo court building has serious water intrusion from a failing exterior insulation system that caused rot and mold. A $1.3 million fix replacing the cladding and roof was recommended 9-2.
L'Anse Creuse middle school resource officer
A new sheriff's deputy will be stationed at L'Anse Creuse middle schools through the end of 2027 — with the school district covering the roughly $258,000 cost, not county taxpayers.
Crisis response unit — deputy plus mental health professional
The Sheriff's Office wants a new two-person crisis response team — a deputy paired with a mental health professional — to handle behavioral health 911 calls, with the goal of treatment instead of jail. Community Mental Health is picking up part of the cost.
Prosecutor Tele Town Halls on Senior Scams
The Prosecutor's Office will spend up to $91,797.50 on a phone-based town hall platform, but two commissioners objected to paying a telemarketing-style service to reach residents.
Tax foreclosure prevention advertising
The Treasurer's office will spend $156,434 on targeted ads — mostly gas-station TV and online — to warn at-risk homeowners before foreclosure, run through a consolidated no-bid contract.
Brownfield Plan for 50770 Birch Drive, Shelby Township
The county approved a brownfield plan that supports redevelopment of a property in Shelby Township under Michigan's Act 381 incentives. It's meant to help turn a blighted or underused site into productive use, which can grow the local tax base.
Regional measles vaccine stockpile
The county will host a regional stash of measles immune globulin so neighboring communities can respond quickly to an outbreak, with the state covering $10,000 of storage costs.
State health grant re-timing ($364,738)
About $364,738 in state health infrastructure grant funds is being re-timed so it can be spent next year, possibly on a new project. Officials stressed this is not a loss of funding.
Medical Examiner equipment funding
The Health Department found $45,500 within its own budget to replace the Medical Examiner's long-obsolete microscopes. Commissioners praised the internal funding move.
Substance Use Disorder Oversight Policy Board appointments
Two seats are open on the board that oversees substance use disorder policy. Candidates including people in long-term recovery and a veteran family advocate spoke, and the full slate now goes to the full Board for a vote next week.
Federal transportation funding threat
Commissioner Wallace warned that if Congress doesn't renew the transportation bill, transit funding could drop 20% and the bridge formula program could disappear — hitting counties hard.
32 Mile Road Resurfacing in Richmond
A $794,777 contract will repave 32 Mile Road from the CN Railroad east to the county line before the end of November.
Great Start Readiness Program funding increase
State per-slot preschool funding is up $6,390 per child, adding $77,130.55 to Macomb Community Action's GSRP program.
IT maintenance agreements — $1.34 million in the first quarter
The committees recommended $504,258 for 458 HP laptops — the last laptop buy of 2026 — plus $308,234 to maintain the prosecutor's case management system and county antivirus. Commissioners pressed IT on the roughly $150,000 in annual overtime for after-hours rollouts and asked for a steadier annual replacement schedule.
Countywide technology refresh
The committees recommended buying 458 new HP laptops for county staff and renewing IT maintenance agreements for the prosecutor's case management system and antivirus protection — over $812,000 in technology spending.
Roadside Dead Deer Removal Program
The county will pay Respectful Removal, LLC up to $150-$200 per deer to clear roadkill from public roadways.
Prosecuting Attorney staffing and legal services
The board unanimously overrode County Executive Hackel's veto, restoring its approval of legal services for the Prosecutor's Office — a rare show of board independence.
Emergency preparedness funding (Cities Readiness Initiative)
The Health Department landed $134,059 in state grant money, mainly for conference audio-visual equipment at the VERC building.
Clinton River Watershed Health
The watershed council reported serving 3,000+ county residents, monitoring water quality including high salt levels, surveying road-stream crossings for fish passage, and running rain-garden programs to cut stormwater pollution — while Commissioner Perna pressed for more action on combined sewer overflows from the Red Run Drain.
WIC Services for Arabic-Speaking Families (ACCESS)
A renewed $311,000 grant-funded contract keeps ACCESS providing WIC nutrition services to about 2,200 Arabic-speaking clients a month — roughly 18% of the county's WIC caseload.
Sheriff scheduler replacement
The Sheriff's decade-old, in-house scheduling system can't keep up with increasingly complex union contracts, so the county is buying a specialized FieldWare system with Workday integration for $110,685.
Countywide office relocation planning
The county is paying $40,000 to plan a big "office shuffle": moving courts, IT, planning, finance, dispatch and elections between county buildings to make room for a new probate courtroom and expanded dispatch. Draft space-needs reports are expected in late August.
Chapaton Drain Improvement Results
Commissioner Lucido reported that a $40 million ARPA-funded drain upgrade at Chapaton has produced zero overflows into Lake St. Clair since completion — a water quality win.
FY2026 Budget Amendment Ordinance
The board adopted Ordinance 2026-08 to formally amend the county's FY2026 budget and appropriations, covering the funding moves approved throughout the meeting.
2026 Township Road Programs
A batch of routine but significant road work: Metro Parkway path improvements, Romeo Plank Road reconstruction, countywide pavement striping, a revised Clinton Township repaving deal, and limestone applications on gravel roads in five northern townships — most of it heavily funded by federal aid or township dollars.
Clerk's Office technology staffing and remonumentation
The county keeps resetting and verifying the survey monuments that define every property line in Macomb County, using a $103,257 state grant passed through to surveying firms. Commissioners noted it protects property owners from the old '40 acres plus or minus' uncertainty.
Specialty court treatment and testing services
Drug court participants will keep getting outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment plus required drug testing through four grant-funded contracts — Commissioner Howard praised the program for 'helping people versus incarcerating people.'
Infant health funding for Macomb County (RPQC subaward)
A $129,738 state grant increase supports the Maternal Infant Health Program staffing and public health infrastructure, including batch scanners and video cameras at the medical examiner's office.
County fleet replacement purchases
The committees recommended about $2.3 million in replacement vehicles for the Sheriff's Office, Animal Control, Emergency Management, Facilities, Public Works and county leadership. Most are bought off state bid pricing since no Macomb County dealers currently hold the state bid.
Countywide recycling requirements
Commissioner Goike reported that 26 of 27 communities backed the county's move to hire a recycling coordinator to meet a state-mandated recycling target of over 35%, with officials aiming to hit the goal without raising fees.
Sheriff in-car camera systems
The Sheriff's Office is getting 15 new in-car cameras for its transport fleet for $119,154 through 2029, paid from grant funds. It plugs into the camera contract the county recently renewed so all equipment refreshes together.