Commissioners approved the acceptance of $455,000 in federal stimulus funds – from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) – to pay for weatherization assistance. The funds were originally granted to other municipalities but weren’t used, and are being redistributed. Washtenaw County has already been granted $4.3 million in weatherization funds from 2009-2011, and has finished work on 611 residences. The new funding will pay for about 70 additional residences. The services – including home inspections, refrigerator efficiency testing and consumer education – are available to residents with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. That’s $23,448 for a single person, or $45,088 for a family of four.

The board also approved a grant application to fund a summer food program for children. Nearly $116,000 in federal funds, distributed through the state Dept. of Education, are available to pay for breakfasts, lunches and snacks to low-income children at 30 sites throughout the county.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

At their meeting last week on May 18, Washtenaw County commissioners had postponed action on a request to approve a $1 million loan application to the state Dept. of Environmental Quality for brownfield cleanup at the former Georgetown Mall site. Developers were asking to use the county’s full faith and credit as a guarantee for the loan – a request that caused concern over entering into a relationship with a private developer that might pose a financial risk for the county.

The board was expected to take up the request again at their June 1 meeting, along with consideration of a broader public-private investment policy they’re developing, which was also postponed from the May 18 meeting. But now that there’s no loan in play, commissioners seemed inclined to defer action on the policy as well, giving the county’s attorney more time to analyze the issue.

Other items previewed from the June 1 agenda include: (1) five drain projects in the city of Ann Arbor that require bonds backed by the county’s full faith and credit, totaling $6.54 million; (2) acceptance of $455,000 in federal stimulus funds for the county’s weatherization program, which has already received over $4 million in grants over the past three years, and (3) approval of a new public health medical director. The current director, Diana Torres-Burgos, recently announced her resignation – she’ll be leaving her job at the end of June.

Agenda Briefings Resurrected – For Now

Tuesday’s briefing, attended by five of the 11 commissioners, marks a modified resumption of sessions that were previously held prior to every board meeting to review the upcoming agenda. Those administrative briefings were eliminated in February of 2011, after some commissioners objected to the fact that they weren’t sufficiently in public view.

Even though the informal briefings were public meetings, properly noticed under the Michigan Open Meetings Act and attended regularly by The Chronicle, they were held in a small conference room and – unlike other meetings of the board – were not televised.

Earlier this month, the board resurrected the briefings – at least for the summer – with the first one held on Tuesday to preview the June 1 agenda. In the summer, the board works on a reduced schedule, holding its Ways & Means Committee, regular board and working session meetings only once a month, rather than the twice-monthly schedule that’s in place the rest of the year. Additional briefings for the summer meetings are set for June 28 and July 26. The board will decide later whether to continue the briefings into the fall.

The briefings begin at 4 p.m. in the county boardroom at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor, and are recorded for broadcast on Community Television Network and on the county’s website.

Packard Square Loan, Public-Private Policy

At Tuesday’s briefing, the draft agenda for the June 1 meeting still included an item to vote on the public-private partnership investment policy being developed in large part to address the Packard Square loan request. When commissioners were told that the developers no longer planned to seek the state loan, the question became this: Did the board still want to keep the policy item on the agenda?

Board chair Conan Smith asked what the implication would be to eliminating the state loan – the brownfield plan approved by the board on May 18 assumes the $1 million loan will be part of that project. Commissioner Yousef Rabhi, who serves on the county’s brownfield redevelopment authority board, said the developers would need to seek a private loan if they intended to keep the brownfield plan as is – otherwise, they’d need to seek approval from the board to amend the brownfield plan.

Regarding the public-private policy, Curtis Hedger – the county’s corporation counsel – told commissioners that he’d sent the draft policy to John Axe for review. Axe, of the Grosse Pointe Farms law firm Axe & Ecklund, provides bond counsel and other legal services to the county on a contract basis. Hedger said Axe would be providing feedback, but couldn’t attend the June 1 meeting – he’d be celebrating his wedding anniversary.

Leah Gunn questioned the need for the policy at all. Aside from Packard Square, she couldn’t remember the county ever being asked by a developer to back a loan. Typically, the county’s full faith and credit is used for public projects.

