Happy Thanksgiving!
Turkey. Cranberries. Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. And, of course, we can't forget thanks. That sounds like a great Thanksgiving to us. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy Thanksgiving Prosper readers.
Holly
Have You Seen Our New Feature Yet?
Last issue we rolled out a new feature to the Prosper newsletter. If you scroll down, below the featured stories, you'll see our workforce section. Each issue we'll display three jobs landed, three jobs available, as well as three internships that are up for grabs -- and they are all in Oakland County.
Oakland County introduces voting reminder emails
Oakland County is using cyberspace methods to get more real people voting in the next election cycle.Its latest innovation is to send out an email reminder to voters two weeks before elections and then again on election days. The reminder will also include a bevy of other information voters can use to make the process easier."It's kind of like an electronic post-it note," says Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds.The emails will be sent out before all local, school, state, and federal elections and will link to the clerk's website. The site will feature a list of candidates and ballot proposals, campaign finance reports, polling locations, and instructional videos for using voting machines.It will also feature a new election reporting system that reveals results in real time. Also included will be information on voter registration and on how to become a poll worker, and a link to the state's Voter Information Center."This is just one more tool in the tool box," Johnson says.For information on these new systems, click here.Source: Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of DeedsWriter: Jon Zemke
Main Street Oakland County Welcomes New Communities
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is pleased to announce that Waterford Township and South Lyon have joined the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) Mentoring Program.
Oakland County workshop focuses on green downtowns
The last of three workshops aimed at the revitalization of downtowns in Oakland County is set to go down on Friday, August 14.The "Lead Your Downtown from Brown to Green" workshop will focus on tackling sustainability issues, such as historic preservation and eco-friendly development. "As the title says, we're trying to take downtowns from brown to green by letting them (local stakeholders) know what they can do in this economy," says Bob Donahue, executive director of Main Street Oakland County.A number of topics, including how to make best use of brownfield sites, effective historic preservation, and how to incorporate green-building practices, such as LEED standards, will be covered. Other subjects will include tapping into farmers markets, the cost-effectiveness of LED lights, and how best to employ urban forestry.Main Street Oakland County is encouraging local architects, planners, preservationists, developers, city officials, and community activists to attend. The cost is $75 per person. The workshop will be held between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph, in Waterford. Source: Bob Donahue, executive director of Main Street Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke
Oakland County pushes for land bank to deal with foreclosures
Oakland County is beginning to publish its stock of foreclosed buildings electronically to prepare them for auction. However, at least one Oakland County official would like to see this process changed -- with a land bank.Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner sees a number of things wrong with the auction process. It's why he is pushing for Oakland County to form a land bank, as many other Michigan communities have done, to handle its problem properties."There are some perils with the auction approach," Meisner says.For instance, speculators are scooping large batches of these homes and, at best, turning them into rentals. More than people like to admit end up falling further into blight and becoming eyesores, weakening what were once otherwise strong neighborhoods. Meisner says this sort of speculation is the junk food of the real estate market, supplying short-term profits at the expense of long-term investment."We're rolling up our sleeves and trying to get families in those houses," Meisner says.He adds that a land bank gives local officials the power to package parcels and sell them to a developer or even ensure that individual buildings end up in the hands of local residents. Right now he is trying to build up awareness about the idea, and hopes to begin a legislative push for one later this year.Source: Oakland County Treasurer Andy MeisnerWriter: Jon Zemke
Great Downtowns: Seven Main Street Oakland County Communities Honored
Seven Main Street Oakland County communities who received national recognition were honored last Thursday by County Executive L. Brooks Patterson for helping create exciting and attractive downtowns.
Oakland County notches $2.4 billion in investment since 2004
During these tough economic times, many companies and organizations bring out the long-term statistics from the past several years to put themselves in a better light. Oakland County can fall back on both the long- and short-term statistics.The county released a report that shows not only has it taken in about $2.4 billion worth of investment over the last five years, it did well in June, with $748 million in investment.Most of that comes from General Motors' plans for a $650 million Orion Township plant, which will build smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. However, that leaves about another $100 million that the county was able to attract in the midst of one of the toughest economies in generations. Oakland County has had more than $2.4 billion worth of business investment in the past five years, giving residents a reason to be optimistic about its future during the most difficult economic challenge in its history, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said recently."We had our best month ever during one of the worst times ever," Oakland County Executive L Brooks Patterson said in a press release. "We've withstood all of the body blows and we're still standing."More of the $2.4 billion came from emerging sectors based in the new economy ($1.3 billion), compared to traditional business sectors, like automotive manufacturing. Oakland County created its Emerging Sectors program five years ago to help diversify its economy and make up for lost manufacturing jobs. Source: Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke
Oakland County to hold workshop on zoning flexibility
Oakland County officials want local governments to become more flexible in their zoning rules and master plans, and now they're ready to teach them how to do it.The county wants municipalities to be ready to welcome and facilitate growth from new economy firms; hence, it will hold a Technology Planning Toolkit workshop on Monday, June 8."We hope they can use this as a basis when they update their own planning documents," says Bret Rasegan, planning supervisor for Oakland County.It introduced this program as a way of making local governments friendlier to knowledge-based firms. By streamlining the old bureaucracy, the hope is to make these cities more attractive for new economy start-ups and their new jobs. For instance, buildings zoned for one purpose can be diversified to include a number of uses."It's very important, especially with how quickly the market is changing," Rasegan says.The free workshop will be held at the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph in Waterford. For information, call (248) 452-2166 or send an email to browningj@oakgov.com.Source: Brett Rasegan, planning supervisor for Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke
