|
| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
TREASURY - Economic Vitality Incentive Programs - State of Michigan
http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,4679,7-121-1751_2197_58826---,00.html - 51k - Cached - Similar pages
MI Dept of Treasury - Economic Vitality Incentive Programs. ... To be eligible for
This is what Fonger is talking about when he says the county will try to share services. Genesee County is an eligible local government under this directive. Fraud makes the county ineligible. This sleight-of-hand move by Curtis and others should not qualify.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:44 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Treasury LogoMichigan.gov, Official Portal for the State of Michigan
Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP)
County Incentive Program (CIP)
EVIP:
•To be eligible for EVIP each city, village, or township must have: ◦Received a FY 2010 statutory payment greater than $4,500
◦Fulfilled the specific requirements for one or more of the three categories
•Program details for an eligible city, village, or township are as follows: ◦Can receive a maximum of 76.18459% of its FY 2010 total statutory payment (rounded to the nearest dollar)
◦Will receive 1/3 of the maximum amount for each of the three categories they fulfill the specific requirements for
◦The three categories are Accountability and Transparency, Consolidation of Services, and Unfunded Accrued Liability Plan
◦Must submit the certification form and required documents for the category to qualify for payment
◦Falsification of certification documents shall result in forfeiture of any future EVIP payment(s) and repayment of any EVIP payment(s) received
•Detailed information regarding each category can be found in 2013 Public Act 59
CIP:
•Each eligible county that fulfills the specific requirements for one or more of the three categories may receive a prorated share of the amount appropriated for distribution
•Program details for each eligible county are as follows: ◦Will receive 1/3 of the prorated share for each of the three categories they fulfill the specific requirements for
◦The three categories are Accountability and Transparency, Consolidation of Services, and Unfunded Accrued Liability Plan
◦Must submit the certification form and required documents for the category to qualify for payment
◦Falsification of certification documents shall result in forfeiture of any future CIP payment(s) and repayment of any CIP payment(s) received
•Detailed information regarding each category can be found in 2013 Public Act 59
Payment Categories
Accountability & Transparency
Consolidation of Services |
|
|
|
Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:48 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Accountability & Transparency
To qualify for the Accountability & Transparency portion of the EVIP/CIP, eligible local units must:
•Certify to the Michigan Department of Treasury (form #4886) that by October 1, 2013 they have produced and made readily available to the public:1.A Citizen's Guide of its most recent local finances, including recognition of its unfunded liabilities
2.A Performance Dashboard
3.A Debt Service Report containing a detailed listing of its debt service requirements, including, at a minimum, the issuance date, issuance amount, type of debt instrument, a listing of all revenues pledged to finance debt service by debt instrument, and a listing of the annual payment amounts
4.A Projected Budget Report of revenues and expenditures including, at a minimum, the current fiscal year and a projection for the immediately following year and an explanation of the assumptions used for the projections
•Submit a copy of their Citizen's Guide, Performance Dashboard, Debt Service Report and Projected Budget Report to the Michigan Department of Treasury |
|
|
|
Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:51 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Print Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on March 13, 2014 at 5:30 PM, updated March 13, 2014 at 5:33 PM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- County officials think they might be able to save millions by overhauling they way they purchase everything from paper clips to pickup trucks, and Flint businessman Phil Shaltz has made a written proposal to evaluate the current system and make recommendations for change.
On the Flint Journal website
You can page through the four-page proposal posted here. By clicking the "fullscreen" button, you can increase the size of the document for easier reading.
It's the same proposal the county Board of Commissioners could give final approval to next week after giving it initial approval in a 6-3 vote Wednesday, March 12.
Controller Keith Francis told commissioners Wednesday that the current purchasing system is unstable and being circumvented by some departments in county government, which are making purchases independently and with no accountability.
hoghiker9 hours ago
Let me get this straight. We need to spend $100,000.00 MINIMUM on consulting fees to show the purchasing manager what people in the private sector already know & do. Maybe we should just hire a purchasing manager that already knows and understands basic business principles.