Hedger cited the Broadway Village at Lower Town project in Ann Arbor as a similar situation, but noted that it didn’t move forward. He clarified that with the Packard Square loan, the county wouldn’t have been entering into a direct relationship with a developer – it’s illegal to extend the county’s full faith and credit to a private entity, he said. Rather, the relationship would have been between the county and the state, which was providing the loan through a program for brownfield projects. The county’s involvement benefits the developer only indirectly, he said.

County commissioner Leah Gunn, after the May 24 agenda briefing. She recently announced her intent not to run for re-election in 2012. Redistricting would have put her into the same district as incumbent and fellow Democrat Yousef Rabhi, whom she says she'll support in his re-election bid.

The county needs to make sure that whatever policy is adopted is crafted precisely, Hedger said, so that they deal with any type of public-private partnership legally.

Gunn said she didn’t think they should waste time on developing a policy – they won’t be encountering this type of situation regularly. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” she said.

Smith observed that he’d made a considerable time investment in it so far – after a special working session on May 17 to discuss the issue, he’d worked up a draft policy that was brought to the May 18 meeting, though it was ultimately postponed.

“Sometimes you have to let it go,” Gunn advised.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. speculated that there will likely be more public-private projects proposed in the future. He wanted to make sure they didn’t create a policy too quickly that would hurt the county down the road. He said he wasn’t in a mood to rush it through.

The consensus among commissioners who attended the briefing was to pull the item from the June 1 agenda, and possibly bring it back to the board at a later date.

Full Faith and Credit – Public Works Projects

The issue of full faith and credit came up again in relation to five requests from the county’s water resources commissioner, on the June 1 agenda for initial approval. The projects, which require the county to back bond payments totaling up to $6.54 million, are all located in Ann Arbor:

• Allen Creek drain cistern installation, downspout disconnection and tree planting – up to $330,000.
• County Farm drain stream bank stabilization – up to $1.2 million.
• Malletts Creek drain/Burns Park porous alley; Malletts Creek cistern installation, downspout disconnection, and tree planting; and Malletts Creek stream bank stabilization – up to $3.48 million.
• Swift Run cistern installation, downspout disconnection, and tree planting – up to $75,000.
• Traver Creek cistern installation, downspout disconnection, and tree planting; and Traver Creek stream bank stabilization – up to $780,000.

Bonds would be repaid from special assessments to the city of Ann Arbor. For the County Farm, Malletts Creek and Traver Creek projects, special assessments would also be made to the state and county.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. asked why the city of Ann Arbor couldn’t guarantee the bonds with its full faith and credit, since the projects are all located in that city. Conan Smith explained that these improvements are being made to county drain systems within the city. As such, the county is allowed to create special assessment districts, like any other public works project, he said.

Smith added his thanks to the staff of the water resources commissioner for preparing these projects in time for the June 1 meeting. He said that he and Sizemore had made a commitment to ensuring that – as much as possible – items didn’t get considered for initial and final approval on the same night.

Agenda items are first brought to the Ways & Means Committee, chaired by Sizemore and consisting of the entire board, for an initial vote. They are then forwarded to the regular board meeting, chaired by Smith, for a final vote. The meetings are held back-to-back, but items from Ways & Means typically aren’t considered on the same night – they are forwarded to the board meeting that’s held two weeks later – or, on the summer schedule, a month later. The intent is to allow for more time for commissioners to reflect on the items between casting their initial and final votes.

Departmental Reorganization

An effort is in the works to consolidate three county departments: the office of community development (OCD), ETCS (the employment training and community services department) and the economic development & energy department. Commissioners were briefed on this reorganization at their May 5, 2011 working session, with the expectation that it would be brought to the board for approval at the June 1 meeting.

At the May 24 agenda briefing, however, Joanna Bidlack – a county administration staffer who leads the briefings – said the item had been pulled from the June 1 meeting. She reported that Diane Heidt, the county’s human resources and labor relations director, had met with union leaders earlier in the day and they had asked for more time to assess the change. Now, the plan is to bring the reorganization to the board’s July 6 meeting for initial approval, with a final vote on Aug. 3.

Community Corrections Grant

Commissioners will be asked to approve a grant application for the county’s community corrections program, operated by the sheriff’s office. The grant of $421,801 – for the period from Oct. 1, 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012 – is only a portion of the program’s $1.01 million budget. Other revenues include $215,983 from the county’s general fund, $76,386 from the program’s fund balance, and an estimated $295,890 in program-generated revenues, including fees from tethering and drug testing.

