MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — The Board of Commissioners recently filed a request for an appeal on the Circuit Court-issued injunction against
our purchasing and contracting policies. The policies requested public review of county contracts in excess of $35,000 and construction
contracts in excess of $100,000.
The following is a list of key facts related to the issue. The Board welcomes questions and comments, and encourages taxpayers to
attend either committee or Full Board meetings to make their thoughts and concerns known. To reach your commissioner, click here,
or call the Board of Commissioners office at 586.469.5125.
- Did You Know? As a result of his ruling, Judge Foster rendered Macomb County the only county government in Michigan without
contract approval required from an elected governing body. The BoC does not believe this is responsible governing for the
third-largest county in Michigan.
- Did You Know? There has been much mis-information passed on to the media in the past few months, whether deliberately,
or through a lack of understanding. The BoC is not asking to negotiate contracts, nor is it trying to execute contracts. In fact, the
contracts we seek to review equal about one-third of one percent of all county contracts. We only want to review and/or approve
the contracts as described in the procurement ordinance and the contracting policy, which is required by the county charter.
- Did You Know? The precedent has been set that millions of dollars of county contracts are now entered into behind closed doors
on a routine basis without any measure of transparency. The BoC’s appeal seeks to establish a clear policy for the future which
incorporates transparency and accountability, and creates less opportunity for impropriety. Posting contracts which are entered into
behind closed doors after they have been signed into does not constitute transparency!
- Did You Know? The approximate cost of the appeal process is $50,000 or less, a small price to pay for creating a solid framework
for county operations for years to come.
- Did You Know? The Office of the County Executive has already committed the county to spending more than $4 million in taxpayer
dollars since November 2011. These contracts were entered into behind closed doors, and received no public vetting or approval.
This is a dangerous precedent to set for the future — we need a chance to review significant contracts before they are binding!
- Did You Know? In our current request, the BoC is asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to review the Circuit Court’s application
of the law to ensure that in the longrun, what is best for Macomb County taxpayers has a chance to prevail.