Host: Stephan Currie

Guest: Jamara Green of NACo

Topic: In a special episode of Podcast 83, host Stephan Currie talks with the National Association of Counties (NACo) about a health benefit that can aid county employees and residents alike.

Jamara Green, assistant for special projects for NACo, detailed the benefits of NACo’s Live Healthy program, which provides prescription savings in partnership with CVS.

“It is offered exclusively to NACO member counties,” Green noted. “Of those counties, the residents utilize the program. So, using the program is really easy.

“Once your county is enrolled in the program, residents can visit our site, nacorx.org, enter their county name and download either a print or digital version of that prescription discount card.

“You'll visit your local pharmacy, and your pharmacist will apply between 40 percent to 80 percent in savings.”

“You mentioned it's a partnership with CVS, correct?” Currie asked, “Does that mean you have to only use it at CVS pharmacies, or … can the card be used at any pharmacy?”

“It can be used at any pharmacy,” Green replied. “CVS has been a partner of ours for more than 15 years. They do provide some flexibility, so, a lot of residents visit their local CVS, their local Walgreens, but they also visit the smaller, more independent, pharmacies, too.”

“Anyone in the county can use, or is it county employees only, or is it any residents in the counties?” Currie asked.

“Any resident in the county,” Green stated. “The only thing that we ask is that your county is a NACO member, and once the county has checked that box off, any resident within your county's jurisdiction can use the program. … We don't have any income limits, any age restrictions and no enrollment process for the residents. The program was designed for uninsured and underinsured residents.”

Green added that counties themselves can benefit through the program’s use, too.

“Those (counties that also endorse the program) receive a dollar for every prescription filed within their county jurisdiction,” she said. “So, if you have 100 prescriptions using the Live Healthy prescription card in the month of March, then CVS will write you a check for $100 in March.”
 To see if your county is a member of NACo, click here. For information on joining NACo, visit their website.

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Follow the money.

That’s theme of the newest Podcast 83 episode, which breaks down Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal, released last week.

“We've got a budget presentation from last week we want to talk about,” said host Stephan Currie. “So, let's jump right into it. Deena, do you want to kick us off a little bit on our top legislative item on the budget? We typically look at revenue sharing.

“So, again this year, we're looking at the governor recommended flat funding (on county revenue sharing),” said Deena Bosworth, MAC governmental affairs director. “There are no increases proposed.

“We've been successful in the Senate in getting increases in their versions of the budget, but as it stands right now, the governor is recommending just flat funding. (The governor pointed in her budget presentation to some other items that … help her justify no increase in revenue sharing for counties. And that is the road funding package,” Bosworth continued.

“From our perspective, the road funding package is great, absolutely, but it doesn't do anything to help a county general fund budget. Those are restricted revenues that are going to go to county road departments for roads. … So, we are disappointed in that budget recommendation.”

“We also saw a property tax exemption proposed by the governor,” Currie noted. “Deena, do you want to talk briefly about what the governor's proposing as far as property tax exemptions or cuts, and how that could possibly affect counties if it does?”

“As proposed by the governor, it would not impact local government revenue,” Bosworth replied. 

“What she's calling for is exactly what we've been calling for on the Veterans Property Tax Exemption, which is a refundable income tax credit for seniors.

“We’ve heard a lot of talk across the state for several years now on how we need property tax reform … The governor proposed a refundable income tax credit somewhere, and there's going to be income qualifications for it,” Bosworth continued. “It would probably mean about $345 for the average senior homeowner, with a cost to the state budget of about $90 million. … She's also proposing pulling $400 million out of the budget stabilization Fund, which may be a way to help pay for this refundable income tax credit for seniors.”

Also touched on in the episode, recorded Feb. 17, were:

• A proposed increase in the tipping fee for waste, which MAC has issues with.
• Proposed new taxes on gambling, vaping and advertising to shore up the Medicaid program after federal cutbacks.
• The timing of budget passage in an election year.

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Stephan Currie

Guests: Deena Bosworth, Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC

Topics: MAC’s Podcast 83 team discussed concerning trends this week as the state awaits Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s formal budget presentation on Wednesday afternoon.

“Over the weekend, we saw (Whitmer) talk about property taxes,” said Deena Bosworth, “which, you know, … I'm a little nervous about what that means.

“It’s a theme we've heard a few times now from different people,” replied host Stephan Currie.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Bosworth said. “Speaker (Matt) Hall (R-Kalamazoo) talks about it quite a bit. He talked about it again last week at his press conference. …

“We’ve been told over and over again that it would be revenue neutral, that they're not looking at decreasing the revenue available to local units of government. But you know how these things shake out, so it's something that we will watch very, very closely, and make sure that it's not any kind of cut to local property tax revenue.”