Programs run by community corrections are designed in part to provide sentencing alternatives to the Washtenaw County Trial Court. Programs include pre-trial screening, drug testing, electronic tethering, supervised release, and educational efforts, such as the “Thinking Matters” program offered in partnership with the nonprofit Dawn Farm.

Weatherization, Food Grants

Two items on the June 1 agenda relate to the county’s employment training and community services (ETCS) department.

Commissioners will be asked to accept $455,000 in federal stimulus funds – from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) – to pay for weatherization assistance. The funds were originally granted to other municipalities but weren’t used, and are being redistributed.

Washtenaw County has already been granted $4.3 million in weatherization funds from 2009-2011, and has finished work on 611 residences. The new funding will pay for about 70 additional residences. The services – including home inspections, refrigerator efficiency testing and consumer education – are available to residents with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. That’s $23,448 for a single person, or $45,088 for a family of four.

ETCS is also asking the board to approve a grant application to fund a summer food program for children. Nearly $116,000 in federal funds, distributed through the state Dept. of Education, are available to pay for breakfasts, lunches and snacks to low-income children at 30 sites throughout the county. Kelly Belknap, interim deputy county administrator, told commissioners that more details about the exact sites will be available by the June 1 meeting.

Public Health Medical Director

Diana Torres-Burgos, the county’s public health medical director, recently announced her resignation – she’ll be leaving her job at the end of June.

On the June 1 agenda is an item asking commissioners to approve the hire of a new medical director. However, there were no additional details available at the May 24 briefing. The board will be asked to make both an initial and final vote that same night.

[After the briefing, interim deputy county administrator Kelly Belknap told The Chronicle that interviews with three finalists are being held this week – no decision has yet been made on a hire.]

Conan Smith objected to the process, saying it was a nightmare to handle it this way, because it gave the board and public no opportunity to vet a senior level staff position. Leah Gunn pointed out that no one from the public ever comments on the medical director appointment. It’s not a nightmare, she said. Smith allowed that perhaps he was just in a grumpy mood.

Belknap explained that the public health department needs a doctor on staff – if they don’t get final approval at the June 1 meeting, the appointment would have to wait until the July 6 meeting, and there’d be a gap between the departure of Torres-Burgos at the end of June. Medicare services provided by the county – including immunizations and the maternal infant health program – require that a licensed medical doctor on staff bill Medicare, via the state, for reimbursement.

Next regular board meeting: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the county administration building, 220 N. Main St. The Ways & Means Committee meets first, followed immediately by the regular board meeting. [confirm date] (Though the agenda states that the regular board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m., it usually starts much later – times vary depending on what’s on the agenda.) Public comment sessions are held at the beginning and end of each meeting.

The Washtenaw County administration building at the northeast corner of Main and Ann streets might be renamed the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. (Photo by the writer.)

Conan Smith defended the resolution, which would name the building at 200 N. Main St. the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. He called Guenzel’s 37-year tenure “remarkable,” saying his length of service and number of accomplishments makes him worthy of the honor. But Prater questioned the process and fairness of the decision, asking, “Who’s being overlooked?”

Also at Wednesday’s briefing, incoming county administrator Verna McDaniel announced her decision to hire Bill Reynolds as deputy administrator. He was one of two finalists who’d been in town earlier this month for a full day of interviews. The board will be asked to approve the hire at its June 2 meeting.

To mark her promotion to county administrator, McDaniel will be honored at a reception prior to the May 19 board meeting, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at 220 N. Main St.

After last Wednesday’s briefing, commissioners also held a caucus to discuss appointments to nine county boards and commissions. They’ll vote on the appointments at their May 19 meeting, and if the consensus reached at caucus holds, it will result in turnover on the county’s historic district commission.

And a dearth of applications for the workforce development board prompted a discussion of the importance of that group, which helps oversee the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETCS) department. Among other things, ETCS is handling roughly $4 million in stimulus funds to weatherize local homes, and commissioner Ken Schwartz raised concerns over the effectiveness of that effort.

Naming a Building: What’s the Policy?

During Wednesday’s administrative briefing, a draft copy of the board’s May 19 agenda included a resolution under “new business” to rename the building at 200 N. Main St. the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. Built in 2000, the four-story structure houses several departments, including offices of the prosecuting attorney, treasurer, and county clerk, register of deeds and vital records.

