Wayne County Executive Robert A Ficano State of the County 2007

Good evening and welcome.

As I begin my second term, it is an honor to stand before you to deliver my fifth state of the county address.

I am humbled by the confidence that the citizens of Wayne County have once again placed in me to represent their best interests.

Isn't this a beautiful theater?

I would like to thank our host, the president of Henry Ford Community College, Gail Mee.

I hope all of you enjoy the food prepared tonight by students in the college's culinary arts program.

Tonight we are being broadcast live on WJR-760 AM and taped for Comcast Cable. Thank you for being our media partners for the fifth consecutive year. This year we are also being video streamed on XL Interactive TV.

I would like to recognize members of the Wayne County Commission and other elected officials who join us.

Please stand.

Thank you for being here.

I would like to take a moment of silence to recognize our veterans and troops at war and the sacrifices of their families.

Our deep-felt appreciation and prayers are with those who put themselves in harm's way each day.

I also want to send my condolences to my friend, Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson and his family as they mourn the loss of his son, Brooks Stuart.

If there is only one thing you take away with you this evening, I want it to be your confidence in our administration's determination to get things done!

We mean business and it is time to move forward aggressively with bold, creative ideas at every level.

We have no time to waste.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not exaggerating when I say, as a region and as a state, we are in a crisis.

We need leadership that does just that -- leads!

As a region, we must stop the polarization that is strangling our ability to get things done.

If we want to reverse the trend, let's make sure not to make interstate moving companies Michigan's largest employer.

If we want our children and grandchildren to stay here to attend school, live and work, we've got to give them a reason.

They need a good education.

They need good jobs.

They need the ability to build a desirable lifestyle.

These are basic quality of life issues.

If we don't provide them these things, they will continue to leave in alarming numbers.

If we want businesses to locate here and keep the ones we have,

we'd better provide an environment where they can compete.

We are in a fight of our lives to grow the economy and make this a place where business and families want to be.

Are we up to the challenge?

In Wayne County, you bet we are!

Tonight I will share our outcomes, challenges and opportunities. I will do so in the context of what they mean to all of us.

Programs, projects and initiatives only matter based on what they do for our citizens and the confidence citizens have in our ability to perform and deliver.

We do not live in isolation.

Wherever you reside in the county, be assured that everything we do is focused on strengthening families and building communities.

These are tough times that require tough decisions and action.

We hear the collective call for change, to diversify our industries, boost the economy, attract and retain businesses and create jobs.

However, as we talk the talk, I am very mindful that we must aggressively walk the walk.

Like many of you, Wayne County faces serious challenges in providing services with less funds.

We are the stewards of taxpayers' dollars.

That is a responsibility we don't take lightly.

Realizing our limitations, I am pleased to announce Wayne County has balanced its annual budget without tax increases for four consecutive years.

The county also is on schedule with its five-year deficit-reduction plan.

Overall, we have reduced Executive Department spending by as much as 25 percent over four years.

We have made these cuts within my departments.

Again, I am urging other elected officials to make the same sacrifices.

Wayne County continues to maintain a strong credit rating from the leading national rating agencies despite downgraded credit ratings to both the city of Detroit and the State of Michigan that severely impact us.

Our excellent credit has saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in reduced interest payments.

In a statement from Moody's Investor Services, Wayne County's

financial operation was said to, “Benefit from strong management strategies,” including “conservative budgeting and tight expenditure controls.”

We can only accomplish this because of a strong partnership between Wayne County, our labor unions and employees.

Everyone is making sacrifices.

We are not just saving money internally, we are finding new ways of doing business that benefit our communities.

For example, our Department of Environment has bucked the trend and saved the Downriver communities more than 7.5 million dollars in operating the waste water treatment plant.

These savings are returned to the communities.

We have also saved the county and city of Detroit taxpayers 5 million dollars annually to operate the Coleman A. Young municipal center.

Again, more savings.

We continue to have many success stories within our departments.

Here are a few:

* Our Nuisance Abatement Program, better known as NAP,

is cleaning up neighborhoods at a record pace.

In the past year, more than 400 property owners legally agreed to fix up their properties because of this program.

Because of the success, the NAP program has expanded to several cities in Wayne County.

We are passionate about winning the war against blight in our neighborhoods.

* Our One-Stop Business Resource Center and the new Procurement Ordinance are two examples of government cutting bureaucracy.

