County Commission Chair Upbeat for 2014County Commission Chair Upbeat for 2014

2/21/14 - The chairwoman of the county board of commissioners says 2014 is shaping up to be a pretty good one, with a stronger economy and stable government in the forecast. Carol Griffith made that assessment while previewing her upcoming State of the County address next month. Griffith, who also serves as President of the Michigan Association of Realtors, said she’s been very encouraged by the 13% average rise in Livingston County home prices and increased building activity, which was underscored by the fact that 2013 saw the highest total of building permits in the county’s history. Griffith added that the county is coming off a “year of completions” as she termed it, with the opening of the Latson Road Interchange, a new $12 million dollar EMS headquarters and a nearly million dollar airport terminal. But looking forward, Griffith said they are now focused on a proposed expansion of the Livingston County Jail. She called it a big project that will require careful study not only to come up the money to build, but the funds to continue operating it into the future. If all goes as planned, however, the addition could be completed by May of 2015. Griffith was also encouraged by Gov. Snyder’s proposal to fully fund state revenue sharing for municipalities, which County Administrator Belinda Peters said would mean an additional $623,000 for the county’s general fund. But both Peters and Griffith said they weren’t counting that money until it’s actually approved by the legislature. On the organizational side, Griffith said she’s also proud that the county was able to create three deputy administrator positions without an increased cost. Cindy Catanach is the county’s chief financial officer; Richard Malewicz is the chief information officer, while Kevin Wilkinson is the EMS administrative manager. All three have been given additional duties to help spread out the county administrator’s workload. The State of the County address will be held on Monday, March 3rd at 6pm at the John E. LaBelle Public Safety Complex. The public is invited to attend that as well as a welcome reception at 5:30. (JK)