McDaniel told commissioners that she’d prefer to bring the resolution from the floor, rather than have it included in the agenda. The agenda now posted online reflects that request – the resolution is no longer listed.

Most of the discussion about the naming took place during the appointments caucus which immediately followed Wednesday’s briefing, and which wasn’t attended by McDaniel. Wes Prater asked how the proposal had surfaced, and was told by board chair Rolland Sizemore Jr. that it had been suggested by commissioners Leah Gunn and Barbara Bergman. Neither Gunn nor Bergman attended Wednesday’s briefing or caucus.

Prater indicated that naming a building after an employee wasn’t appropriate without discussing the criteria used. “We’ve got a lot of good employees,” he said.

Ken Schwartz pointed to the county’s Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center as an example of a building named in someone’s honor. Murray was a county commissioner – an elected position – who was the driving force behind starting the county parks system.

Conan Smith said there wasn’t a policy about naming facilities. “It’s an honor more than a process,” he said. In that case, Prater replied, it becomes a question of fairness. He wondered who’s being overlooked, and said it seemed like a done deal without any discussion.

Smith said that Guenzel’s service has been remarkable, both in length and accomplishments. He served 37 years with the county, including 15 years as county administrator, and has taken on many leadership roles in the community during that tenure. Among other things, he was instrumental in developing the county’s Blueprint to End Homelessness and in leading the effort to build the Delonis Center, a homeless shelter located in Ann Arbor. Last December he announced his retirement, which took effect May 14.

Prater said if the resolution comes to the floor at the May 19 meeting, he plans to air his concerns.

Deputy County Administrator Hired, Finance Director on Hold

During Wednesday’s administrative briefing, Verna McDaniel – the incoming county administrator – told commissioners that she has made an offer to Bill Reynolds for the position of deputy county administrator, at a salary of $138,000. He accepted the position, she said, and plans to start on June 21. Commissioners will be asked to approve the appointment at their June 2 meeting.

Bill Reynolds, right, talks with Washtenaw County commissioner Wes Prater during a May 5 reception in the lobby of the county administration building. Reynolds is being hired as deputy county administrator.

Reynolds and another finalist for the position, Jose Reyes, spent the day on May 5 being interviewed by county management and others. McDaniel said the feedback in favor of Reynolds was nearly unanimous.

Until resigning to take the Washtenaw County job, Reynolds was chief administrative officer for Chippewa County, Wisc. He served as chief of staff for Republican-turned-Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and led the teams that oversaw the Senate confirmation hearings of both Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sam Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served in Iraq in 2004 with a Marine Corps reserve unit, and was a senior officer leading civil/military operations in Al Anbar province. He has a masters degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University – McDaniel has the same degree from Harvard.

McDaniel, who was deputy administrator until being promoted to county administrator when Guenzel retired, said Reynolds’ style is very different from hers, but that they complement each other. Because of his experience running a county himself, “he can hit the ground running,” she told commissioners at Wednesday’s briefing.

Commissioner Ken Schwartz asked about the status of McDaniels’ search for a finance director. That position is vacant following the retirement of former finance director Peter Ballios at the end of 2009. McDaniel said she’s decided not to make a hire until Reynolds comes on board. There might be opportunities to restructure, she said, and she wanted his advice.

Rolland Sizemore Jr., the county board’s chair, told McDaniel he wanted her and Reynolds to attend an Ypsilanti Township board meeting and be introduced as the county’s new top administrators. He said he wanted to go along as well, and he invited the other commissioners who represent parts of Ypsilanti Township – Ronnie Peterson and Wes Prater. It was important to reach out to other government leaders, he said, adding that he wanted to go to the board of Superior Township as well – his district includes a small portion of that township.

Conan Smith said it would be a good idea to do the same thing for the Ann Arbor city council. He noted that councilmembers “might fall over dead if someone from the county showed up at one of their meetings.”

Other Agenda Items: Road Commission, Police Services Lawsuit

Several items were on the draft agenda but were not discussed in detail at Wednesday’s briefing. Here’s a sampling.

Setting the County Operating Millage

At the May 19 meeting of the Ways & Means Committee, on which all commissioners serve, they’ll vote on a resolution to set the 2010 Washtenaw County operating millage. It will be levied in property owners’ July tax bills and is unchanged from last year, at 4.5493 mills. Commissioners will take a final vote on the millage at their June 2 board meeting.