Also looming over a fiscal 2027 budget will be Medicaid resources:

“Jimmy, you've spoken to it before, we still haven't seen what the budget's going to look like as far as Medicaid goes, right? Because what are the numbers you're hearing as far as the range that it could impact the state budget?” Currie asked.

“It's a very wide range,” replied Jimmy Johnson. “It's honestly scary numbers when you hear $200 million to $600 million. I know that is a huge discrepancy, but what we have to factor in is there's different Medicaid eligibility rules that they're factoring in here, the SNAP error rates. So, again, you know, bottom line, it's going to be about $200 million that you either have to backfill it, or we have to find out what is the best service to cut so then the state can have a good return on investment. I don't want to be in their shoes for that.”

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

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Host: Deena Bosworth:
Guests: Rep. Steve Frisbie, Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Topics: Expect to see a great deal of discussion on property tax changes in 2026 but maybe not any action, said Rep. Steve Frisbie (R-Calhoun) in the latest “Legislator Spotlight” episode of Podcast 83.

Frisbie is now in his first term from the 44th House District after serving more than a decade on the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners.

Asked by host Deena Bosworth about House Speaker Matt Hall’s (R-Kalamazoo) recent comments on property tax legislation, Frisbie replied:

"What really started the whole conversation (in Lansing) was the Ax Mi Tax, movement. Not sure that's going to actually make it to the ballot with signatures, but it really did stimulate more conversation among the members in the (Republican) caucus about what could we do to make home and land ownership a heck of a lot easier for folks.

"The consistent message is, you know, it feels like we never own our property, we never own our home, that we're, you know, a couple of years away from no payment, of taxes for not having anything. So, I think Prop A was designed to, you know, kind of cap the growth and limit what was going on back in the day, but we've seen such tremendous growth in values that when homes are sold, and those property taxes come uncapped, there's tremendous growth in taxes. And that's led to a couple problems. No 1: people paying a lot higher taxes than they anticipated. And no. 2, it's contributed to this housing shortage, in that the natural evolution of a family was you start off with a starter house, you started having kids, you got a forever house, allegedly, and then your kids all moved out, and you were living in a 3- or 4- or 5-bedroom home with no kids. It's like, we don't need this. Let's downsize. Well, now you downsize, and you're going to have to go purchase property that's uncapped as well. So, it just creates this whole vacuum of, I can't afford to keep my house (and) I can't afford to sell my house and buy a new house. So, I think it really helps contribute to the shortage of housing stock ...

"But from (the government side), how do we continue to fund government, especially at the local level, without creating harm? So, I don't think there's a specific plan that I've seen yet. Just a lot of chatter about uncapping and those kinds of things that we've already talked about. So, I think you'll see some kind of plan. ... Honestly, I would be shocked if it made it all the way through and is signed by the governor in this term, but it sets a pathway of which way we want to head as a caucus."

Frisbie also spoke on:

·         Establishment of a Public Safety Trust Fund in 2025

·         Positive impacts of specialty courts, such as the sobriety court in Calhoun County

·         The need to "balance" funding between prosecutors and public defenders

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Deena Bosworth

Guests: State Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Kent) and Samantha Gibson of MAC

Topics: State Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Kent) urged county leaders to reach out more to him and his colleagues in the Legislature during 2026’s first “Legislator Spotlight” episode of Podcast 83.

“You've always been great to local units of government and wonderful to work with and talk to, so I appreciate that, and I appreciate you still maintaining that focus,” said MAC’s Deena Bosworth, filling in for Executive Director Stephan Currie as episode host.

“I think that that's really where the different levels of government really do coexist and depend on one another,” Fitzgerald replied. “It's a coexistence and a cooperation that is completely necessary to ensure that government functions well for the people.

“We could have a short-sighted policy or decision made at the state level that doesn't consider the potential impacts. And there are times where we have policies at the state level that are not the no. 1 choice of local governments … Understanding that those decisions can and will be made, but there are also times and, you know, it's necessary to include that in the decision-making process,” he continued. “And so, when I talk about the cooperation, just like I hope my congressperson calls me about what's happening in my communities, I hope that my county commissioners … call me to say, ‘I'm running into a roadblock here. They're telling me that it's something at the state level that must change before we can tackle that issue.’”

Also in the episode, Fitzgerald, who is now in his third term in the House, touched on:

The impact of changes in the House, such as the absence of a Local Government Committee and the new legislatively directed spending process

The challenges of budget constraints and the importance of place-making projects to attract and retain residents, citing examples from his district

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Stephan Currie

Guests: Deena Bosworth, Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC

Topics: Comments by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) about his 2026 priorities were a focus of this week’s episode of Podcast 83.

“The biggest one that affects our members the most is Speaker Hall is talking about property tax reform,” said Deena Bosworth.

