MAC executive director briefs Clare County commissioners on road funding, revenue sharing and indigent defense

Steve Curry, executive director of the Michigan Association of Counties, gave a presentation to the Clare County Board of Commissioners on MAC's priorities at the state and federal level.

Curry said county revenue sharing remains MAC's top issue and noted the governor's recommended budget included a 3.6% increase for Clare County, approximately $31,000. He described MAC's ongoing effort to create a trust fund to protect statutory revenue sharing from annual appropriation.

On road funding, Curry summarized a House Republican plan that would replace the sales tax on gasoline with an increased gas tax and redirect funds through the PA 51 distribution formula to allocate more to local roads. "There is a shift in the corporate income tax," Curry said, and MAC supported the plan as a way to deliver "huge dollars for county roads." He also noted concerns about long-term pressure on the state general fund but said MAC was willing to pursue the road funding package now.

Curry discussed court funding as well, including legislation to extend trial court fees through 2026 to avoid an estimated statewide $30 million loss and efforts to develop a better way to assess and distribute fees. He also described MAC's work with MDHHS on an 1115 Medicaid waiver that would allow jailed individuals to retain coverage during incarceration, a change some states have adopted to reduce county health costs.

Curry described MAC services for counties, including education and cooperative purchasing programs, and invited commissioners to MAC events and conferences. Commissioners asked questions about contingency definitions and distribution formulas; Curry said some details remain subject to legislative or commission rules.