This seems to be a recurring theme in government. Nonfunctioning figureheads demand more budget money to hire people that can actually do the job. What's worse is that it is an accepted practice. Something has to give, the insanity of this pervasive incompetence makes me ill. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 5:04 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
I felt hoghiker summed the issue up quite well. Mauserbowser implied Shaltz extended too much credit to Delphi and that his company lost big during the bankruptcy. Sparty 771rightly questioned about the failure of the Comissioners to adhere to their own purchasing policy when working out a private back room deal to fix their alleged problems with purchasing.
What about some governmental units that have some autonomy from the county government? Units like the Road Commission, the Drain Commission, The Parks Commission, and Water and Waste Services have been created by legislature and are not under the total control of the County Commissioners. The county has been trying to control some of these units as some manage their finances much better than the county and the county needs money.
To me the 4 page document shows a considerable amount of collusion between Shaltz and some county commissioners. Shaltz already knew the county had no money and agreed to start the six month long project using two full time employees with material purchasing resources out of his team of 40 HSS employees. The document refers to 29 departments, which is why I believe they are looking at some of the quasi governmental units, If additional work is needed, the HSS will bill that work at $19,250 per month. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 5:21 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
The county is required to complete by February 1 of each year an EVIP / County Incentive Program Certification for the Consolidation of Services for the state.
This document is available by going to the Genesee County Michigan site and will be located in the middle of the first page.
John Gleason referenced a stalled law project and that is shown in the report.
The HSS document states they will "provide labor, subject matter experience and consulting t assist Genesee County with purchasing assistance, gap identification, process evaluation, opportunity discovery, and recommendation for next step."
The state documentation completed by the County Controller is available for review online or in the county clerks office.
One stalled document is the Criminal Justice System and Courts Electronic Work Flow Initiative.
The stated purpose is that this initiative "supports electronic document workflow between the Genesee County Prosecutor. law enforcement agencies, and district courts, resulting in a reduction of officer time away from traditional law enforcement."
This initiative includes Genesee County as well as the Cities of Grand Blanc, Burton, Flushing, and Flint for a savings of $492,675.
The project is stalled because the county is unable to secure the CGap funding to support the project implementation and they must find other revenue streams o fund the project. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:04 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Some of you will remember how years ago when the downtown groups went to the City Council to request an extension of the tax benefits for their downtown locations. They actually had their own documents written and they went to Lansing to plead their case. These tax beak extensions were denied to the residents of University Park.
Phil Shaltz is one of the downtown investors and the tax breaks might be coming to a conclusion. Rumors are that two of the downtown restaurants are not doing well. Will they survive without the tax breaks.
Remember how one County commissioner suggested selling the county parking lot to the Uptown groups for $1 and never advised he had a conflict-of-interest as he sat on the Uptown board?
Watch for even bigger conflicts-of-interest and outright corruption as some of these commissioners fall in line with outside interests. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:15 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
County Commissioner Ted Henry was on he Mike Killbreath Show this morning. He stated the writing was on the wall when months ago a committee was named to have an overview of the required EVIP sharing services required by the state. Henry was named to the committee as well as Tony Brown, Mark Young, and Omar Sims. I was interrupted as I listened and I did not get a clear understanding as to what relationship the Mott Foundation and the Flint-Regional Chamber of Commerce had with their involvement in the meetings.
Henry discussed how it was never clear was HSS LLC could be involved in the process. The were given a tour of the facilities near the GM engine plant and their supplied parts and materials for the GM on time parts delivery. They have no experience in the services required for the county and yet they insisted they were capable. The committee had already gone to Oakland County with the intention of coordinating purchasing with Oakland County. This proposal was included in the EVIP document coordinated with the state.
Originally HSS was discussed in relationship to the motor pool, but any car dealership could bid on that proposal. Henry could not attend the meeting early in the week where this document was passed out. Yet the proposal was not on the Government Ops agenda. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:18 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
When asked about the heated exchange between himself and Shaltz, Henry stated he had no problems with Shaltz. What he had a problem with was handing over money on a no-bid contract. This proposal had no details, said Henry, who noted that most contracts of this size had over 50 pages of specific, timelines and other pertinent data.
A caller to the show asked about relationships between the commissioners and Uptown. Henry said he personally had no relationships with Uptown, but he believed other commissioners did have such relationships.
