Overriding Obstacles: Ferndale Resident Finance Committee

Project Description

The City of Ferndale was facing an all-too-familiar and challenging set of circumstances: aging infrastructure, reduced State-shared revenues, and a Headlee override millage set to expire in two years.

Rather than looking inward, City leaders took an innovative approach: they called in residents.

Following an application process, ten Ferndale residents were selected to serve on the Resident-led Finance Review Committee. Over the span of five months and 13 meetings, members toured facilities and learned about infrastructure needs, studied State and municipal finance, and heard from staff and experts. They were then asked to study how a renewal or expiration of the City’s existing voter-approved Headlee override would impact staffing, service levels, and infrastructure needs.

The end result was a near-unanimous recommendation to City Council that a Headlee override millage be added to the November 2024 General Election to reset the City to its charter amount of 20 mills.

Is your project easy to replicate in other communities (clear in its impact and execution for other communities)?

The City acknowledges the tremendous talent and passion displayed by the individuals selected to serve on the Resident Finance Committee. With that said, the process of creating this committee can be easily replicated by other cities. Indeed, we believe there is a need for these types of community-led projects, as so many Michigan cities share a similar financial predicament.

The execution of the Finance Committee involved a collaborative effort, combining the resources and talents of City Council, the City Manager’s Office, the Finance Department, the Department of Public Works/Facilities, and the Communications Department. Additionally, leaders from the Fire, Police, Parks and Recreation, and Human Resources Departments were involved at stages to provide infrastructure history, facilities tours, and information about departmental staffing and needs.

While costs for this project were low, there was an investment of time among leaders and staff in preparing organizational information, financial documents, presentations, and answers to complex questions by Committee members, as well as attending meetings and facilities tours.

What is the Community Wealth Impact (based on one or more of the categories you selected) of your project?

The immediate Community Wealth Impact is threefold, focusing on Financial Security, Infrastructure, and Sustainability. However, we anticipate the ripples of impact to be even broader.

Financial Security: Proposal A and the Headlee Amendment create a flawed system in Michigan, with local cities and municipalities left struggling to provide modern services to residents and attract and retain staff talent. This, paired with additional challenges such as the effects of climate change (creating fiercer and more frequent storms and their effects on aging water and sewer infrastructure) and State-mandated lead service line replacements leave cities like Ferndale searching for a prudent path forward. A consistent Headlee override would address the upcoming shortfall and allow the City to continue its delivery of services to our modern, benchmark community.

Infrastructure: In 2022, another resident-led group, the Facilities Task Force, studied and made recommendations about Ferndale’s aging buildings. At the time, the City was paying to upkeep an outdated building it did not own to house its Recreation Department, and staff of both the Police and Fire Departments were (and are still today) working in antiquated spaces built 50-70 years ago, when a public safety department’s needs were different. The Task Force prioritized a new recreation facility, owned by the City and created to deliver modern, indoor-outdoor rec activation, as well as public safety spaces with safety (away from vehicle emissions) and gender equity in mind. A Headlee override millage would allow the City to begin making progress toward these goals.

Sustainability: The City of Ferndale prides itself on its sustainability goals and achievements, including carbon reductions and a benchmark composting program that in 2023 diverted more than 200,000 pounds of food and organic waste from landfills. However, the City’s number-one producer of emissions is its outdated buildings and facilities. A move towards modernizing the Recreation, Police, and Fire facilities would be an immediate improvement toward our ultimate goal of carbon net neutrality.

Describe the creativity and originality of your project.

We’re proud to say that much of the creativity and impact of the Ferndale Finance Committee came from the resident members themselves. The residents were asked to devote their time and attention, to keep open minds, and ultimately to deliver recommendations and a final report. What they ultimately delivered was the achievement of these tasks… and so much more, thanks to their dedication and personalization.
*The Committee’s final report and subsequent community presentations were beautifully enhanced by charts, infographics, and other illustrations created by a committee member who works as a graphic designer. Likewise, the writing is clear, powerful, and concise, making a very complex issue easy for other residents and community members to understand.
*Since the conclusion of the Committee, the Chair and other members have embarked on something of a “roadshow.” They have chosen to attend City Board and Commission meetings, a Southeast Oakland County Mayor’s Association Dinner, the Mayor’s annual State of the City Address, and more to advocate on behalf of their work and answer questions for community members.
*The level of interest and engagement by Committee members led the City Manager to launch monthly Police and Fire Department public tours–a chance to open our facilities to the public and let them view and ask questions of their own.