Executive Committee meets April 23
State Budget Director Mary Lannoye will speak

SEMCOG's Executive Committee will meet at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 23, 2004, in SEMCOG's downtown Detroit office. State Budget Director Mary Lannoye will discuss the state budget and its impact on local governments.

Action items under consideration include:

• approving a contract for service with Air Improvement Resource, Inc. to do a comprehensive analysis of the air quality benefits of a wide range of fuel alternatives; funds for this contract will come solely from contributions made by automotive and oil companies;
• approving an amendment to the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 Work Program for Southeast Michigan: Tasks of Regional Significance Conducted by Other Agencies which adds a $1,050,000 planning task for the Detroit Area Regional Transportation Authority; and
• approving an amendment to the FY 2004-2006 Transportation Improvement Program that will add 62 projects and delete 12 projects; total net increase from this amendment is $135 million.

In addition, efforts to promote joint public services will be discussed at the meeting; a series of new products on this topic from SEMCOG will be highlighted. An update on the Regional Transportation Plan will also be presented. Contact: Amy Malmer, SEMCOG Legislative Affairs Coordinator.

SEMCOG launches water quality public education program in Southeast Michigan

SEMCOG along with the Southeast Michigan Partners for Clean Water are launching a public education campaign aimed at improving water quality in the seven-county Southeast Michigan region. The "Our Water. Our Future. Ours to Protect." campaign provides Southeast Michigan residents with the "Seven Simple Steps to Clean Water" æ practical things everyone can do to protect our water resources. The campaign will go on throughout the year.

The plan is to release information separately on each of the seven simple steps to clean water. The first tip just released was "Fertilize caringly and sparingly." Excess fertilizer that gets into storm drains in our streets can pollute lakes by causing large algae blooms that use up oxygen fish need to survive. Sweep excess fertilizer back onto your lawn so it doesn’t get into the storm drain, use a low or no phosphorus fertilizer, or hire a lawn care service that follows these practices.

For SEMCOG member governments, this campaign also meets federal Phase II Stormwater Regulations' public education component. Program materials were recently mailed to all members. Materials and additional information can also be found on SEMCOG's Web site æ www.semcog.org. Contact: Chuck Hersey, SEMCOG Environmental Programs Manager.

SEMCOG updates land use/land cover for Southeast Michigan

SEMCOG has completed an update of land use/land cover for each community in Southeast Michigan from 1990-2000. The updated data is incorporated into SEMCOG's Community Profiles database, available on www.semcog.org (accessible via the icon in the upper left of the home page). This information is one of the most important inputs to SEMCOG's forecast of future population, households, and employment. In addition to showing changes in land use, the revised Community Profile for the Southeast Michigan region, each of the seven counties, and each community includes comparison data on housing units and employment changes from 1990-2000. Housing densities and development percentages provide additional perspectives on land use and can be found in Southeast Michigan Land Use Profiles (from the SEMCOG the home page, go to "Land Use" from the Data tab button).

Developed land in the region increased by 18 percent from 1990-2000. A total of 164,000 acres of land was developed, 124,000 acres of residential land and 39,000 acres of nonresidential development. The major decrease was in active agricultural land, which lost 145,000 acres.

Land use/land cover data is derived from interpretation of aerial photography. Therefore, some smaller areas or difficult-to-identify land uses may not be well represented, for example, areas of mixed commercial and residential land use. SEMCOG's evaluations of the quality of our land-use data have shown it to be very useful for comparisons of change over time; it relates well to other data on housing and employment. Contact: Jim Rogers, SEMCOG Data Center Manager.

2004 Taubman Fellows selected

David Moffitt, Vice Chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners (and SEMCOG Vice Chair) and Eric Jackson, Deputy Supervisor of Clinton Township, have been named Taubman Fellows and will attend the prestigious Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University this summer.
Administered through SEMCOG, Taubman Centers' Fellowship for Executive Excellence provides local public officials with demonstrated leadership an opportunity to improve their management skills and broaden their awareness of effective approaches to public sector problems. Since 1991, Taubman Centers has sponsored the fellowships and underscored its support for the development of effective leaders in local governments in the Southeast Michigan region. Contact: Sue Stetler, SEMCOG Communications Manager.

Spring Workshop election results

SEMCOG announces the new members of the Executive Committee elected at its series of county Spring Workshops.

Washtenaw County
Elected as the delegate representing cities and villages is Ypsilanti Councilmember S.A. Trudy Swanson; the alternate is Ypsilanti Councilmember Barry LaRue (both newly elected to those positions). Elected as the delegate representing townships is E. Spaulding Clark, Scio Township Supervisor; the alternate is Marta Larson, Northfield Township Trustee (both re-elected).

St. Clair County
Elected as the delegate representing cities and villages is Mark Steinborn, Port Huron Councilman; the alternate is Patrick Sullivan, City of St. Clair Superintendent (both newly elected). Elected as the delegate representing townships is John Jones, Ira Township Supervisor; the alternate is Madelyn McCarthy, Fort Gratiot Township Supervisor.

Macomb County
Elected as the delegates representing cities and villages are St. Clair Shores Councilman Robert Hison and Mt. Clemens Commissioner Dave Herrington (both re-elected). The newly elected alternates are New Baltimore Councilman Richard Runels and Richmond Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Yaroch. Elected as the delegate representing townships is Barbara Urban, Harrison Township Trustee; the alternate is Eric Jackson, Clinton Township Deputy Supervisor (both re-elected).

Wayne County
Elected as the delegates representing cities and villages are Taylor Mayor Gregory Pitoniak and Grosse Pointe Woods Councilman Allen Dickinson (both re-elected). The alternates are Wayne Councilperson Susan Rowe (newly elected) and Wyandotte Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Sutka (re-elected). Elected as the delegate representing townships is Richard Henningsen, Northville Township Treasurer; the alternate is John Cronin, Brownstown Township Trustee (both re-elected).

The elections are for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2004. The Oakland County Spring Workshop remains on the schedule;
Oakland County – April 20, 5-7 p.m., Marriott at Centerpoint, Pontiac.
Contact: Beverly Rucker, SEMCOG Membership.

SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of governmental units serving 4.9 million people in the seven-county region of Southeast Michigan striving to enhance the region's quality of life.  Regional Update is a publication of SEMCOG, financed through funds from state and federal grants and dues from member communities. Maryann Mahaffey, Chairperson Council President, City of Detroit Paul E. Tait, Executive Director  Susan L. Stetler, Editor  SEMCOG contact information:  Southeast Michigan Council of Governments 535 Griswold Street, Suite 300 Detroit, MI 48226-3602 313-961-4266 - Fax 313-961-4869 staff e-mail:lastname@semcog.org  www.semcog.org

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Local Governments Advancing Southeast Michigan