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SEMCOG University on November 15 focuses on obtaining funds through the federal-aid highway project programming process Information about the process for obtaining federal-aid highway funds for projects that will improve local streets and roads will be the topic of an important SEMCOG University workshop for local government representatives and their consultants. Navigating Your Way Through the Federal-Aid Highway Project Programming Process will be held on Tuesday, November 15, from 9 a.m.-12 noon (registration begins at 8:30 a.m.) in SEMCOG's Buhl Building office in downtown Detroit. Local governments rely on federal-aid highway funds for a portion of the costs of major improvements to the street and roadway system. Federal and state law and policy guide the distribution of the funds to these projects. The process for obtaining these funds can be complex and lengthy. A complete understanding of the requirements is an absolute necessity to avoid major delays that can result in significant cost increases and potentially cause a loss of project funding. The needs of the transportation system far exceed available funds. Therefore, it is critical that we do our best to use all federal-aid highway funds for Southeast Michigan. The workshop will discuss how and when to submit projects for SEMCOG's Transportation Improvement Program, including the Regional Transportation Plan and federal-aid committee process; how to make changes to approved projects; and completing and submitting programming applications to the Michigan Department of Transportation. This SEMCOG University workshop is free-of-charge. Seating is limited and preference will be given to local governments who currently have projects in the FY 2006-2008 Transportation Improvement Program or who have been awarded funds for high-priority projects. You are encouraged to reserve a spot by Tuesday, November 8, 2005. Contact: Sally Walt, SEMCOG Transportation Administrative Assistant, to RSVP. You can also register online at www.semcog.org; the link to the workshop is under Planning Issues on the home page.
SEMCOG helps local government understand and respond to health care costs Earlier this month, 30 local officials learned about changes to reporting standards for post-employment benefits and solutions for funding these programs at SEMCOG University. Responding to skyrocketing health care costs and new financial reporting requirements from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB 43 and GASB 45), SEMCOG hosted a workshop titled Governmental Finance: Keeping Up with Health Care Costs. These standards require accounting and financial reporting for post-employment benefits other than pensions. The standards do not require these benefits to be funded. They do require measuring and disclosing the funding status of these benefits. To comply with the standards, your community will need an actuarial determination of liability. Again, these standards are not a funding requirement, but there are incentives to fund (and consequences for not funding). Among the analogies cited by the speakers for the GASB standards were, "The GASB freight train is coming" and "The ticking time bomb." Sounds fun, huh? The good news is there are special funding vehicles for these benefits that will allow communities to better keep up with this liability. Note the liability is not new, measuring and disclosing the finding status of the liability is new. For more information and further resources regarding this topic, contact: Amy Malmer, SEMCOG Executive Office Coordinator.
SEMCOG publishes second edition of A Citizens' Guide to Transportation Planning in Southeast Michigan SEMCOG released the second edition of its very successful handbook — A Citizens Guide to Transportation Planning in Southeast Michigan: How to get involved in the process — at its General Assembly meeting on October 27. The guide has been revised with the help of our partners, and reviewed prior to printing by a group of citizens. It outlines the steps a transportation project — such as a road improvement, transit service, or bike path — must undergo to be funded and implemented. It also outlines the numerous opportunities for the public to express support of, or concern over, planned transportation projects. Although there are many ways to comment, SEMCOG Executive Director, Paul Tait, notes, "The guide's basic message is, the sooner and closer to home you comment, the greater the impact." Printed copies of the Citizens' Guide are available free-of-charge from SEMCOG Information Services; it is also available electronically in PDF on SEMCOG's Web site — www.semcog.org. Contact: SEMCOG Information Services.
Water quality public service announcements available for use on community cable Copies of the seven public service announcements (each 30 seconds long), produced by Comcast Cable for SEMCOG and the Southeast Michigan Partners for Clean Water, are available for local communities to run on community cable. Contact: SEMCOG Information Services.
New grant program encourages local government collaboration Governor Jennifer Granholm has announced a new grant program to encourage collaboration and resource sharing among local governments. The Centers for Regional Excellence (CRE) will provide grants of up to $25,000 over two years to five pilot communities that demonstrate a commitment and plan to improve services through collaboration. Proposals must include statements of proposed collaborative activities; support from partners; information on local matching investment; and a description of how progress will be measured. Proposals are due to the CRE by December 14, 2005. Announcements on selected projects will be made in February 2006. Requests for proposals are available on the CRE Web site at www.michigan.gov/cre. Contact: Maxine Berman in the Governor's Southeast Michigan office with questions on this program via e-mail at cre@michigan.gov.
Institute for local government offers classes for new city and village council members The Institute for Local Government at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, in collaboration with the Michigan Municipal League, is offering a series of four classes for new city and village council members. This series is designed to help new council members learn the basic skills of successful council service. New council members will have the opportunity to explore material in the context of the metropolitan area alongside others serving in Southeast Michigan. Classes will meet from 6-9 p.m. on November 17 and December 8, 2005, and January 12 and February 9, 2006; the focus will be on legal framework, leadership roles and responsibilities, financial management, and planning and zoning. Cost is $276, Register online at www.umd.edu/ifg. Contact: (313) 593-5140.
SEMPeople The Michigan Municipal League presented Special Awards of Merit to Gretchen Driskell, Mayor of Saline, an advocate of continuing education to improve the professionalism of elected municipal officials; and to Lynn Harvey, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, for an impressive 37-year career developing intergovernmental contracts and advocating on behalf of local governments partnering to deliver services. The Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development received the Michigan Outstanding Planning Award, the highest honor given by the Michigan Association of Planners, for its "Macomb Countywide Trailways Plan," a recreation project incorporating all 27 county communities.
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