|
In case you are bleary-eyed with
fatigue at the end of your long week and failed to notice our new
look, we'd like to bring your attention to the revamped Suburbs
Alliance logo. We officially adopted it in July and hope that
it conveys the energy, cohesiveness, and excitement that the Suburbs
Alliance is trying to infuse into the communities of southeastern
Michigan. We'd love to hear what you think about it, so if you
have comments shoot us an
email!
Message from
the Executive Director
The past four
weeks have given us great cause for thanks -it seems that even in
the slow summer months great people find time to renew their
commitment to the Suburbs Alliance and our shared cause.
First and
foremost this month we welcome back our writer, Sharon Carney, who
returns from a study abroad program in London, England. We are
grateful for her safe homecoming and ready to put her to work. Look
for a showcase of her skills as scribe when our first print
newsletter hits your desks in September.
We extend a
special thanks to our board members who have agreed to serve as
officers for the coming year. Taylor mayor Greg Pitoniak will
continue to guide our growth as president. He will be seconded by
Mayor Dan Paletko of Dearborn Heights, our new vice-president. Mark
Wollenweber, City Manager in Grosse Point Woods, takes on the role
of secretary and Ypsilanti City Manager Ed Koryzno will continue as
our able treasurer.
Perhaps the most
exciting show of support came at the launch of our two new major
projects. Nearly 50 people joined us to kick off our Resource
Sharing Initiative: elected officials, city managers, police and
fire chiefs, human resource and economic development directors,
university professors, the Governor Granholm's office, our fellow
nonprofit leaders and probably some folk I've forgotten. Academics
from five universities joined representatives from ten Suburbs
Alliance cities to begin our Michigan Universities Project
which will bring increase collaboration between experts and
practitioners of regional cooperation and urban development. Read
more about these great new efforts at collaboration below.
It's definitely
a good time to get together, too. Michigan's first-tier suburbs are
on the front line of an economic battle to define quality of life
for our state -a battle that must inevitably heat up as more cities
drift into bankruptcy or receivership. Our resource-sharing efforts
will result in cost savings for cities - from reduced training
expenses to lower capital costs for equipment. We'll also be
recommending some cost recovery strategies for public safety that
will help pad shrinking police and fire budgets. Actions like these
show our lawmakers that we're pulling our weight - but they won't
solve the systemic problem that is driving our cities to the brink
of insolvency. Elucidating that problem will take the expertise of
both academic researchers and practitioners from throughout the web
of municipal government. The partnerships that we are developing
through these projects are the foundation for success with policy
makers on bigger issues.
This is what the
Suburbs Alliance was formed to do. By unifying the voices of
leaders who support the sustainable development of our region,
together we are creating a force for change.
Project Updates
This month
marks the midway point for the Redevelopment
Ready Communities pilot program, and the 6 cities are
diligently focusing on completing the Technical Assistance
phase. Cities continue to implement the RRC recommendations
that do not require outside assistance while working with RRC
staff and Hamilton Anderson Associates on planning technical
assistance for the recommendations that require extra support.
Although a
pilot program final report will be made available in early 2006,
we want to share one common result of the evaluation phase.
Interestingly, RRC Standard 4: Identification of
Redevelopment Sites is the standard most in need of
strengthening for each pilot city. Overwhelmingly, our cities
need assistance prioritizing their many redevelopment sites.
RRC staff and research support from Wayne State, in coordination
with our pilot cities, will develop a site evaluation system
each city can implement into their own development processes.
Our goal is to help cities make their process changes
sustainable after the pilot program is completed.
Led by an
optimistic, energetic steering committee, the Suburbs Alliance
kicked-off the Resource Sharing project in mid-July. The
steering committee's dedicated city managers, fire and police
union leaders, fire chiefs, and university professors crafted
the plan for a series of half-day workshops set to begin in late
fall. Spread over the course of 6 months, these workshops focus
on the 5 areas that offer strong opportunity for municipal
collaboration: fire, staff pooling/public works, police,
insurance, and community development block grants (CDBG). The
fire workshop will jumpstart the series in November and will be
followed by the remaining workshops throughout the winter.
The steering
committee is now breaking into several smaller subcommittees,
each one focused on developing a how-to guide� to assist
cross-municipality collaborative services. We welcome you to
join us at the next steering committee meeting on Wednesday,
September 7.
Member city
officials, community leaders and representatives from EMU, MSU,
WSU, and U of M's Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses joined forces
at the Michigan
Universities steering committee meeting.
Combining brainpower from these various fields paid off with a
successful program launch: the committee identified realistic
opportunities to enhance and build collaborative city-university
partnerships as well as barriers that must be overcome. Through
this project, cities will benefit from customized, student-led
redevelopment projects, and students will seize the chance to
take on real challenges and apply their classroom knowledge.
The next
steering committee meeting will tackle the program details of
the three main partnerships: student interns, class projects,
and research. The committee will review an application for
cities to request support as well as an application for
interested students to participate in the program. Come
September we hope to have several partnerships up and running,
including an internship program managed by Suburbs Alliance
staff.
Congratulations
to the three groups selected for the Metro Detroit Regional
Investment Initiative! The Fort Visger Team of Southwest
Detroit/ Ecorse/ River Rouge/ Lincoln Park, the Detroit-Grosse
Pointe Park Collaborative, and the Van Dyke-8 Mile Gateway of
Detroit and Warren have been chosen to receive grants worth
$130,000-200,000 to carry out their project plans.
