MICHIGANCOUNTIESOfficial Voice of the Michigan Association of Counties | April 2015

INSIDE THIS EDITIONLetter from MAC President

MACPAC 2015 Member List

Legislative Update Michigan’s public lands

MAC Events Calendar

County ProfileIron County

Ask The ExpertDon’t give away your telecom budget in 2015

MACSC Article Five questions to help you choose the

right long-term disability carrier

The May 5-Proposal 1

Legislative Conference Legislative Conference attendees hear

encouraging words about unfunded mandates; pack issue workshops

MAC honors ‘County Advocates’

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 2

AFFILIATE MEMBERSArea Agencies on Aging Association of MichiganCCE Central DispatchCommunity Economic Development Association of

MichiganCounty Road Association of MichiganFriend of the Court Association of the State of MichiganHealth Care Association of MichiganMichigan Association of Community Mental Health

BoardsMichigan Association of County Administrative OfficersMichigan Association of County ClerksMichigan Association of County Drain CommissionersMichigan Association of County Parks & Rec.Michigan Association of County TreasurersMichigan Association of County Veterans CounselorsMichigan Association of Equalization DirectorsMichigan Association for Local Public HealthMichigan Association of Registers of DeedsMichigan Association Substance Abuse CoordinatingMichigan Community Action Agency AssociationMichigan County Medical Care Facilities CouncilMichigan County Social Services AssociationMichigan Directors of Services to the AgingMichigan Emergency Management Association Michigan Judges AssociationMichigan Probate Judges AssociationMichigan Works!Prosecuting Attorneys Association of MichiganSix County Employment AllianceUPCAP Services Inc.

CORPORATE MEMBERSAAA MichiganAmeresco, Inc. American Fidelity GroupAxe & Ecklund, P.C.Berends, Hendricks & StuitBlue Cross Blue Shield of MichiganBrown & Brown of Central Michigan44NorthClark Construction CompanyCMI - York Risk Services Group, Inc.Consumers EnergyCummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C.Dickinson Wright, PLLCDTE EnergyEmployee Benefits AgencyEnergy Systems Group, LLCEnvironmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.Fifth Third BankGranger ConstructionHooker DeJong, Inc.Hutchinson, Shockey,Erley & Co.IBEX Insurance AgencyIntegrys Energy Services Michigan, LLCITC Holdings CorporationJustice BenefitsKucera International, Inc.Layton & Richardson, P.C. CPAManatron, Inc.Maner Costerisan PCMAXIMUS - Management ServicesMerit Network, Inc.Michigan Municipal Risk Management AuthorityMika Meyers Beckett & Jones, PLCMotorola SolutionsMunetrixMunicipal Financial Consultants, Inc.Mutual of Omaha Insurance CompanyNationwide Retirement SolutionsNewMind Group - GoogleNorescoSecurity Capital Advisors, LLCSite-Safe Products, Inc.The Rehmann GroupUHY Advisors MI, Inc.

MACPAC 2015 MEMBERS

PLatinum LevelKen Borton Otsego CountyJack Shattuck Ionia County

Gold LevelJon Campbell Allegan CountyEvelyn Kolbe Oceana CountySteve Marino Macomb County

Silver LevelErma Backenstose Otsego CountyVaughn Begick Bay CountyRenee Beniak MCMCFCJerry Doucette Alger CountyLarry Emig Osceola CountyDana Gill MAC StaffMichael Hanley Saginaw CountyDaniel LaFoille Schoolcraft CountyDavid Pohl Clinton CountyPete Redmond Cheboygan CountyShelley Taub Oakland CountyCletus Smith Lenawee CountyDeena Bosworth MAC StaffSteve Currie MAC StaffTimothy McGuire MAC Staff

Bronze Level Yvonne Dzurka MAC StaffCasey Steffee MAC StaffRoseann Marchetti Cass CountyCarl Altman Presque Isle CountyRobert Boerner Oscoda CountyHoward Heidemann St. Clair CountyJohn Kischnick Oscoda CountyPhilip Kuyers Ottawa CountyDeb Pannozzo Berrien CountyShelly Pinkelman Crawford CountyRonald Retzloff Montcalm CountyMichael Spisz Oakland CountyDale Swift Branch CountyDennis VanDam Ottawa CountyLeroy Kangas Gogebic CountyVeronica Klinefelt Macomb CountyDon McLean Chippewa CountyRay Steinke Mecosta CountyJohn Gisler Kalamazoo County

Thank you to all of the MACPAC members. To support the MACPAC, please visit our website, micounties.org.

MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 3

Greetings Friends,

Wow! It seems like it was just the first of the year; somewhere along the line I blinked my eyes and the first quarter of 2015 is nearly in the books. For all of the new and newly returning commissioners around the state I hope you are nicely settled into your respective positions. For us old-timers, it just seems to be going faster and faster every year. I have the honor of being friends with many of the past MAC Presidents, some whom are still serving and those whom have moved onto other endeavors. It always warms my heart to hear from those whom have served before me checking to see how I am doing, wishing me well and just checking in on the MAC organization.

In past legislative sessions it seemed there was downtime as the new legislature were seated and began to find their way in the process. During my on-going service alongside the MAC staff, this is the first time in a long time that the first quarter of the year has kept the staff hopping with a number of carry-over issues and some issues that are altogether new. In addition to the legislature, there is a flurry of activity surrounding the merger of DCH and DHS into the new Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. While we are not clear on all of the goals the state wishes to achieve through this merger; I requested staff arrange

a meeting with new Director Nick Lyon and myself. As Dana Gill, Renee Beniak, Ruth MacAlpine and I met with Mr. Lyon, it became clear that many questions remain pertaining to the area of service delivery. That having been said, in true MAC fashion, we pledged to work through the merger and encouraged Mr. Lyon to include county government in the planning of service delivery, which always makes service transitions and implementation go so much better.

One of the issues that is beginning to concern me is the flurry of legislation being proposed that adds expense to the state budget. As the recently appointed Funding Chairman of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, I can truly say that at this early point the funding numbers are indeterminate as to our eventual request to the legislature to fund implantation of the various plans down the road. Moreover, there have been other bills introduced that limit, cut, and transfer funding from the state. We as representatives of county government, need to remain on guard of additional acts by the legislature that limit or divert county funding sources in an effort to make themselves look good. We must always encourage the state to either replace county funding they eliminate or relieve the county of some mandated responsibilities to cover the cost of the cuts.

The MAC staff remains very busy working on a number of issues that have potential impact on county government funding and/or services; corrections reform, changes to the child welfare system and foster-care, dark stores, tax capture districts, and of course road funding have kept staff very busy. One of the issues we are watching closely and working on is the change in age from 17 to 18 years of age for individuals to be adjudicated in the adult court and penal system. While this sounds somewhat innocuous, we are working to make sure this does not become a huge cost shift from our adult systems and DOC to the juvenile justice system, which could be detrimental in many counties across the state.

The road issue has proven to be a hot button item across the state. There are a number of clean up provisions in the proposal that will send funding where it was supposed to go, and in turn dedicate more funding to the decaying road system both locally and at the state level. The ramp up provision allows the state to pay off previous road project bonds while preparing a long term solution for the road funding dilemma in Michigan. While some do not like the plan as it has been prepared and presented, my fear is that failure of this issue will force the issue to go dormant until late 2016; while the crisis of our roads and bridges will continue to get worse. I have also heard proposals of cutting the existing state budget to pay the road costs. I am puzzled how this would work based on nearly a decade of continuous budget cutting at all levels due to the economy. Moreover, the issue of the state bond payments and local road funding remains unaddressed in such plans.

With all of this said, I ask that you consider joining me in not only advocating for county government from our respective positions, but also help us advocate at the legislative level by considering a generous donation to the MAC-PAC. We seem to be lagging behind our sister organizations, which gives them a leg up on affecting issues important to local government. We are also making a strong effort to try and hold the “County Caucus” together, which are the members of the legislature that used to sit with us on their respective county commissions.

I closing, I would like to wish you all a safe and wonderful spring right here in the various counties that make up Pure Michigan!

Jon C. Campbell President, MAC Board of Directors

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

“The MAC staff remains very busy working on a number of issues that have potential impact on county government funding...”

