Finance Committee - 2026-04-23

Approved the annual deficit elimination plan covering seven funds with negative unassigned fund balances, primarily due to timing issues with grant reimbursements and capital project financing. Deficits are expected to be eliminated early in FY 2026.

Approved the 2026 Equalization Report with recommended equalized value of $220,031,682,667 (5.85% increase from 2025) and taxable value of $88,804,933,611 (4.92% increase), resulting in approximately $13.5 million increase in county general revenue.

Approved sponsorship for Lyon Township's 5th annual Music on the Grand Summer Concert Series, which runs six concerts from June 10 through August 19, 2025. Events draw 150-800 attendees per concert.

Approved sponsorship for the Tri-County Summit hosted by Oakland County at Cranbrook, bringing together Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties to discuss data centers and artificial intelligence policy.

Approved exception to purchasing policy for contract extension with Identisys Inc. for concealed pistol license card printers, maintenance, and consumables. Identisys is the only state-approved vendor.

Approved grant acceptance from Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for the 2026 survey and remonumentation grant covering 74 corners in maintenance mode.

Approved $1.5 million partnership agreement with West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission for Pine Lake Park transformation project including nature-based playground, sports courts (pickleball, tennis, basketball), baseball diamond improvements, parking lot expansion, picnic shelters, and stormwater management.

Approved funding appropriation for milestone number one of the Oakland County Student Debt Relief Initiative with Savvy Solutions PBC. Program has enrolled over 5,000 registered users with 2,500 new users since December 2025. Users save average of $1,695 per year in payment reductions.

Approved creation of 30 new full-time deputy positions to address forced overtime issues. Sheriff's Office had 96,000 overtime hours last year (equivalent to 46 FTEs) with 36,000-37,000 hours of forced overtime. Cost is approximately $3.3 million.

Approved creation of one full-time Court Clerk Coordinator position for Probate Court to handle training, preparation of training materials, and backup for judicial staffers. Court has had 31 employee changes in last two years out of 57 employees.