Henry did not have the documents in front of him, but he remembered there was a mission to incorporate other quasi-independent departments, such as the GISD and the Road Commission.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sat Mar 15, 2014 5:57 am; edited 2 times in total |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:25 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Another caller asked about the "infighting" amongst the commissioners. Henry responded that communication was a problem when addressing the caller's questions about the Gleason and Cherry lawsuits. There are always 2 sides said Henry and it was important to discuss one on one sometimes. He often walked down to the Treasurer's office but he sometimes had more trouble finding Gleason in his 2 offices.
Henry did not respond to a question about Curtis allegedly screaming at department heads like Gleason and calling MSHDA official Michelle Wildman a "little girl that Treasurer Deb Cherry found. Wildman is the MSHDA blight specialist and special assistant for program development.
Time ran out but the discussion is heated. Henry had said he would take the issue to the state Attorney General. However, with the influence of the Mott Foundation, the Flint-Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, and local Republicans, this may be an exercise in futility. Because the Sheriffs budget is controlled by the county commissioners, he is clearly out of the loop.
Killbreath noted he was receiving text form local pastors and others urging him to make sure this no bid contract was investigated.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:34 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Flint, Genesee County aim to cooperate under state directive for shared services
Print Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com By Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on February 04, 2013 at 6:30 AM, updated February 04, 2013 at 6:32 AM
Griffin Moores | MLive.com file photo GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The city of Flint and Genesee County are doing more to partner on government services, paving the way for even more cooperation in the future, officials said.
Between Flint and the county, five grant applications for funding shared service proposals have been submitted to the state of Michigan for cooperative efforts such as purchasing, human resources and an eventual merger of Flint and Genesee County's 911 communications systems.
All told, the grant requests add up to about $3.6 million in potential revenue shared between the two entities.
A few of the efforts are led by the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, which was nominated to be a "neutral convener" for shared service proposals.
"It's a win-win for everybody," said Jamie Curtis, chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners. "It helps to neutralize the fears or perception that Big Brother is out to swallow local government and take over. We don't want to do that, but we want to be the best of the best. In order to do that, we have to share services."
Are these grant proposals the first steps toward future consolidation of city and county services?
Flint City Administrator Michael Brown stressed that the grant proposals are for partnering, not consolidating, and said talks of any mergers -- except when it comes to 911 services -- would be premature.
"It would be much too early to talk about (consolidation) at this point," he said. "You take the small steps first."
The shared service proposals were born out of a 2011 directive from Gov. Rick Snyder that Michigan communities must show they're willing to share services and be more efficient in order to get a piece of the state revenue-sharing pie. Snyder dubbed them "best practices."
After Snyder's mandate, Brown, who was leading the Flint Area Reinvestment Office at the time, teamed up with former Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry Jr. to lead a study called "Future Genesee" that identified potential areas of cooperation and consolidation. No public funding was used for the study, officials said at the time.
Many of these current shared service proposals came out of that "Future Genesee" study, said George Wilkinson, director of shared services for the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The state will decide whether to award the grants to the communities.
"The main focus is to create efficiency," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson's job at the chamber is to identify the opportunities for governmental units to share services, and then work with communities to make it happen.
"None of the (governmental) units really had time to spend on making these things happen," Brown said. "It's not easy. There's turf issues, control issues, political issues.
"Just to have someone convening folks around the table... (the chamber is) a neutral party to initiate it."
Here's a look at some of the shared service grant proposals, as described by Brown:
Human resources -- $300,000
Based on a model already in place at the Genesee Intermediate School District, the proposal is for the county, city and other interested municipalities to cut costs by partnering on recruitment, hiring and human resources management, Brown said.
There would be a focus on using technology and the web, he said. About a dozen school districts have partnered with the GISD using the model, he said.
911 communications -- $2,135,000
The funding would add another communications tower and supporting equipment to the existing Genesee County 911 Consortium system. The project is a "step in the preparation toward system merger" between the city and county, according to the grant application.
The city has already linked to the 800 MHz emergency radio system used by the county consortium.
"This would be a second major step," Brown said of a new tower. "If you have both of these things done, then we could have serious discussions (about consolidation)."
Purchasing -- $648,000
The county, city, GISD and other communities would plan and develop a regional purchasing collaborative, he said.
The entities would be able to jointly purchase goods and service for better economies of scale, he said.
The last two grant proposals evolved out of the local criminal justice advisory council.
A $46,000 grant would go toward a fiber connection that "would enhance the speed and the ability of different units to improve communications," he said.
Another $500,000 grant would streamline information technology and software among all the courts, law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office, allowing them to communicate more easily and file reports more efficiently.
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.comyesterday
This comment was posted on another article. This story is also being discussed in the comments here: Genesee County moves quickly toward hiring firm to look at goverment dysfunction
This story includes background on Future Genesee.
Flint, Genesee County aim to cooperate under state directive for shared services
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/02/...
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The city of Flint and Genesee County are doing more to partner on government services, paving the way for even more cooperation in the future, officials said.
Ted Jankowski2/4/2013, 12:23:06 pm
C'mon FJ, Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce is a "neutral convener" I'm glad you put that in Quotes. There's nothing NEUTRAL about them. I'm glad you are at least given the community the pieces. I'm just wondering how many people can put them together. Mott Foundation, Uptown, GRCC, Prima Civitas, White, They are all inter connected. I'm not saying shared isn't needed. Because it clearly makes sense. Only that the way it's being accomplished is by payoffs of partners of the good ole boy network. The taxpayers are paying for all of it.
Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com2/5/2013, 9:13:10 am
Good points. I think they used the term "neutral convener" because it's neutral between the city and county, but you're right that a "chamber of commerce" is going to be looking out for the interests of the business community. Whether this arrangement works or not remains to be seen. The parties involved said they're still waiting to hear about the pending grant applications. (As for tax dollars, no public dollars funded the "Future Genesee" study. Here's the story on the report: http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-michigan/index.s...
Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com2/5/2013, 9:13:50 am
Oops, link was broken. Here it is: http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-michigan/index.s...
wasit4sure2/4/2013, 10:49:17 am
Wow. All that money being wasted and given to "the chamber" aka "Tim the flim- flam-man Herman" and his cronies to call this meeting to order. Why not give this money directly to the effected agencies seeking collaboration so that more spending power is realized in towards some of the actual intiatives as have already been started by some of these agencies? Guess not. Then Timmie boy and his doing-nothings would have anything to do. Bettet yet, they would be abe to pay them for doing nothing.
jacksondm2/4/2013, 10:43:14 am
Shared services (NOT merger) is an excellent concept. I would note the reference to GISD which has had many shared services in place for years - even decades. Local School Districts have saved much money by eliminating duplicate programs/services/administration/etc. The 911 merger is a prime example of cost savings for both city and county. For a while, the City and County had a joint purchase agreement for road salt - and by one large order, a fair amount of money was saved because of the bulk amounts purchased and the single delivery (event to multiple sites) savings. There are even greater savings in many of our small cities/townships. Davison City and Davison Twp have demonstrated great progress in that area.
John Daly2/4/2013, 3:17:06 pm
The City of Flint and the Gensee County Road Commission have, for the past five years, bid road salt jointly. Twenty-four other items currently bid jointly by the City of Flint and the GCRC include limestone, emulsion, gravel, barricades, antifreeeze, motor and hydraulic oil, washer fluids, and grease. The City of Burton also participates in this joint bid consortium. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 10:59 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
A few of the efforts are led by the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, which was nominated to be a "neutral convener" for shared service proposals.
"It's a win-win for everybody," said Jamie Curtis, chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners. "It helps to neutralize the fears or perception that Big Brother is out to swallow local government and take over. We don't want to do that, but we want to be the best of the best. In order to do that, we have to share services."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some "neutral convener". First thing the Regional Chamber does is push Shaltz into a no-bid contract . This four page proposal shows no goals, objectives or action deadlines. It says nothing but weak rhetoric and sets itself up for continuing inaction.
Commissioner Ted Henry was on the Mike Killbreath show this morning and indicated Shaltz was lobbying for this contract through this alleged "neutral convener".