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 4

MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIESTimothy McGuire, Executive DirectorSteve Currie, Deputy DirectorYvonne Dzurka, Officer of Financial and

Administrative ServicesDeena Bosworth, Director of Governmental

AffairsDana Gill, Governmental Affairs Associate Derek Melot, Director of CommunicationsCasey Steffee, Governmental Affairs

AssistantKristina Garner, BCBSM/COBRA

CoordinatorGabriel Zawadzki, Grant Services Program

Assistant

MAC BOARD OF DIRECTORSJon Campbell, President,

Allegan CountyJerry Doucette, First Vice President,

Alger CountyShelley Taub, Second Vice President,

Oakland CountyTimothy K. McGuire, Secretary-Treasurer,

Ingham CountyShelly Pinkelman, Immediate Past

President, Crawford CountyMatthew Bierlein, Director, Tuscola CountyKenneth Borton, Director, Otsego CountyMichael Crawford, Director, Antrim CountyDon Disselkoen, Director, Ottawa CountyPat Gardner, Director, Newaygo County Michael Hanley, Director, Saginaw CountyVeronica Klinefelt, Director, Macomb CountyDan LaFoille, Director, Schoolcraft CountyJoseph Palamara, Director, Wayne CountyRobert Showers, Director, Clinton CountyMichael Spisz, Director, Oakland CountyMax R. Thiele, Director, Allegan CountyDoyle & Malinzak, PC, Legal Counsel

MICHIGAN COUNTIES (ISSN 0896-646)Published Monthly By:

Michigan Association of Counties935 North Washington AvenueLansing, MI 48906-5137Email: currie@micounties.org

Michigan’s “pleasant peninsula” has attracted settlers and visitors for two centuries. The intersection of water, forests and stone have made our state a prime location for tourism and outdoor activities.

Much of this advantage, though, rests on the existence and maintenance of lands held by the public. Ongoing efforts to preserve our lands, ecosystems and wildlife, as well as the provision for outdoor recreation, will suffer if Michigan’s public lands are not properly managed.

In Lansing, the debate continues over three key facets to this issue:

• How many public acres are necessary to achieve state preservation and recreation goals?

• How much public land can the state properly manage?

• How are local units of government expected to make ends meet when so much of the property in their jurisdictions are held by the public and off the tax rolls?

Most of our members, especially in northern Michigan are familiar with the state’s existing response: PILT, or Payments in Lieu of Taxes. Most of our members also are aware

that PILT has not been enough to ensure counties have the financial resources to meet their mandated responsibilities.

State Sens. Tom Casperson (R-Delta) and Darwin Booher (R-Osceola), who represent the majority of the counties with the most public land, are leading the charge to curb the acquisition of more public land and to push development of trails for public use on the land the state already owns. For years, they have been championing full and proper funding of PILT and increasing the accountability of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). As you can see on the map, much of the land north of the Mason-Arenac line is owned either by the state or the federal government. In fact, more than 10 million acres in Michigan are held by the public. Unfortunately, much of this land lacks the infrastructure and accessibility necessary to maximize its public use.

The MAC Board of Directors routinely votes to support the same goals as Casperson and Booher:

• To require the DNR to work with counties on land acquisitions

• To require full funding for PILT• To require a land management

plan that ensures the disposal

MICHIGAN’S PUBLIC LANDSLEGISLATIVEUPDATE

Continued on page 5

of some public land so it can be freed up for private ownership and development

• To provide more funding dedicated toward outdoor recreation infrastructure

In recent years, the DNR has made a concerted effort to communicate with local units of government about its land purchases and its plans for properties within a particular county’s borders. DNR has told MAC that it understands Michiganians love outdoor recreation and it is working to balance that use with the need to preserve and protect our natural heritage.

In 2013, DNR issued its first Public Lands Strategy plan. This plan was developed after the DNR met with the counties with the most public land, the other local units of government, constituents, business and conservation leaders and regional economic development groups. The plan recognizes the need for the DNR to work with local units to achieve common goals.

It should be noted that the DNR is subject to a cap on additional land purchases until the Legislature approves of the strategic plan and lifts the cap statutorily. An attempt was made in the last Legislature to lift the cap, but it failed. In the current Legislature, several bills have been filed by Sens. Casperson and Booher that would make significant changes to the rules governing the purchase of lands and the funds available for development and management of those lands. Among them are Senate Joint Resolution C and Senate Bills 16, 39, 40 and 206. Those bills would free up more money for the state parks endowment fund for infrastructure and trail development.

They also would keep the cap on DNR land purchases unless there remains in place a 5-year land strategy approved by the Legislature AND all PILT payments are made in

full and on time. Hearings have already taken place on the bills and negotiations with the DNR will continue through the spring.