LISC officially
began Phase 2 for MDRII in its kick-off meeting with the Fort Visger
Team near the end of July. All three groups are busy
prioritizing their plans and preparing to initiate projects
in early September. Throughout Phase 2, the Suburbs Alliance
will aid the groups in raising public awareness of the projects.
We've been
invited to help craft the Michigan State Housing Development
Authority's Five Year Plan, an effort that ties nicely into our
new Board Priority on affordable housing. Conan
Smith will co-chair the Land Use task force with MSHDA's Julie
Hales-Smith (no relation). The end result should be an
action agenda that helps affordable housing advocates strengthen
their collective voice around land use and transportation
issues. The strategy will also likely help MSHDA ensure
that its $300 million annual budget helps to advance community
sustainable development goals.
>> Back to the Top
In the News
State tax
policies may be undergoing some changes in the near future. In
an effort to pocket some spare change and alleviate financial
stress, the Capitol is looking to eliminate certain tax exemptions.
Historic preservation and building rehabilitation tax credits
are coming under fire and are in danger of being thrown into the pot
for state collection, and the elimination of these exemptions could
discourage revitalization efforts in older communities. Check
out "State may cut $100 million in tax exemptions" in the August
8-12 issue of Crain's.
According to
the Texas Transportation Institute, Detroit is in the top ten in
the country for average hours per year motorists spend in
traffic jams, but with any luck its ranking will drop in coming
years. Last week, Congress passed a highway and transit
bill that allocates $100 million for an engineering study of a
commuter rail system between Detroit and Ann Arbor.
The study will consider several modes of transportation
including express buses, light rail, and commuter rail, and a
public discussion is tentatively scheduled for September.
Read the Ann Arbor News article
here.
>> Back to the Top
A Little Help From Our Friends
Thanks to Jack
Helder of Pace and Partners Communications for helping craft
some great message pieces about regionalism. This is a really
tough subject area and professional communications assistance is
going a long way toward making our case strong with the public.
Also to John
Fike of Philanthropy Solutions who included us along with Maxine
Berman of Governor Granholm's office and Denise Graves from
Crosswinds Communities on a training CD for municipal leaders on
affordable housing.
Last, we would be
seriously ungracious if we didn't thank Jamie LaTendresse of
Jamie LaTendresse Design for going above and beyond the call of duty
on our logo redesign. We got a full identity package plus a
host of extras . . . now, that's what friendship is all about!
>> Back to the Top
Upcoming Events
The RRC
Committee is back on its regular schedule meeting the first
and third Fridays of every month. Anyone is
welcome to stop by and join us for our lively discussions on
program development. Hot
caffeine beverage and bagels abound.
Friday,
August 19. 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Council Chamber at Ferndale City Hall
The Resource Sharing Steering Committee
meeting is quickly approaching, so clear your calendar and make
sure to be there. If you are interested in being part of
the Steering Committee, or know of anyone who may wish to
attend the meetings, contact
Brittany as soon as possible.
Resource
Sharing Steering Committee Meeting
Topic: Staff Pooling
Wednesday,
Sept. 7 8:00 a.m.
Council Chamber
at Ferndale City Hall
The Michigan
Municipal League is holding an educational seminar entitled
Hot Topic: Citizen Involvement in Long Term Financial Planning
that explores how one community involved its citizens to analyze
economic changes. The seminar will address a unique
Headlee override that was approved by voters and is a great
opportunity for city officials and council members to get a
better understanding of current fiscal issues. Huntington
Woods City Manager Alex Allie will be speaking at the seminar.
Register online!
Friday,
August 26. 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Michigan Municipal League Headquarters.
1675 Green Rd. Ann Arbor, south of Plymouth Rd.
Registration
fee: $25
Planning
Michigan: The premier planning conference
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
You will not want to miss the Michigan Association of Planning�s
Annual Conference, Planning Michigan: Building Bridges,
to be held on September 14-17, 2005. Planning Michigan
remains the premier event for the most complete education and
unparalleled networking and peer exchange opportunities
available to Michigan planners.
Learn more and register online!
Communities Connecting: Creating Collaborating Changing
Amway Grand Plaza, Grand Rapids
MML�s annual
convention will include general sessions by best-selling author
David Osborne; National League of Cities President Anthony
Williams; and President and CEO of the Manchester Craftsmen�s
Guild in Pittsburgh, PA, and McArthur �Genius� Bill Strickland
http://www.mml.org/events/annual_convention/cv05/cv_info.htm
Future Forum
Grand Traverse
Resort, Traverse City
This year the
Michigan Chamber of Commerce�s Future Forum program will feature
three, well-known political figures: U.S. House of
Representatives former Speaker, Newt Gingrich who will speak
about health care and National political commentators Mary
Matalin & James Carville who will give us an insider's view of
Washington D.C. In addition to these engaging speakers they will
reveal the results of an exclusive Michigan Chamber Business
Climate Survey on the critical issues facing Michigan
businesses. There will also be a revolutionary discussion on
The Price of Government in Michigan with Peter Hutchinson.
http://www.michamber.com/ff/indexff.asp
>> Back to the Top
For more
information about the Michigan Suburbs Alliance and our activities,
visit
http://www.michigansuburbsalliance.org/.
To
unsubscribe, please send us an email.
|