“We don't know what this looks like. We don't know if he's talking about elimination of property taxes with a replacement of some kind of mechanism. We don't know if he's talking about getting rid of just a certain number of mills, like the state education tax, and then replacing it with something else. …

“You've got certain groups out there who are advocating for the elimination of property taxes. You've got other states that are looking at significant property tax reform. So, it isn't a new conversation, but the fact that he's making it a priority, and one of his priorities is significant. …

“The case that we (at MAC) will be making out there when they're talking about this reform is, no. 1, Michigan's property tax system is extremely restrictive. We are capped by increases of 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. We are required to do Headlee rollbacks, unless you have to go to the voters and get an override on it. …

“So whatever replacement mechanism is out there has to be able to be locally controlled, locally managed and provide enough money to actually supplement whatever is going to be taken away from property tax revenue.”

Other topics discussed in the episode include:

·         Initial projections for state General Fund revenue for the fiscal 2027 budget point to a “flat” budget compared to the current FY26 one: “For the most part, what that means is likely a flat budget, not a whole lot of extra spending or extra legislative-directed spending,” Bosworth said.

·         The legal wrangling over “work project” funding involving House leadership, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Senate appropriators: “In early December, the House Appropriations Committee cut about $645 million in work project funding,” said Samantha Gibson. “At the request of Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony, Nessel weighed in, deeming it unconstitutional.

“The House Republicans appealed that opinion by the attorney general. It's in the Court of Claims right now,” Gibson continued. “Last Friday morning was the first day of oral arguments in the case, and the judge in the Court of Claims issued a preliminary injunction. So, for now, the portion of funds (not already encumbered), which seems to be around 30 percent of that $645 million, is blocked.”

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Stephan Currie

Guests: Deena Bosworth, Jimmy Johnson and Samantha Gibson of MAC

Topics: As the Legislature prepares its 2026 work schedule, MAC’s Podcast 83 team reviewed several continuing issues from 2025 in its latest episode.

In the wake of a Court of Claims ruling on a mental health revamp planned by the state, eyes now have turned to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the lead agency on the project, said MAC’s Jimmy Johnson.

“So … what happens next? Jan. 29 is the deadline that MDHHS has to appeal this,” Johnson explained, so we're going to be watching that very closely. We could see some timelines change. … There are some rules that are impermissible with Michigan law, so now MDHHS is going to have to come up with those fixes, bring it to the judge and the judge is going to have to concur.”

“There's a lot of moving parts on that, and timeframe issues, especially when you start looking at, again, an election year and an administration change coming at the end of this year,” replied host Steve Currie. “You know, this Oct. 1 deadline that was originally put out there or the changeover … if you start putting out a new RFP, we're already halfway through January, so that extends things out. It'll be interesting to see what the department does at this point, with regards to this change.”

Governmental Affairs Director Deena Bosworth reviewed how an Attorney General’s opinion has reversed a major change in state spending sought by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo): “The Attorney General's opinion came out and said, no, (the House action) is unconstitutional; there is a separation of powers issue that once an appropriations bill passes through the House and the Senate and gets signed by the governor, then it's up to the administration to administer this. It's now a law.

“Now, all of a sudden, we've got an issue where the speaker is, going to appeal that decision … and we think there's going to be a hearing yet at the end of this week,” she added.

MAC’s Samantha Gibson gave a summary of key legislative dates in coming weeks as work will begin on the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget. 

“The first (key date) is this Friday. The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, also known as CREC, will be Jan. 16,” Gibson reported. “Following that is the governor's budget presentation, which maybe will be Feb. 12, so we'll have more insight as to what the governor's priorities are. …

“And beyond that, we have State of the State coming up on Feb. 25, so even more insight into the governor's priorities going into 2026,” she added.

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Stephan Currie
Guests: Deena Bosworth, Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Topics: MAC’s Podcast 83 team opened its 2026 schedule this week with an analysis of what will go on in Lansing this year.

The short answer: Not much.

“We recently heard from the House Fiscal Agency at a luncheon, and the numbers projected for the coming (budget) year weren't super promising,” said Samantha Gibson. “I don't think anything too detrimental, as far as the deficit goes, but definitely not what we saw a few years ago when there was a $9 billion surplus …

“(Looking) much like last year, where there was not a ton to go around … So, I think this budget season, deficit or not, will look similar to the last.”

Gibson also noted the court fight over a key element of the 2025 road funding package could further slow legislative activity in 2026: “As far as road funding alone goes, there's a question around whether the marijuana tax is going to move forward? That lawsuit is ongoing. There is uncertainty as to when Treasury is going to be able to start collecting and then distributing on the new corporate income tax, too.”

