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County staff: recent state bills boost liquor and veterans funding, add solid-waste planning duties
Summary
Staff told the Board that recent state legislation will raise Clare County’s baseline liquor-tax allocation and extend county veterans funding while also imposing new materials-management planning and reporting requirements that will require county work and expense.
County staff updated commissioners on three separate sets of state actions they said will affect Clare County’s revenues and responsibilities.
Liquor tax revenue: A staff presenter summarized that a Senate bill described in the meeting as “Senate bill 12 22 23” amended the State Convention Facilities Authority Act to extend the sunset of liquor-tax revenue for counties. The presenter said the change raised the county’s baseline allocation by about 48 percent and noted an incremental increase the county will begin receiving; the presenter cited an additional $49,074 and a subsequent receipt figure that was read as about $103,037 (numbers stated by staff during the oral report).
County veterans fund: The presenter described a House bill referenced as "House bill 6 3 7 7" that continued the county veterans fund established in February 2018. Under that program the state provides a base $50,000 payment to counties plus additional funding based on veteran population; the presenter said Clare County qualified for an additional $71,000 under an added fund component for that population band.
Solid-waste/materials-management requirements: Staff said a package of bills approved during the lame-duck session will require counties to prepare a materials-management plan and obtain approval from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (state). The plan, the presenter said, must include township officials and would require the county to create recycling and reuse opportunities, including electronics recycling. The presenter warned the new requirements will impose additional costs and coordination burdens on the county and said the administration will work with the county’s director of solid waste (Rick) to prepare the plan.
Why it matters: The liquor and veterans funding items add near-term revenue to the county budget, while the solid-waste changes impose new operational requirements that will require planning and resources. The presenter said the county will monitor implementing rules and work with townships to meet the plan and approval requirements.
Ending: Staff said the county will continue to refine revenue estimates as official allocations are received and will keep the board informed about the timeline and costs associated with preparing a materials-management plan for review by state regulators.
