County Board OKs Workforce Items

The Washtenaw County board of commissioners approved several items related to funding for workforce development programs, administered by the county’s office of community and economic development. The votes took place at the board’s July 11, 2012 meeting.

The board approved an annual employment services plan for programs provided at the Michigan Works! Career Transition Center in Ypsilanti. [.pdf of employment services plan] The plan is required in order to receive federal funding, allocated by the state’s Workforce Development Agency. This year, the county will receive $470,755 for the period from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.

Also approved was the county’s application for $2,548,864 in funding for federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs for adults, dislocated workers, and youth from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. That’s a decrease from $2,995,151 awarded in the previous fiscal year.

The county board also approved the receipt of an additional $350,000 from the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Dislocated Worker program – funds that were unspent by other entities from a fiscal 2010 federal program, and that are being reallocated. For a similar reason, additional federal funding was also available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Regional Economic Impact Workforce Investment Act National Emergency Grant. The county will receive $258,919 more than originally budgeted to provide employment services for displaced workers.

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