Last Thursday, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved County Executive L. Brooks Patterson’s balanced three-year budget 19-0 which invests in people and technology for fiscals 2018-2020. The county will invest in capital projects that will transform the way employees communicate and collaborate with each other as well as with the public. Plus, the budget will boost the county’s efforts to position itself as an employer of choice.
“Thank you to all elected county officials who worked together to pass a balanced, three-year budget that responsibly addresses all known fiscal issues,” Patterson said,
“The budget invests in technology that will vastly improve our ability to deliver great customer service and enables us to attract and retain outstanding employees.”
The technology upgrades in the budget include:
• A unified communications system to replace its analog telephone and voicemail systems that will provide peer-to-peer video conferencing, establish private wireless access to enable mobility, and improve connectivity among county facilities.
• Replacement of the county’s financial and human resources (HR) system in order to leverage improved business processes and technology. The county will identify and implement new enterprise-wide systems which will include modules for accounting, financial planning, receivables, payables, purchasing and vendor management.
• Implementation of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) which will transform the county’s working environment and improve team member satisfaction while enhancing technical security and operational performance. The benefits of VDI include increased security, easier support, and better availability. It also enables new workforce strategies such as working remotely and enabling employees to bring their own devices.
• Installation of a new firearms training system for sheriff deputies which uses five interconnected borderless screens to create a fully immersive 300 degree environment that trains deputies how to continue to assess situations and expand situational awareness during high stress incidents.
Because of the improving economy, there is increased competition for new hires. Therefore, Oakland County will provide a general salary increase of three percent for fiscal 2018, one percent for 2019, and one percent for 2020.
Oakland County will continue to monitor closely whether Michigan will meet its constitutional obligation to fully fund all of its mandates on indigent defense. If the state fails to meet the requirements of the Headlee Amendment, it could cost Oakland County taxpayers millions of dollars a year.
Adoption of the FY 2018 balanced budget was the result of an extensive, collaborative and bi-partisan effort. Leadership on both sides of the aisle worked together to come to an agreement to fund county-wide programs and services for Oakland County residents and businesses.
“The adoption of the budget represents a bipartisan spirit to make smart investments in our infrastructure and our people,” said Board Chairman Michael J. Gingell (R-Lake Orion). “This budget continues the tradition of fiscal responsibility within Oakland County government. We will deliver value for the taxpayers by partnering with local municipalities and volunteer-driven nonprofit organizations to improve and expand programs and services for Oakland County residents and businesses. I am proud of the Board for coming together to approve this forward-thinking and balanced budget.”
The bipartisan, unanimous vote was the result of a budget agreement that included:
• An increase of $1 million in funding for the Local Road Improvement Program over the next two years; the additional amount will allow for a total County investment of $3 million in this budget for local, city and village road improvements in 2018 and 2019. These funds are matched by local municipalities, ensuring a minimum $6 million investment in total road spending.
• Creating access to food, clothing and household goods for low-income individuals through a $50,000 partnership with Oakland Hope.
• $50,000 to launch a lake water quality monitoring program in partnership with the Michigan Clean Water Corps.
• $100,000 to renew an award-winning partnership with Oakland Schools and the organization Defeat the Label, which has provided effective anti-bullying training for thousands of educators and students in Oakland County.
The proposed general fund budgets for fiscals 2018, 2019, and 2020 are $454,727,322; $462,382,572; and $467,494,245, respectively. The total budgets for all funds for those years are $878,474,167; $882,515,266; and $887,209,580, respectively.
To view the budget, go to https://www.oakgov.com/mgtbud/fiscal/Pages/default.aspx.
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