When other millages are factored in, the total county millage is 5.6768 mills. In addition to the operating millage, these other taxes are levied in July:

County Parks (expires 2016):    0.2353
County Parks (expires 2019):    0.2367
Natural Areas (expires 2011):   0.2409
Enhanced Emergency Communications System
  800 MHZ (expires 2015):       0.2000
Huron-Clinton Metro Authority:  0.2146

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Later this year, the board will also be asked to approve a veterans relief millage and Act 88 millage (for economic development purposes), which will both be levied in December.

Setting a Public Hearing for Possible Road Commission Expansion

Conan Smith had previously attempted to set a public hearing for expanding the Washtenaw County Road Commission from three commissioners to five. At the board’s April 21, 2010 meeting, he moved a resolution to set the hearing for May 19. At the time, he told commissioners it wasn’t a decision on whether to expand – setting the public hearing was just a way to start the conversation. [The county board is responsible for appointing the road commissioners to six-year terms. Currently serving are David Rutledge, Douglas Fuller and Fred Veigel.]

The resolution was supported by Leah Gunn, Barbara Bergman and Jeff Irwin, but several other commissioners opposed the timing of the move, saying they wanted more time to discuss it. Ken Schwartz proposed tabling the resolution until the May 19 meeting, and that motion carried.

So on the agenda for the May 19 board meeting is a resolution to set the public hearing on the road commission expansion for the Wednesday, July 7 meeting. During the summer months, the county commissioners meet only once a month, so further action on the expansion wouldn’t likely occur until the Aug. 4 meeting at the earliest – after the Aug. 3 primary elections.

Closed Session to Discuss Pending Litigation

The board will hold a closed executive session at the end of their May 19 board meeting to get an update on the lawsuit between the county and the townships of Augusta, Salem and Ypsilanti. The townships sued the county in 2006 over the cost of sheriff deputy patrols. In late April, the state Supreme Court refused to reconsider a motion made by the townships to hear the case. [See Chronicle coverage: "Townships Lose Again in Deputy Patrol Case"] The county planned to ask for a judgment to cover costs of providing patrols to the townships without a contract for most of 2006 – potentially around $2 million.

At Wednesday’s briefing, the county’s corporation counsel told commissioners that a June 2 hearing has been set regarding the judgment request.

Changes to Natural Areas Preservation Program Ordinance

At their April 22, 2010 working session, commissioners were briefed on proposed changes to the county’s Natural Areas Preservation Program, which would help the county protect more land that’s being used for farming. At their May 19 meeting, they’ll be voting on those changes.

The 10-year NAPP millage expires this year, and commissioners will need to decide whether to put a renewal for it on the November ballot. The current millage, which raises about $3 million annually to preserve natural areas in the county, expires at the end of 2010.

Appointments Caucus

Two times a year, the county board approves appointments to the many boards, committees and commissions that oversee various county programs and activities. The official job of nominating people falls to the board chair, with nominations confirmed by a vote of the board. Prior to the board meeting when this occurs, an appointments caucus is held to discuss potential candidates. That caucus happened immediately after the board’s May 12 administrative briefing.

Appointments to nine groups were discussed, with consensus reached on all but one group – the local emergency planning committee. Here are the tentative appointments, based on Wednesday’s caucus:

• Accommodations Ordinance Commission: Shary Brown, Shari Faulhaber
• Agricultural Lands Preservation Advisory Committee: Charlie Koenn
• Brownfield Development Authority: Teresa Gillotti, Mark Heusel
• Emergency Medical Services Commission: Ashley Cieslinski, Eric Copeland
• Natural Areas Technical Advisory Committee: Rane Curl, David Lutton
• Public Works Board: Ruth Ann Jamnick
• Workforce Development Board: Sean Duval

For the local emergency planning committee, 13 positions are open, but only four people applied. Of those, commissioners agreed to appoint two: Samantha Brandfon and Ashley Cieslinski. There were some conflict of interest concerns regarding the other two applicants, so commissioners agreed to hold off on any decision for those appointments.

In addition, agreement was reached on four appointments for the historic district commission: Chuck Gray, Jean King, Elmer White and Ron Woods. All but Woods are reappointments. Two other HDC commissioners who reapplied – Martha Churchill and Nancy Snyder – will not be reappointed, if the recommendations made at caucus are approved.