The One-Stop center provides a single point of contact for businesses to receive assistance with County programs and services.

Since its formation, more than 600 businesses have contacted the center.

And, with our new 60 day permit processing, those wanting to do business in Wayne County don't have to wait months to get

a permit.

Also, our new Procurement Ordinance cuts the red tape for those interested in pursuing County contracts while keeping a strong system of oversight in place.

The new ordinance gives preferences to local and small businesses allowing them to better compete for County contracts.

We thank the Commission for their leadership in support of both these important initiatives.

Who says government can't be business friendly?

* Last year, our Department of Homeland Security launched a community-wide alert program to notify county residents of any emergencies.

It is now up and running.

We are the first county in the United States to use this program.

Whether it is a fire, natural disaster, explosion or terrorist event, the system will quickly notify residents by email, phone or other personal devices.

We encourage all Wayne County residents to sign up now for this free service.

* Wayne County is improving services for the more than 50,000 of our most vulnerable citizens who need mental health services.

Last year, an independent state agency found that 98 percent of consumers were satisfied with their agency services.

Additional positive reports are being received by state and federal agencies.

We will continue to improve our scores.

* In January, we opened a new ice skating rink in Clark Park in Southwest Detroit.

It was funded with a $1 million dollar grant from the county Parks millage.

It's no secret we have families struggling in Wayne County because of the economy and cutbacks in the automotive industry.

I understand that the closures of plants and the reductions in jobs in the state has had a very real impact on our residents and on our families.

Yet, the costs of daily life do not stop piling up.

What we need in Michigan is to send a signal to our families and our business community that Government can directly address their needs.

Today, we have a new proposal for our State Legislature and our Governor to send a message loud and clear that we care about our families and we understand the state of our economy.

Michigan must follow the lead of 14 other states and the District of Columbia by incorporating a sales tax holiday into our overall plan for resolving the deficit problem.

The concept is quite simple.

During a week in August, there will be no sales tax on the sale of clothing, footwear, books, and school supplies valued at less than $100 per item.

In addition, there will be no sales tax charged on computers valued at $2,000 or less.

Finally, sales tax will be waived on furniture, small appliances, and computer software valued at less than $500 as a special benefit for those furnishing their college dorm rooms.

This is not breakthrough legislation, since it has been tried and works in other states.

But, it will have a very meaningful impact on our families in Wayne County and the State of Michigan.

This proposal is a true win-win for consumers and businesses and I will work with the Governor and Legislature to enact this proposal into law.

In Wayne County, quality of life is a priority.

That's why we place such a strong emphasis on strengthening families and providing services for children, veterans and seniors.

Wayne County's programs are effective. We fight childhood obesity and illiteracy.

We have given out thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies.

We have also provided court mandated services to children and adults who are in our care. We have helped seniors meet their nutritional needs.

We are pleased to have with us two people who represent the commitment to serve our neighborhood’s meals by delivering food to homebound seniors and those citizens who need assistance to feed their families.

Responding to the needs of our communities is a testament to who we are as neighbors.

The work that is done everyday to make sure that families are fed is a never-ending effort.

From children to seniors, many of our neighbors need a helping hand and there are those in our community who do just that.

Tonight I would like to recognize two soldiers in the fight against hunger.

Augustino Fernandes is the president of Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeast Michigan.

Augie, as he is affectionately known, is a tireless advocate both locally and nationally for the fight against hunger.

Tonight, Augie joins us representing 418 emergency food partners and more than 400,000 people of southeast Michigan that Gleaners serves.

I would also like to introduce one of our most dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers, Mr. Carol Whitt.

Mr. Whitt does not mind me saying that he is 93 years old and has served as a volunteer for eleven years delivering meals to seniors.

At one time, he received meals because he was caring for his homebound wife.

Mrs. Whitt passed away and he now volunteers at Maplewood Center packaging meals for home delivery.

Now that's dedication.

Mr. Fernandes and Mr. Whitt, you are stellar examples of those who are making a difference in our communities.

Please stand and be recognized for the dedicated work that you do to serve so many of our neighbors.

Our resolve during these challenging times is strong.

We are building tomorrow's Wayne County today.

Tomorrow's Wayne County will feature a diversified job base to meet the needs of a global marketplace.

We envision a Wayne County thriving with alternative energy --

a Wayne County with an expanded Cobo Hall, an Airport City and mass transit from Detroit to Ann Arbor.