MAC will keep its members updated on the progress of this critical legislation that will ensure proper protection and public use of our “pleasant peninsula” for the next century.

MICHIGAN’S PUBLIC LANDS from Page 5

MarquetteCounty

IronCounty

DeltaCounty

ChippewaCounty

GogebicCounty

SanilacCounty

LuceCounty

AlgerCounty

BaragaCounty

OntonagonCounty

KentCounty

HuronCounty

SchoolcraftCounty

AlleganCounty

HoughtonCounty

OaklandCounty

MackinacCounty

TuscolaCounty

St clairCounty

AlconaCounty

SaginawCounty

NewaygoCounty

MenomineeCounty

LapeerCounty

JacksonCounty

CalhounCounty

LenaweeCounty

WayneCounty

AlpenaCounty

DickinsonCounty

IoniaCounty

EatonCounty

BarryCounty

OttawaCounty

ClareCounty

ClintonCounty

LakeCounty

BerrienCounty

GratiotCounty

IoscoCounty

MontcalmCounty

IsabellaCounty

InghamCounty

OscodaCounty

GeneseeCounty

CheboyganCounty

AntrimCounty

HillsdaleCounty

BranchCounty

OtsegoCounty

MonroeCounty

MasonCounty

CassCounty

OsceolaCounty

OceanaCounty

WexfordCounty

MecostaCounty

MidlandCounty

EmmetCounty

OgemawCounty

WashtenawCounty

KalkaskaCounty

GladwinCounty

CrawfordCounty

ManisteeCounty

Van burenCounty

BayCounty

LivingstonCounty

Presque isleCounty

St josephCounty

MacombCounty

MissaukeeCounty

KalamazooCounty

MuskegonCounty

ArenacCounty

RoscommonCounty

BenzieCounty

ShiawasseeCounty

MontmorencyCounty

LeelanauCounty

CharlevoixCounty

Grand traverseCounty

KeweenawCounty

State of MichiganPublic Owned Lands and CFA Lands

LegendFederal Land

2.6 Million AcresThe Nature Conservancy Land

27,000 AcresCommercial Forest Act Lands

2.48 Million AcresState of Michigan Land

Forest Lands 3.97 Million AcresPark Lands 290,000 Acres Wildlife Lands 330,000 Acres

50 0 5025 Miles4/19/2012DNR Resource Assessment Unit

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 6

THE MAY 5-PROPOSAL 1On May 5 voters will be asked if they support increasing the sales tax from 6% to 7%. A yes vote will have a significant impact on not only how are roads are funded, but how schools and local units of governments are funded as well.

How did we get here?The existing tax structure on motor fuels is confusing. Currently, the 6% sales tax on motor fuels doesn’t go to roads. It goes into the sales tax formula, which is distributed the School Aid Fund (SAF) and constitutional revenue sharing. Most of the general public doesn’t understand this mechanism and believes that all the taxes paid at the pump go toward roads. In addition, we have a flat tax on motor fuels. The flat tax has not kept up with the increasing costs of labor and materials that go into to fixing our roads. We are left with roads that are falling apart, which is causing a major safety issue among other issues in our state. At the end of 2014 the legislature passed a package of bills that addresses these issues.

What does a YES vote do? By voting yes you are voting to increase the sales tax from 6% to 7%. You are also eliminating the sales tax on motor fuels, eliminating the flat tax on motor fuels and replacing the flat tax with a percentage based tax on the wholesale cost on motor fuels. The price at the pump is not expected to be significant (approx. $.05) and you are constitutionally guaranteeing that an expecting 1.3 billion dollars will go through PA 51. Thus fixing a structural issue with our taxes paid at the pump.

By eliminating the sales tax at the pump, a hole is created in the General Fund (GF) and SAF. By increasing the sales tax from 6% to 7% we are filling that hole. The sales tax increase generates more than elimination of sales tax on motor fuels created. The legislature decided to take the extra money and increase the SAF by 300 million and increase constitutional revenue sharing by 100 million. In addition, they restored the Earned Income Tax Credit which will cost about 250 million.

Finally, a yes vote will enact numerous other bills ranging from registration fee increases, warranty requirements on road projects to competitive bidding requirements on MDOT projects and some county road agency projects. In addition, the new funding would be phased in over three years. In the first and second year 800 and 400 million would toward paying down MDOT debt.