During Wednesday’s caucus, some commissioners discussed the view that the HDC hasn’t been an extremely functional group. Conan Smith said that while commission members all care passionately about the historic district, there’s been internal fighting, primarily between White and Churchill. The HDC has potential to play a role in economic development by highlighting the county’s historical assets, Smith said, but it hasn’t to date fulfilled that function.

Ken Schwartz described White as the “heart and soul” behind the effort to organize a permanent display of a model of the USS Washtenaw, the most highly decorated ship of the Vietnam War. The consensus was to reappoint White. Smith noted that the appointment of Woods would add diversity – he would be the only minority on the commission.

Workforce Development Board and Weatherization

Sean Duval, CEO of Golden Limousine in Ann Arbor, was the only applicant for the workforce development board, though there are five openings – when full, there are 13 seats on the board. He was recommended for the position by the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

Wes Prater said the commissioners need to give the workforce development board more attention, given its oversight role. It’s one of the two primary boards – along with the community action board – that oversee the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETSC) department.

Jeff Irwin agreed with Prater, saying it was especially true given the recent change in leadership and influx of federal stimulus dollars. [Trenda Rusher, the long-time head of ETCS, retired at the end of 2009 after nearly 30 years with the county. The department is being led by interim executive director Patricia Denig.]

ETCS has been successful in garnering millions of dollars in federal stimulus funding, including $4.29 million for a program to weatherize 600 homes for low- to moderate-income families over a three-year period. That grant was announced in March 2009.

Ken Schwartz expressed concern with the weatherization program, and told commissioners the county needs to hire an objective third-party inspector to start doing spot checks on the work. He said some of the work he’s seen has not been good – a simple audit would tell the commissioners whether the program is working, he said. He asked to schedule a working session on the issue. “It bears looking at,” he said.

Schwartz has raised concerns about the weatherization program at several board meetings over the past few months, primarily pushing for faster implementation of the program. Other commissioners have asked questions as well. At an April 8, 2010 working session during which commissioners were updated on how the county’s stimulus funding was being spent, Prater asked how many local contractors were being used for the weatherization program. Staff didn’t have an answer at the time, but on Wednesday Prater said he’d been told that of the 16 or so contractors being used, only four or five were based in Washtenaw County – that concerned him.

At a Feb. 18, 2010 working session, Conan Smith had asked whether the weatherization program at ETCS might be moved to the newly created department of energy and economic development. That issue was brought up again at Wednesday’s discussion by Schwartz, who said there had been no coordination with the new energy office.

Regarding the quality of the weatherization work, on Wednesday Irwin said it would help to get data on how effective the program is. Having that information could also help the county get future grants, he said. Smith suggested getting homeowners to sign a release from DTE, so that the county could have access to their usage records and could track how much savings are gained from weatherizing homes.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. wrapped up the discussion, saying, “It’s something we will address.”

Candidates for County Commission

Alice Ralph, a Democrat who’s running for the District 11 seat that will be vacated by Jeff Irwin, attended Wednesday’s briefing – she has attended several briefings over the past few months, as well as regular board meetings. Irwin is not seeking reelection and is instead running for the state representative’s seat in District 53.

May 11 was the deadline to file for the Aug. 3 primary, and all but one of the board’s 11 districts face competition either in the primary or the November general election. Here’s a rundown of the candidates:

District 1 (Chelsea, Dexter, and the townships of Lyndon, Sylvan, Dexter and Lima, and portions of Webster and Scio townships) This seat is currently held by Republican Mark Ouimet, who will be running for state representative in District 52.

Eric Borregard (D)
Reid McCarthy (D)
Adam Zemke (D)
Kathy Jane Keinath (R)
Rob Turner (R)

District 2 (the townships of Ann Arbor, Superior, Salem and Northfield, and portions of Webster Township)

Ken Schwartz (D-Incumbent)
Ben H. Colmery III (R)
Dan Smith (R)

District 3 (the cities of Saline and Manchester, and townships of Saline, Lodi, Freedom, Bridgewater, Sharon and Manchester, and a portion of Scio Township) The seat is currently held by Jessica Ping, who isn’t seeking reelection. Alicia Ping is her sister.

