On March 21st, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans delivered the State of the County address. You can watch the presentation in full at the link below or read our summary.

Watch complete address here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIOsedFs8Wc&t=1403s

BUDGET

• Wayne County has passed 8 straight budgets with surpluses and has a grade A credit rating from Wall Street.

ON PUBLIC HEALTH

• Wayne County went from the area of highest infection rate and death in the state of Michigan to a 70% vaccination rate, 10% higher than the state average.
• $60M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be used for public health initiatives.
• Wayne County was the first in Michigan to file a claim against opioid manufacturers. It has received one settlement and is expecting two more. All funds will be used to address to opioid epidemic. A free to use NARCAN vending machine was put in the lobby of the Wayne County jail because released inmates have a higher rate of overdose.
• 100 air monitors will collect data across the county and 500 mobile air monitors will be given to children along with sensors for their inhalers. This will help monitor air quality for community warnings and provide data to be used when corporations apply for new environmental permits.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

• Wayne LINC will debut next month. The multi-million dollar program is a workforce development collaborative.
• Wayne County will prioritize recruitment and competitive salary/benefits to ensure a strong workforce.
• All employees at the new Criminal Justice Complex will have free parking.
• In Livonia, Millbrook Engineering has made a $24M investment and created 85 jobs.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

• The new Criminal Justice Complex will be complete this year. The integrated facility will service all criminal justice needs with a criminal court, juvenile detention center, and stand-alone headquarters for the Sheriff and Prosecutor.
• Executive Evans declared a State of Emergency to address the current problems at the Juvenile Justice Center – this institutes an incident command structure that reports to the Executive and allows for more staff and therapeutic services. He called on the State of Michigan to provide long-term residential beds.
• The Indigent Defense Services Department was created to provide resources, training and social workers for assigned counsel.

INFRASTRUCTURE

• $10M of ARPA funds will be used for heavy maintenance of the north branch of Ecourse Creek, this impacts 7 different communities and is expected to be complete in 2025

VETERANS & SENIORS

• Wayne County received $360k from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Department for emergency assistance and opened a new Veteran’s Service Center in Garden City that is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Senior Funfest returns to Hines Drive on June 24th from 11am to 2pm, this is a free event.

Livonia has two representatives on the Wayne County Commission:

Wayne County Commissioner Terry Marecki – District 9

Glenn S. Anderson – District 12