May-YESMAC has consistently advocated for an investment in our infrastructure. This plan is not perfect, but does generate new money that is constitutionally guaranteed to towards our roads.

Further information regarding Proposal 1 can found at www.micounties.org or by contactiong Deputy Director Steve Currie at scurrie@micounties.org

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 7

According to research from the Gartner group, 12 to 20 percent of business telecommunications billing charges are in error, and 85 percent of these errors benefit the carrier. This year, instead of thinking about cutting costs, how about setting an objective to stop giving free money to vendors for errors?

When errors do exist, finding them and recovering the charges from vendors takes both time and a significant amount of effort. Vendors rarely solve these problems without proper motivation and it is imperative that you carefully document and adhere to their formal process for disputing charges and requesting credits. You’ll also need to get re-rate calculations from your vendor to make sure the credits you receive are exactly what you are entitled to.

Telecom Expense Management (TEM) is especially tricky for wireless assets because these charges are typically the most dynamic. Service changes or upgrades, voice and data pooling and device upgrades mean your invoices are constantly changing and errors in this type of environment can be difficult to detect. Therefore, it is imperative that you examine invoices on a monthly basis to ensure accuracy. Here’s what we look for:

• Fraudulent charges added to your bill without your consent (also known as cramming)

• Rate increases due to expired contracts on landline

• Charges for unused features or services• International roaming charges• Charges for services or features you have asked to be

disconnected• Charges for devices you no longer use• The absence of discounts you should be receiving

Missing discounts, pricing errors, excessive support charges and incorrect service periods are all too common- actually it’s how we make a living! Even if you are coming in under budget, think of what projects you could implement or hardware you could upgrade if you had 20 percent of your budget back. Abilita is invaluable in recovering charges because they know exactly how to deal with vendors to get businesses reimbursed in a timely manner.

ASKTHEEXPERTDON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR TELECOM BUDGET IN 2015By Abilita

MAC offers its members access to the best and brightest minds in the state in a variety of discipline areas to help you solve challenges you may face. These experts are willing to answer your questions and to provide you with suggestions, and they are available to you, at no cost, via email.

You can access these experts on our website once you have registered for site access.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Derek Melot at melot@micounties.org.

Explore the Ask the Expert section of the MAC website.Learn how this free member

service can assist your county!

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 8

When a serious accident or illness keeps one of your employees out of work for an extended period of time, long-term disability insurance can help keep their finances protected. How can you be sure you’re selecting the plan that best meets your employees’ and your company’s needs? Here’s five important questions to ask when you’re making this decision:

1. Can my employees work part-time without starting a new elimination period?

Returning from a long-term disability is often a gradual process – and sometimes employees initially need to work part time while they recover. Be sure your long-term disability plan lets your employees use total or partial disability to satisfy their elimination period, so they can return to work part time without starting a new elimination period.

2. How much income can my employees earn while they recuperate?

What happens when your employees are only able to return to work on a part-time basis, but still need their full-time income? Look for a plan with a partial disability calculation that allows claimants to receive up to 99% of their pre-disability earnings (part-time income combined with long-term disability benefit payments) for the duration of their claims.

3. Is additional coverage available for more serious disabilities?

Regular long-term disability benefits are a great help to insureds and their loved ones in a difficult time. But some policies go a step further, offering extra protection when it’s needed most. See if your policy automatically increases the core benefit when a loss occurs resulting in a temporary or permanent serious cognitive impairment or the inability to perform Activities of Daily Living.

4. Are commissioned employees given time to get back to their full earning potential?

Commissioned and production-earning employees often need supplemental benefits while they rebuild their commission income to predisability levels. A supplemental

benefit which takes their commission earnings into account helps them make the transition from disability to full productivity.

5. Does your plan offer value-added employee assistance services?

When employees experience disability, income isn’t the only issue. Often, individuals are also coping with emotional stress, family issues or legal concerns. When an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is part of your plan, your employees will have access to the counseling, referrals and programs they need.

The best long-term disability plans help your employees successfully move beyond their disability. Make sure your carrier’s benefits protect income, promote a return to work, and provide the support your employees need as they work toward recovery.