Alicia Ping (R)

District 4 (the city of Milan, the townships of York and Augusta, and portions of Ypsilanti Township)

Wes Prater (D-Incumbent)
Rick Roe (D)
Robert Van Bemmelen (R)

District 5 (portions of Superior and Ypsilanti townships)

Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-Incumbent)
Daniel K. Benefiel (R)
Bill Emmerich (R)

District 6 (Ypsilanti and portions of Ypsilanti Township)

Mark Namatevs (D)
Ronnie Peterson (D-Incumbent)
David H. Raaflaub (R)

District 7 (Pittsfield Township)

Kristin Judge (D-Incumbent)
Sean Gray (R)

District 8 (northeast Ann Arbor)

Barbara Levin Bergman (D-Incumbent)
Melinda Day (R)

District 9 (south and southwest Ann Arbor)

Leah Gunn (D-Incumbent)
Mark Tipping (R)

District 10 (west and northwest Ann Arbor)

Danielle Mack (D)
Conan Smith (D-Incumbent)

District 11 (central and east Ann Arbor)

LuAnne Bullington (D)
Mike Fried (D)
Yousef Rabhi (D)
Alice Ralph (D)
Joe Baublis (R)
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Contact information for the candidates can be found on the county elections website.

To ramp up for this influx of federal funding, the program will be hiring staff for the duration of the grant, which runs from April 1, 2009 through Sept. 30, 2010. Aaron Kraft, program coordinator, said there are two full-time employees now (including him), plus a private contractor who does inspections. Kraft expects they’ll need seven full-time staff in the office to handle outreach and applications, four more inspectors and double the number of general contractors that they use to work on these projects.

In addition to the increased number of houses they’ll be able to serve, the amount that can be spent per house has roughly doubled, Kraft said. Not including administrative costs, about $4,500 will be available for each home. The program covers houses, mobile homes, townhomes and condominiums, but not usually apartments in large complexes, Kraft said.

Those funds pay for an energy audit/home inspection, which reveals ways in which a home’s energy efficiency can be improved. That includes a “blower door” test to depressurize the house – basically, taking a powerful fan and sucking out the air to exaggerate the effects of air leakage through cracks around doors and windows. They’ll also do a meter reading on the refrigerator – if it’s an energy hog, the program might pay to replace it with a more efficient model.

For many homes, Kraft said, installing insulation in the attic, walls and foundation “gets the most bang for your buck.” They replace all light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, but they don’t often replace windows – that’s often beyond the program’s budget, and it’s not where you’ll see the most energy savings, he said, calling that a myth generated by Wallside Windows.

The inspection also looks at general health and safety issues, like whether there are adequate smoke detectors. They’ll also check to make sure there’s no carbon monoxide emissions from a faulty furnace or hot water heater.

Federal guidelines, based on poverty levels, have changed for income eligibility, Kraft said, so more people qualify for the weatherization program. You automatically qualify for assistance if you’re receiving Michigan bridge cards (formerly known as food stamps), or if you receive supplemental security income (SSI). Priority is given to the disabled, elderly and families below 125% of the federal poverty level, Kraft said.

Beyond that, you qualify if you fall at or below these annual income levels:

• 1-person household: $21,660
• 2-person household: $29,140
• 3-person household: $36,620
• 4-person household: $44,100
• 5-person household: $51,580
• 6-person household: $59,060
• 7-person household: $66,540
• 8-person household: $74,020
• (For each additional person, add $7,480)

Income is calculated going back the previous 90 days, so if someone was making more than these levels but has been laid off recently, they might qualify.

The grant is part of a much larger amount expected for Washtenaw County from federal stimulus bills passed in 2008 and earlier this year. Other federal funding, such as $3 million for the purchase and rehab of foreclosed property, was discussed at the March 4 Board of Commissioners meeting, where some county staff members mentioned the weatherization funds and pointed The Chronicle to Kraft.

Much of the federal funding hasn’t been allocated with specific dollar amounts, so in that way the weatherization program is ahead of the game. The funds flow from the U.S. Department of Energy, and are administered locally via the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETCS) department out of its Harriet Street office in Ypsilanti.

Handling such a dramatic increase will be challenging, Kraft said. In the past, they’ve relied on word of mouth and local nonprofits or community organizations to make referrals. Or people might be made aware of the program when they call the county’s 2-1-1 information line. They’ll probably change their approach to outreach, he said, in order to get more people enrolled.

So what if the program doesn’t spend all the funds?

“Oh … not an option,” Kraft said.

If you think you qualify or would like more information, call the weatherization program 734.544.2948.