By Chad Selweski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer

Tom Rombach, a Clinton Township attorney and former county commissioner, will lead the Macomb County Charter Commission panel that will take on the prickly issues of power-sharing between the elected executive and the county board.

At their first meeting of the new year, the 26-member Charter Commission on Wednesday approved the appointment of four committee chairs, a $533,000 budget for the commission's 180-day mission, and a law firm to steer them through the process of writing a county constitution.

Charter Commission Chairman Jacob Femminineo Jr. presented his choices for the chairmanships and memberships of the four committees, and those appointments were affirmed by the full commission.

Femminineo said he selected Rombach, a Clinton Township Democrat, based on his background as a former county commissioner, his experience as an attorney and his involvement with the State Bar of Michigan.

"Tom is one of the hardest workers I know and that committee will be very busy," said Femminineo, a Mount Clemens Democrat. "His … special knowledge will be a tremendous asset to that committee as they take on a daunting task."

The 15-member Executive/Commissioner Committee will deal with constitutional issues such as checks and balances, veto authority, legislative procedures and the power of the "purse strings."

Perhaps most importantly, the committee members will recommend how much to shrink the size of the Board of Commissioners. By law, the "home rule" charter — essentially a county constitution — can reduce the 26-member board to as few as five.

Previously, Femminineo had said he envisioned small committees comprising five or six members to handle specific duties. But the structure he created has nearly every charter commissioner serving on two panels and each committee consisting of at least seven members.

Three of the four committee chairs, like Femminineo, are attorneys. All are Democrats.

In addition to Rombach's panel, the committee lineups are:

The nine-member Ethics Committee, chaired by Carrie Lynn Fuca of Harrison Township, will address rules of conduct for elected officials — and possibly county employees — that would restrict gifts and campaign contributions from those seeking to influence county government. The panel may also address other matters such as term limits and financial disclosure requirements for elected officeholders.

The 11-member Departmental Committee, chaired by James Maceroni of St. Clair Shores, will tackle the county's bureaucratic structure, seeking ways to streamline the government and consolidate departments. The panel will deal with the prospects of folding the independent public works department and road commission into the executive branch.

The seven-member Finance/Budget Committee, chaired by Nick Ciaramitaro of Roseville, will take on the task of setting tax and spending limits and establishing budgeting requirements. The one non-attorney in the group of chairs, Ciaramitaro is a former state representative and currently a top union official for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents 900 county employees.

A drafting committee, which will handle the nuts and bolts of drafting a concise document for voter approval, will be formed once the process is further along. The Charter Commission, by law, must complete its work by June 21.

In the meantime, charter commissioners are hoping the committees will get off to a fast start.

In other action, the Charter Commission approved the law firm of O'Reilly Rancilio of Sterling Heights to serve as the legal counsel for the commission's charter-writing process.

The commission also approved a budget of $533,000 to cover expenses for their 6-month process. That spending plan is in compliance with budget restrictions approved last year by the Board of Commissioners.

The budget includes $195,000 for legal expenses, a $45,000 reimbursement to the Macomb County Clerk's Office for technical assistance provided, and $75,000 for the cost of a small staff that will consist of an administrative assistant and an executive director.

Edie LaBarge, a substitute secretary for the Macomb County Circuit Court, was approved as the administrative assistant at a cost of $12,500. The executive director is expected to be chosen at the commission's next meeting Jan. 21.

The budget anticipates $108,000 in pay for the 26 charter commissioners — $50 per meeting attended for 83 sessions. But several commissioners have indicated that they will forego their pay or donate it to charity.

For more information on the Charter Commission process, log onto macombcountymi.gov/clerksoffice and click on the Macomb County Charter Commission.