MACSCARTICLEFIVE QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT LONG-TERM DISABILITY CARRIERCourtesy Lincoln Financial Group

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 9

Nearly 300 county officials from across Michigan converged on the Lansing Center for the 2015 MAC Legislative Conference and were told that a response to the age-old problem of unfunded mandates from the state may come out of Lansing this year, and that legislative term limits may soon face a potent legal challenge.

John Walsh, director of strategy for Gov. Rick Snyder, said during his keynote speech that he hopes to see new legislation limiting unfunded mandates on counties clear the Legislature before the end of the year.

Walsh was referring to efforts by Sen. Tom Casperson (R-Delta) that have been supported by MAC.

“Moving forward, there’s got to be recognition in the Legislature that the vote has a consequence, a financial consequence to the locals,” Walsh said during his presentation today.

Following Walsh, former House Speakers Lew Dodak and Rick Johnson interspersed stories about the ins and outs of running a legislative body with a wide-ranging critic of term limits. Both went so far as to say that a court challenge could dislodge the limits, which were adopted by the voters in 1992.

“I’m told (former Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, who was term-limited at the end of 2014) has a real good legal position to take that to court and win,” Johnson said. “I’ve been told that by more than one source.”

Johnson noted, ““I’m a product of term limits; I voted for term

limits, one of the dumbest votes I ever took as a citizen.”

Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon headlined the second day of conference action, telling the assembled county officials that the university has 700 people serving counties via the MSU Extension Service.

“I think my fellow county commissioners and others left Lansing with a great deal of valuable information,” said MAC President Jon Campbell.

“Some of our workshops were standing room only, such as the one on how the new Freedom of Information Act rules affect county governments. This shows that county commissioners remain committed to best practices as they serve their constituents.

Among the workshop topics covered were: Michigan Tax Tribunal decisions that are vastly reducing “big-box” retailers’ property valuations; changes to the state’s Freedom of Information Act; the scourge of human trafficking; regulation of medical marijuana; emergency preparedness; and the governor’s Regional Prosperity Initiative.

Presentations from the workshops and plenary sessions of the conference are accessible to MAC members on the private section of the MAC website, www.micounties.org. (Please note that you must register as a user of the website to access the documents.)

Note: MIRS News Service in Lansing contributed to this report.

LEGISLATIVECONFERENCELEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE ATTENDEES HEAR ENCOURAGING WORDS ABOUT UNFUNDED MANDATES; PACK ISSUE WORKSHOPS

MICHIGANCOUNTIES 10

Friday, April 10, 2015Environmental and Regulatory Affairs Committee Meeting 10 a.m. at MAC Headquarters

Friday, April 17, 2015Economic Development Committee Meeting10 a.m. at MAC Headquarters

Monday, April 27, 2015Health & Human Services Committee Meeting10 a.m. at MAC Headquarters

Thursday, March 2, 2015Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Meeting2 p.m. at MAC Headquarters10 a.m. at MAC Headquarters

MAC EVENTS CALENDAR

Four Michigan legislators were honored at the 2015 Legislative Conference as MAC County Advocates during a breakfast presentation in Lansing.

This year’s honorees were: Sen. Tom Casperson (R-Delta), Sen. Vince Gregory (R-Wayne), Rep. Deborah Price (R-Ottawa) and Rep. Andy Schor (D-Ingham).

MAC Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth said each of the winners had displayed diligent support of county issues and county governments.

Price, in accepting her specially designed Pewabic tile award, took the opportunity to urge the assembled county leaders to be more vocal in the legislative process, particularly on her bill to reform the state’s public notices requirement to ease the costs on local governments.

LEGISLATIVECONFERENCEMAC HONORS ‘COUNTY ADVOCATES’

Iron County is rich with lakes and rivers. There are over 300 major lakes and numerous smaller water sites. Travel in any direction, and you’ll find rivers. The Paint, the Net, the Brule, and, of course, the Iron River are among the waterways that flow freely through the county.

Iron County and the Upper Peninsula are beautiful areas and have been recognized for their recreational potential. Weather.com selected the Upper Peninsula as one of the Top Ten Winter Family Getaways in America. ShermansTravel selected the Upper Peninsula as one of the Top Ten Summer Destinations in the World.

Area: 1,211 sq mi (3,136 km2)

Founded: 1855

Population: 11,516 (2013)

Unemployment rate: 6.9% (Dec 2014)

County seat: Crystal Falls

COUNTYPROFILEIRON COUNTY