Macomb County committees advance contracts, grants and studies to full board; veterans report received

Macomb County’s joint Internal Services and Health and Human Services committees voted unanimously Tuesday to move a slate of departmental contracts, budget amendments and grant awards to the full Board of Commissioners and received a quarterly veterans services report.

The committees advanced technology and facilities contracts — including a Tyler Technologies upgrade for the county jury-room system, ongoing Cisco and Trace3 maintenance, and a design and electrical contract amendment for Service Center Phase 3 — as well as planning and social-service grants and studies for housing, water affordability, shelter diversion and weatherization.

Why it matters: The items forwarded will be considered by the full board for final approval and include capital and operating spending, grant acceptance, and planning work that county staff say will affect courthouse operations, county facilities, veterans services and assistance programs for residents facing utility or housing instability.

County IT and courthouse technology

The committees moved to the full board a $90,315 contract to upgrade the jury-room enterprise platform with Tyler Technologies. Jayco, an Information Technology presenter, told commissioners the contract is needed to execute a new Jury Room Enterprise Platform and to upgrade security features; $73,450 is already built into the 2025 jury-room budget and the presenter said the committees were asked to use $16,865 from the capital improvement plan for the remainder.

On routine infrastructure maintenance, the committee advanced a multivendor maintenance item that includes Cisco licensing support and maintenance for Trace3 PowerMax storage arrays. Jayco described the Cisco line as “the underlying support for our County phone system,” adding the county uses Cisco VoIP desk phones and an application called Jabber for mobile and remote use.

Facilities upgrades and data-site work

Facilities & Operations staff presented a $168,810 contract amendment to the 2021 design contract for the Service Center Phase 3 site electrical upgrades. Ben, Facilities & Operations staff, said the change reflects new needs identified as the county plans to move a secondary data site into the powerhouse structure and install new power feeders for the jail tower and the central intake and assessment center: “we are moving the data secondary data site for the county into the powerhouse structure,” Ben said. Commissioners were told the amendment reconciles architectural and engineering fees based on actual bid results.

The meeting also advanced a $34,000 contract with Plante Moran RealPoint for space and site programming and capital-planning analysis, a study planned to run roughly five months to assess space needs for several court-related offices (Juvenile Court, Friend of the Court, 16th Circuit Court and clerk offices) and to inform longer-term facility planning for the courts.

Energy audit and facility condition assessment

The committees forwarded a $99,306 contract with Synergy Consulting Engineers to perform energy audits and facility condition assessments for three county buildings (Admin Building, Old County Building and the courthouse). Facilities staff said the work is funded by a $100,000 grant from the Community Energy Management Program and requires no county match; results will be incorporated into future capital-improvement planning and may identify projects eligible for additional grant funds.

Veterans services: quarterly report received

The committees voted to receive and file the quarterly veterans services report. Laurie, Veterans Services staff, summarized the data, saying year-to-date client counts were down slightly but federal claims and back-pay dollars secured for veterans increased: “we provide a service to help veterans get their disabilities and benefits from the VA, and that turns into dollars into their pocket,” Laurie said. Laurie noted the office provides a ZIP-code breakdown of service use but said VA data supplied to the county are limited to county-level detail; she estimated roughly 40,200 veterans live in Macomb County and around 10,000 currently use VA health care services.

Housing, water affordability and shelter diversion grants

Health and Community Services staff asked the committees to recommend to the full board a $144,600 contract with a planning firm to complete a countywide community and housing needs assessment. The presenter said the study will be fully paid with a housing program grant and is intended to provide municipalities and county agencies with data to support zoning, grant applications and long-term planning for an aging population.

The committees also recommended accepting increased state funding for a local water utility affordability program — a $757,684 amendment expanding previously awarded funds for income-based assistance to residents facing water arrears or severe plumbing-related bills. Health and Community Services staff said the funds are not loans and are intended for direct assistance.

Separately, the committee recommended accepting a $166,667 award from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority for shelter-diversion programming. Health and Community Services staff said those funds can be used flexibly to help people avoid entering a homeless shelter — for example, by paying deposits and first month’s rent or by purchasing transportation to a safe temporary location — and that payments are made directly to vendors rather than given in hand to clients. The program period was cited as Feb. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026; staff said they expect demand may exhaust funds before the period ends.

Other human-services and grant items

The committees approved a $35,000 reduction to the Head Start budget related to the conclusion of a PEDALS (positive emotional development and learning skills) program co-funded through the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. They also approved an increase of $62,745 to the county’s Department of Energy weatherization assistance grant, which funds home efficiency upgrades (windows, doors, insulation) and can be paired with other federal and state sources and deferral funds for more extensive repairs.

Votes at a glance:

- Tyler Technologies jury-room upgrade contract — moved to full board; contract total $90,315 ($73,450 in 2025 budget; $16,865 from capital improvement plan). Motion carried, 12–0. - Cisco/Trace3 maintenance agreement (IT) — moved to full board; maintenance includes Cisco licensing and Trace3 PowerMax arrays. Motion carried, 12–0. - Service Center Phase 3 electrical contract amendment (DSD) — moved to full board; amendment $168,810 to address secondary data site and new feeders. Motion carried, 12–0. - Plante Moran RealPoint space/site programming and capital planning analysis — moved to full board; $34,000, approx. five-month study. Motion carried, 12–0. - Synergy Consulting Engineers energy audit and facility condition assessment — moved to full board; $99,306 (grant-funded). Motion carried, 12–0. - Quarterly veterans services report — received and filed. Motion carried, 12–0. - Community and housing needs assessment (contract) — recommended to full board; $144,600 (grant-funded). Motion carried, 12–0. - Local water utility affordability budget amendment — recommended to full board; increase $757,684 (state funds). Motion carried, 12–0. - MSHDA shelter-diversion award — recommended to full board; $166,667 for Feb. 1, 2025–Jan. 31, 2026. Motion carried, 12–0. - Head Start PEDALS program budget reduction — recorded; $35,000. Motion carried, 12–0. - Weatherization assistance grant increase (DOE) — approved; increase $62,745. Motion carried, 12–0.

What commissioners pressed staff on

Commissioners asked for specifics and implementation details in several areas: how long diversion funds would cover clients, whether payments would be made directly to vendors or to participants, whether electrical issues at Martha T. Berry (a county facility) could be combined with the Service Center Phase 3 work and whether the planned electrical upgrades anticipated future growth at the service center. Ben said an engineered electrical study would be required to evaluate complex, multi-addition systems at Martha T. Berry and estimated some repair scopes could reach into the millions.

Next steps

All forwarded items will appear on the full Macomb County Board agenda for final action. Staff said they will provide additional details to commissioners on program limits (for shelter diversion and water-assistance programs) and will return with the planning and audit deliverables on the timelines described.

Ending note: The committees conducted the business as a joint meeting and voted on each item during the session; most motions to advance items were routine and carried unanimously, 12–0.