Macomb County is back on
top as the No. 1 recipient in Michigan of “good government” awards presented by
the National Association of Counties.
Macomb was recognized with 13 NACo Achievement Awards, winning half of the 26 honors granted statewide in
Michigan’s 83 counties. NACo awards single out innovative, effective county government programs that enhance services for
residents.
“Our goal is always to run Macomb County government as efficiently as possible
and receiving these awards demonstrates we are
doing so effectively,” County Executive Mark
Hackel said.
Macomb County was
Michigan’s leader in NACo awards for 26 consecutive years until 2008, when a
series of budget cuts and a reduction in the workforce took hold. The winning
streak began in 1981 and Macomb typically secured a spot among the top 10
counties in the nation.
With the county back on
top in Michigan, this year the Macomb County Clerk’s Office received six NACo
awards, the Information Technology Department
received four awards, the Health Department
snagged two honors
and the
Planning and Economic Development
garnered one.
Here are the details on the award-winning programs and services:
Kiosks let jurors check-in for jury duty and then to other clerk services
they need.
candidates can sign up for automatic email or text messages of campaign
finance filing deadlines and election dates.
streamlined credit card acceptance and payment processing eases the payment
process for customers and staff.
application process — Applicants can apply for a marriage license
online, saving time for them and reducing data entries for clerk’s staff.
robotic “vote-bot” promotes voter registration at annual voter registration
drives by answering election questions and calling attention to the need for
voter registration.
fraud alert — Homeowners can sign up to receive an email alert when a
document regarding their property is presented for recording, providing a way
to detect potential fraud.
Information Technology Department
* Fleet maintenance consolidation
— An IT software was established to standardize fuel consumption
data and fleet maintenance.
* Jail inmate locator — A
web-based application was launched that contains detailed information on
county jail inmates including charges, booking, release and court dates,
fees and fines and visitation opportunities.
reorganization — Beginning in March 2013 the department reorganized
the workplace structure for its 42 employees and created a new Project
Management Office.
conversion — A conversion of the public website created an open-source
system with a customized design by recreating nearly 4,000 web pages to the new
platform.
preparedness — The Medical Reserve Corps began an outreach program in fall
2014 that provides a 40-minute educational presentation to fifth grade
classrooms about the importance of emergency preparedness.
language barriers — A program was created that provided car safety seat
education for families with low English language proficiency.
skilled-trade gap — PED partnered with numerous agencies to
provide students with a hands-on look at the modern manufacturing world.
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services, including children and youth, criminal justice, county
administration, environmental protection, information technology, health, and civic
engagement.
our union staff who worked with me to achieve these awards. These awards show
that Macomb County is a place for innovation and good public service,” Clerk Sabaugh said.