This is not wishful thinking.

But to create the tomorrow we all want, we must continue to aggressively move forward on many fronts.

One of them is Cobo --- and you've heard a lot about it!

Other states want what we have and are aggressively going after our assets.

Just look at the courting of our signature event, the North American International Auto Show.

Anyone who believes that show is a lock for us in today's competitive and global economy is sadly mistaken, naive and totally out of touch with reality.

We are losing too many car introductions to other international auto shows.

Our plan to expand Cobo to almost one million square feet will ensure that the international auto show remains a trademark for this region.

Companies like Xerox and Coca Cola know the value of their trademark and they protect it at all costs.

The automobile industry is OUR trademark.

Do we want OUR trademark to move to another city or even country?

The new Cobo will not raise taxes but will provide hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact each year to the City of Detroit, Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

Momentum is building with support from Mayor Kilpatrick, Governor Granholm, the Detroit Auto Dealers, the Big 3, corporations, the media and others stakeholders.

If there was a company that would bring 500 million dollars a year to the area, we'd be doing back flips to get and keep them here. Well, that's what the Auto Show brings.

Let's come together and get this done.

Tonight -- we want to announce another bold step.

There are two aspects to making our convention center more competitive.

First, we must renovate and expand the facility itself.

Second, we must find a way to make Cobo Hall more financially attractive in order to bring in new shows.

As part of this effort, I will encourage the Governor and the State Legislature to create a tax-free zone at Cobo.

The six percent sales tax could be waived on merchandise bought and sold at COBO.

Boat and auto dealers could sell their products during the show. A visitor would save hundreds of dollars on the purchase of a new vehicle.

The no tax zone would give Cobo a marketing tool to attract other conventions that wanted to buy and sell their products or services.

Just imagine electronic shows, trade shows and other conventions being brought to Cobo.

This will definitely give us an advantage over Chicago, Las Vegas and other major convention areas.

Lower taxes. More visitors. More business.

Let's focus on results. Let's get it done.

After leading two trade missions to China, I'm convinced that Wayne County and Southeast Michigan can become the location of choice for Chinese automotive investment.

(MAYOR WU greeting)

In a very short time, we've created business partnerships, opened a trade office in Chongqing and brought an investment of resources and jobs to Wayne County.

We have established partnerships with technical schools, local school districts and colleges in the city of Chongqing for cultural and educational exchange programs.

This will enable our students to gain a global perspective of the world.

We are excited that during our last trade mission, Chongqing government and education officials offered to provide scholarship opportunities to Wayne County students in our partnership schools. This exchange will provide our young people the chance to share with and learn from their peers in Chongqing.

We have assets that fit well in a global economy.

Our region has a skilled workforce, two major airports and a network of highways and railways to reach 65 percent of the U.S. population overnight as well as the Canadian market.

We must continue to nurture the business relationships started on these trade missions to capitalize on China's momentum.

Most importantly, we must not repeat the mistakes with China that we made with Japan.

Hopefully we've learned that ignoring companies like Toyota is not in our best interests. Chinese companies want to locate here and we welcome them.

Tonight we have with us members from our China trade missions.

They represent business, corporations, educational institutions and communities all committed to pursing a global effort in the best interest of our region and state.

At this time I would like to thank you for being here.... please stand.

Another bold initiative is the leadership we are taking in developing the land around Metro Airport.

Foreign and local investments will find a natural home when we develop our Aerotropolis.

It will be located along the I-94 corridor between Detroit Metro and Willow Run Airports.

There are 25,000 acres available for economic development within seven communities near these airports.

This is a rare opportunity for growth that exists in only a handful of locations throughout the world.

Our competitive advantage is that our airports are not land-locked creating a landscape for tremendous development possibilities.

Officials in communities that border I-94 are working as a team and have signed a joint memorandum of understanding to make this a reality.

With the help of the University of Michigan and Detroit Renaissance, we are working on a strategic plan for the area.

But we must change the way we do business to succeed.

Companies from around the world demand a timely answer when they propose a development.

We must be competitive.

If we delay for months, they look elsewhere.

The Airport City development is among many that can benefit from Wayne County’s new 60 day permitting process.

do the same with their permit process.

This is not intended to shortchange the necessary study and due diligence.

It's about being competitive; it's simply good business.

In April, representatives of the communities in Wayne County's proposed Airport City areas will visit the Netherlands and Germany to view some of the best Airport Cities in the world.

