ISSUES

The following list is based on issues that area residents commonly ask me about or those issues that are currently before the Ingham County Commission.

The Juvenile Justice Millage  

The Family Court Division and the Judiciary Committee have been developing the plan to increase capacity and improve treatment in the juvenile justice system as approved by the voters with the passage of the 2002 Juvenile Justice Millage. Over the past six years, The county board has broadened our "continuum of care" to provide a full range of programs and facilities  to address the range of low to high risk juveniles going through the system.  The continuum is now in place with opening of the Ingham County Family Center in the autumn of 2008. The Center serves as a day reporting center and treatment center for youth involved in our juvenile justice system.  This center will provide adjudicated youth with a needs assessment and corresponding help to get them back on track.  The judges and other Ingham County Courts professionals, the Board of Commissioners, and many area service organizations have collaborated to plan, develop and operate this center.  After the first semester of operation, there are already many indications that the Center has a positive impact on youths and their families.

County revenues are strongly tied to the state budget, which has resulted in a tight county budget. In spite of the strained state budget, Ingham County remains in good financial shape and the county is well prepared to handle difficult budget times. We will continue to expend county funds very carefully.

As a member of the Law Enforcement committee and previous chair, I am especially interested in two issues that continue to be present and dealt with on that committee--jail overcrowding and the road patrol.  I am a strong supporter of incorporating community corrections programs wherever possible into our overall approach to corrections.  Community corrections include a variety of non-jail sanctions for non-violent offenders, i.e. those offenders who do not pose a threat of violence to others or to themselves.  We have already instituted numerous community corrections programs such as substance abuse treatment residences, community service programs, day reporting and GPS electronic monitoring (tether).  The community corrections approach not only keeps the jail population down and thus saves money, but it is also a very effective approach in providing sanctions that help the individual to correct behavior and stay out of the court and jail system. 

Road patrol is another issue that seems to be with us continually. The issues relates to providing county sheriff deputies on patrol throughout the county.  I support such a law enforcement presence in Ingham County, but we need to provide that service with efficiency and in a way that it provides a county-wide law enforcement network.  Having an effective road patrol in place will provide an opportunity to move forward on regional law enforcement, working with other counties in the future.  We will need to come up with a progressive, fair way to provide a road patrol presence and will undoubtedly be working on this issue in the Law Enforcement committee this year.

Lake Lansing Watershed Management Plan  

In late 2007, the Ingham County Parks and Recreation Commission and the County Commission agreed to continue providing the annual contribution to the Lake Lansing water management plan.  The Commission expressed a concern that the management plan be more broad and include activities beyond just herbicide treatment of the lake.  We plan to evaluate yearly whether this is the case. In our 2008 review, we decided that there was progress in this direction and reapproved our annual contribution.

I am optimistic that the Township and lake area residents will pursue a wide range of activities that enhance the watershed and the water quality of Lake Lansing.  I am also happy to help the Lake Lansing Property Owners Association with any issues that they would like to bring before the County.

Ingham County Roads  

As the construction season starts up again in the spring, I will provide a list on annual projects.  In the meantime, the Road Commission, which is actually not a resonsibility of the Ingham County Board, is focusing on snow plowing and getting ready for post-winter road repair which seems to get more ominous every year.  I feel the Road Commission has done its best with the available funding.  Unfortunately, the roads have been underfunded throughout the state and the nation for so many years that the overall condition of the roads is growing more difficult to maintain.  I feel that any boost the nation's infrastructure can receive is well needed and would benefit the long-term economic climate.