Putting the team on the spot, Currie asked all three MAC panelists whether there would be more or fewer bills enacted in 2026 than in 2025, when the Legislature set a historic low for enactments.

All three took the under, with Gibson saying as few as 30 bills, Deena Bosworth going with 56 bills and Jimmy Johnson saying 65 to 70 bills.

Also discussed in this week’s episode:

• Continuing uncertainty over which work projects were defunded via a controversial action by the House Appropriations Committee in December. “If any of our counties are concerned (about a project) … Let us know, and we'll do some digging with whichever department that lies in, and help figure it out for you,” said Bosworth ([email protected]).
• Ongoing litigation over an RFP by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to alert the oversight of local mental health services.

“As of right now, we're still in a waiting game,” said Johnson. “The last time that the judge met and gave his final meeting was on Dec. 8, 2025.”

“It’s kind of surprising it's taken this long, to be honest,” said host Steve Currie. “The way the judge was initially speaking when he had his final hearing … it was sounding like he wanted to have a quick decision, so, interesting that it has taken this long.”

Note: MAC has placed a proposal with MDHHS on this project. Learn more here.

• The legislative calendar for the first few months of 2026, including the first Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, set for Jan. 16; a budget presentation from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for fiscal year 2027, date still not set; and, of course, the governor’s State of the State Address, which is expected on Feb. 25.

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Stephan Currie
Guests: Deena Bosworth, Jimmy Johnson and Samantha Gibson of MAC
Topics: In its final episode of 2025, the Podcast 83 team discussed the flurry of legislative activity that struck Lansing around Dec. 18.

“It's the holiday season, and we finished up the year. Before we get into specific bills … I think they passed something like 25 bills last week. Which was more, I think, than the rest of the year, is that correct?” host Stephan Currie asked.

“That might be. It's a very low number (for the year),” replied Samantha Gibson.

“And definitely the most in one day (in 2025),” added Jimmy Johnson.
“So, they had a record-setting day on Thursday, and then, yeah, so it was an uneventful year, eventful day. Let's talk a little bit about some of the things they did do that affect us,” Currie said.

Among issues discussed were:

•Senate passage of House Bill 4726, which extends the “Maintenance of Effort” funding framework for county-owned Medical Care Facilities for five years. “Good work on that, Jimmy. It took an unbelievable amount of tender, loving care to get that done on such a simple bill, but hey, that's the world we live in right now,” said Currie.
•Growing concerns about the huge road funding package passed this fall, which relies on a new marijuana wholesale tax. “So, the latest information that we have is that the Department of Treasury is likely not going to start collecting on the taxes that go into effect on Jan. 1 until December of 2026, which means they wouldn't be distributed until January 2027,” Gibson reported.
•The state budget cycle for fiscal year 2027, which is expected to be chaotic, as a $400 million reduction in General Fund resources looms and distrust between the Republican-led House and Democratic Senate lingers.
•The potential for major property tax changes in calendar 2026, a goal identified by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo).

Also in this final episode of 2025, the MAC team gives an extensive critique of ― and interesting theory about ― the officiating and results from the Detroit Lions game with Pittsburgh on Dec. 21.

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org

Host: Stephan Currie

Guests: Deena Bosworth, Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC

Topics: A surprising move by the House Appropriations Committee and the potential new financial reporting requirement for commissioners topped the latest regular report from Lansing by the Podcast 83 team.

“You never know these days in town, but, last week, at the end of the week, we had some fireworks, that have to do with work projects, how they're funded, where the money goes,” said host Stephan Currie. “So, let's talk a little bit about that. Let's talk about the process, what happened, what we know, what we don't know.

“What we saw this week was the House Appropriations Committee cancel all kinds of work projects that were previously approved by the Appropriations Committee, and signed by the governor, so these are things that people get grants for,” replied Deena Bosworth. “So, whether it's, you know, a park, a special building or an infrastructure project in people's districts ― these are what we call work projects.

“And we saw the House Appropriations Committee cancel over $600 million of them last week. And they can do that, unilaterally.

“The only way to really get them back,” Bosworth continued, “is for the Legislature to act to do a transfer package. Which we see on a regular basis. Or to do a supplemental budget appropriation.

“But with the way the House and the Senate are getting along with each other, and the fact that the House unilaterally acted to cut all of these work projects without the input of the Senate … It's a little bit concerning. Not sure how well that bodes for a supplemental budget bill.”

Steve “Well, let's move on a little bit. So, Deena, there were some bills that came up last week that have to do with financial reporting for county commissioners.”

“A bill introduced by Rep. Donnie Steele of Oakland County, House Bill 5091, received testimony last week. What that bill does is it says is county commissioners in larger counties, so those counties that have a population of 150,000 or more, must comply with the same financial reporting requirements that state legislators have …”

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org