We will look at best practices and experience first-hand what makes an Airport City work well.

It has been reported that many people at this year's Super Bowl in Miami said their experience in Detroit was better, due especially to the friendly people, better events and hospitality.

Even members of the media said they enjoyed their time in Detroit over Miami.

Let's give ourselves a round of applause.

If we can come together and create a positive atmosphere when people visit, why not create a viable region all year round for ourselves?

With teamwork and a sense of urgency, we can realize the potential along I-94.

But to make it happen, we must have mass transit to get people moving.

We must have a commuter rail from Ann Arbor to Detroit.

We don't need more studies or polls or opposition.

Super Bowl Forty showed us that the lack of mass transit has an adverse effect on this region.

We can compete with any area but in order to do so, we need a better way of getting people where they need to go.

I am committed to getting this done and will take a leadership role in the coming months to make it happen.

Of course, nothing worth doing gets done overnight.

Progress is a process.

Last year, I talked about the need to embrace the emerging bio-tech sector and develop a meaningful Ethanol corridor with E85 gas stations.

In Wayne County, we have converted our entire diesel fleet to bio-diesel and have been using Bio-diesel in our road and salt trucks since last summer.

That's more than 300,000 bio-diesel gallons.

At this time last year, there were only four E85 stations in Michigan and only one in Wayne County.

Today, there are 33 Ethanol stations in the state, including five in Wayne County and that is just the beginning.

We are moving towards an alternative Energy environment.

During the past year, Biodiesel Industries announced plans for a plant in Detroit in the area of NextEnergy and TechTown.

Tonight, I am pleased to announce plans for a second bio-diesel facility in Wayne County.

Advanced Resource Recovery is taking a once hazardous waste facility and converting it into an environmentally friendly state-of-the art biodiesel facility.

We also promised you progress on the Wayne County Land Bank and we are delivering.

The Land Bank and TURBO --Transforming Underdeveloped Residential and Business Opportunities - develop foreclosed and abandoned properties … to turn blight into new stores and homes.

I'm pleased to announce we have developers and more than $30 million dollars in commitments to develop property under the Land Bank/Turbo program.

These are commercial developments such as retail projects in areas with some condemned buildings.

This is how to build communities, one neighborhood at a time.

The developers have faith in Wayne County and we have faith in them.

Together we will be focused on results to get things done!

Another project being studied is a Regional Justice Center in Detroit.

Wayne County is seeking a justice system that goes beyond bricks and mortar to deliver a wide range of services in an efficient, cost-effective manner.

A study is underway and a project manager is working with our judges, the sheriff, prosecutor, clerk and others to determine its feasibility.

We do not operate in a vacuum.

We depend on volunteers to assist us. We actively seek out respected and highly experienced people in the state.

There are many citizens who help us as we develop, design and pursue economic strategies.

(Introduction of board, commission and committee members)

I would like members of all Wayne County committees and boards to stand.

On behalf of Wayne County, I extend my appreciation for your time and expertise.

It has been said that a goal without a plan is merely a dream.

In Wayne County, we don't need dreams; we need action.

Doing nothing is certain failure.

Doing something different is long overdue.

Tonight, I've laid out an aggressive agenda for building tomorrow's Wayne County based on our strong foundation.

Let's get it done. Starting now.

It is for each and every one of us to ask: How can we make a difference in improving our communities and making it a better world for our children and grandchildren? Teachers, parents, police, pastors and no, not even elected officials can do it alone.

We need everyone because unity is the catalyst to making a difference.

Let me share with you quotes from two great men in history:

Thomas Edison was once asked how it felt to fail 2,000 times when creating the light bulb. He replied: “I didn't fail. I just found 2,000 ways not to make a light bulb. I only needed to find one way to do it right.”

Edison was focused on getting it done.

Today we see the results of his dedication.

Failure is not an option.

President John F Kennedy once said, “the American by nature is optimistic. He is experimental and an inventor, and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.”

I call upon all of you to join ME in building greatly.

We are not interested in those people who tell us what can't be done.

We will seek out those people who tell us how it can be done. And, we will get it done!

I reaffirm my pledge to you tonight that I will continue to dedicate my efforts as your County Executive and public servant to the betterment of the great County of Wayne.

Thank you for being with us tonight.

May God Bless you and God Bless Wayne County.

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2007 state of the county address

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2006 state of the county address