farmington hills — Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter on Thursday renewed his pledge to ensure that 80% of Oakland County residents have a post-high school degree by 2030, establish a countywide public transportation system and support businesses.
Coulter delivered his fifth State of the County address Thursday night at the Hawk Community Center, where he spoke about supporting small businesses, supporting high school and post-secondary students, expanding public transit routes and hours, and promoting public transportation. He highlighted the county’s investments and efforts, including expanding the agency’s operating hours. Access to mental and physical health care.
Coulter touted the county’s AAA bond rating, which the City of Oakland has maintained since 1998.
“We have had remarkable successes in the past year on many fronts, from transportation to mental health care, affordable housing to sustainability, small business coaching to education and training,” Coulter said. said.
Coulter, who was elected county executive for the first time as a Democrat in 2020, announced his re-election campaign last fall. He was originally appointed to the position by the Democratic-controlled county commission.
He praised the committee for approving the initiative in a bipartisan manner, saying, “Working across the aisle is how we do business.”
County Commissioner and Minority Caucus Chair Michael Spisch agreed.
“That’s one of the things that sets us apart from a lot of other counties across the country, and it’s one of the reasons we’re one of the top 10 counties in the country,” Spisch said. Told.
Coulter highlighted Oakland Thrive, a nonprofit organization that has provided consulting services to more than 7,600 local businesses over the past two years. He also cited a recent trip to South Korea with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to promote attracting businesses from out of state and abroad.
“We were there to help open the new Michigan trade office in Taipei,” Coulter said. “And we are excited to welcome TYC, a Taiwanese automotive lighting supplier that is expanding its operations with a research and development facility in Wixom.”
The Department of Economic Development helped 20 companies relocate or expand in Oakland County last year, attracting $387 million in investment, Coulter said.
“The national and international business community recognizes that Oakland County, with its talented workforce and attractive quality of life, is the best place for their future,” Coulter said.
Coulter also emphasized investing in education through initiatives such as Oakland80, an effort to get 80% of the county’s adult population to have a college or accredited training degree by 2030.
“In just two years, by the way, we’re getting closer to that, with educational attainment going from 61% to 69% now,” Coulter said.
Coulter said the initiative will help remove barriers to university education and training.
“Enrolling students is one thing, but retaining students through graduation is the real challenge,” Coulter said. “We are the bridge between costs like books and fees, computers and transportation, childcare, and even work clothes and equipment.”
Coulter announced the hiring of 15 Oakland 80 “navigators” who will work with high school students in the county and help them explore educational opportunities.
The county has invested in affordable housing and public transportation, including establishing a $20 million housing trust fund using funds from the American Rescue Plan. This fund provides incentives and gap financing for affordable housing development.
“Projects in Southfield, Royal Oak Township, Pontiac, and Rochester Hills have already been approved from these funds, with both market-rate and affordable housing and hard-working people looking for attractive and safe locations. “We’re going to create an inclusive community filled with Michiganders who want to raise their families,” Coulter said. “We just completed a project in Rochester Hills last month that provides much-needed housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the second such development in all of Michigan. .”
Mr. Spisch, who leads the committee’s Republican caucus, fully supports housing projects for special needs individuals in Rochester Hills, and most one-off projects funded by ARPA receive bipartisan support. He said that
Coulter also pushed for a county-wide public transit system, following the introduction of a county-wide transit subsidy in 2022. The tax generated $64.3 million in revenue in 2023.
“We are expanding into the job-rich centers of Novi, Wixom, Bloomfield Hills and Rochester Hills, and we are doing so with the help of the SMART bus system,” Coulter said. . “And for people who live on the outskirts of Oakland County who weren’t sure if they would benefit from public transit, it’s becoming more popular.”
Mr Coulter said Auckland’s local transit providers – North Auckland and Western Auckland Transit System, Council on Aging and People’s Express – have seen double-digit increases in ridership since routes and hours were expanded last year. It is reported that it did.
Coulter said expanding access to affordable, quality health care remains a priority, and last year the county partnered with the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to eliminate medical debt for 80,000 people. He emphasized that they are cooperating.
Coulter said the county also plans to open Corktown Health Clinic, an LGBTQ+-focused health center in Hazel Park, and an urgent care clinic in Pontiac.
Coulter announced $20 million will be invested to improve dozens of parks and create new public spaces across the county. Coulter said an additional $5 million will be allocated to the county’s 29 senior centers and $61 million to upgrade the county’s public radio safety system used by police, firefighters and EMTs. .
Last spring, Coulter announced a $19.2 million plan to move some county businesses back to downtown Pontiac, the traditional seat of Oakland County government. Coulter said the county plans to demolish the Phoenix Center parking lot, renovate the former General Motors building and eventually move 500 employees to the city. The project was made possible by his $50 million grant from the state.
“The city has suffered decades of disinvestment at the hands of government, industry and emergency managers,” Coulter said Thursday night. “It’s about to stop.”
Pontiac’s development has not received bipartisan support from the board, Spisch said.
“The project itself is expected to be $150 million, but we don’t yet know how the remaining funds will be achieved to complete that project,” Spisch said. “We’re still waiting on a business plan that shows it’s actually going to be beneficial for the whole county.”
After thanking the thousands of county employees who help the county’s 1.2 million residents, Coulter thanked the three employees who lost their lives in 2023: Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Dotson and County Commissioner Gary -McGillivray recalled County Health Officer Calandra Green.
According to law enforcement, Greene was killed by her husband last spring before committing suicide. Coulter said she was an advocate for public health services across the country, particularly in communities of color, before announcing a new scholarship fund in her honor at Oakland University.
“Her tradition of helping people and connecting with people continues,” Coulter said. “Tonight, I am proud to announce that, in partnership with the University of Auckland, we are creating a new scholarship fund in Calandra’s honor that will be used to support nursing students at OU. I intend to be the first donor to.”
hmackay@detroitnews.com