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 11:03 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Page 1
City of Flint Financial and Operating Plan - Fiscal Year 2013IntroductionThis Financial and Operating Plan for the City of Flint is submitted by the EmergencyFinancial Manager for the City of Flint to Governor Rick Snyder, through the Department ofTreasury for the State of Michigan, in accordance with Public Act 72, Section 141.1220.
Page 8
.Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP) Requirements and Activities
The Flint Economic Vitality Incentive Program Certification of Consolidation ofServices (EVIP) was filed December 30, 2011 which qualified the City of Flint toreceive State Shared Revenue as of January 2012.The Economic Vitality Incentive Program Certification of Employee Compensationwas filed on April 25, 2012 which fulfilled the City’s third obligation to receive thenext allocation of State Shared Revenue.
The City is now preparing the October 1, 2012 filing of the EVIP Dashboard CitizensReview and Projected FY14 budgetThe City has contracted with Plante Moran to conduct a study to evaluate the potential of shared services between the City and Genesee County treasury functions.This study has been funded by the Mott Foundation.Income tax processing is being handled through a joint project with the Cities ofGrand Rapids and Lansing.
The City’s Human Resources Department is working on a joint project with theGenesee County HR Department and the Genesee Intermediate School District to integrate electronic capabilities for HR records.
..........Page 12
Economic development efforts are underway with the Genesee RegionalChamber of Commerce to attract and retain businesses; and to receive and apply new tools such as the Next Michigan Development Corporation and Smart Zone designation. The citywill continue to work with RACER Trust for brownfield development, including Buick City.The City of Flint is challenged in its current financial condition to provide significant investment into job creation and Economic Development. However, the City has developed aunique and effective partnership with the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce (GRCC)which is the recognized economic development entity for Genesee County. The City receives specific community and economic development services from GRCC each year. Attached isa brief summary of achievements resulting from this partnershi |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 4:07 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Several questions remain. Brown had numerous conflicts-of-interest when he served as Emergency Financial Manager. His FARO nonprofit was merged with the Lansing nonprofit Prima Civitas. He received funding from the Mott foundation and he brought in agents of FRO and the Flint-Genesee regional Chamber of Commerce to assist in the governing process.
Is that influence crossing over into county decisions? It would appear that the "neutral convenor" is actually promoting associates and investment partners. Like political 527s the potential for violating ethical practices is great.
These ethical lapses in judgement by the six commissioners who voted yes should be considered when their re-elections are being considered. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:00 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
The Controllers at-will generous employment package was brokered by Commissioner Young, who was also on the committee that proffered the no-bid contract with Shaltz.
New Genesee County controller gets $175,000 annual salary, no benefits
Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com By Ron Fonger | rfonger1@mlive.com
on May 08, 2013 at 4:00 PM, updated May 08, 2013 at 4:09 PM
GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The county's new chief financial officer will earn $175,000 annually but won't receive health care or other standard benefits, the Board of Commissioners agreed today, May 8.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the wage and benefit package for Controller Keith Francis, a deal negotiated by Commissioner Mark Young, D-Grand Blanc Twp., and the county's Human Resources Department.
Although he works as an at-will employee, the resolution adopted by the board today sets Francis' salary at $175,000 for the next three years.
The deal makes Francis one of the top-paid employees in county government but does not include life insurance, retirement benefits, medical or dental care.
The resolution gives Francis credit for 80 hours of accrued vacation time, allows him to build up -- after six months -- to a maximum of 300 hours vacation at a rate of 20 hours for every 208 hours of work, and entitles him to a severance package of $43,750 if county commissioners terminate his employment during the next three years.
Commissioners voted last month to hire Francis as county controller.
The former interim finance director/treasurer for the city of Bloomfield Hill has been working as interim controller for $110 per hour after replacing George Martini, who was fired earlier this year and has filed a lawsuit against the county claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
Board Chairman Jamie Curtis said Francis is worth the investment.
"He's already done a phenomenal job," Curtis said. "He brings 40 years of government experience to the table, ,(and) he can reach out and bring in outside resources to help" the county.
Curtis said Francis won't be the county's top-paid employee.
Medical Examiner Dr. Brian Hunter is in that position, earning more than $200,000 annually as of January 2012. |
|
|
|
Sat Mar 15, 2014 5:38 am |
|
|
|
Forum Rules:
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
