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Wayne
County
Executive
Warren
C. Evans
delivers
the
annual
State of
the
County
address
By
Wendell
Bryant
tellusdetroit.com
DEARBORN,
MI - On
Tuesday,
March
12th,
Wayne
County
Executive
Warren
C. Evans
delivered
his
annual
State of
the
County
Address
at the
Ford
Community
and
Performing
Arts
Center
in
Dearborn,
Michigan.
He
addressed
a packed
house of
state,
city,
regional,
and
county
officials,
as well
as
friends
and
family.
Evans
spoke
about
the
milestones
and
achievements
of Wayne
County
over the
past
year, as
well as
his
vision
for the
future.
According
to
Evans,
Wayne
County
recently
passed
its
ninth
balanced
budget,
a $2.2
billion
budget
that
invests
in
health,
public
safety,
and
infrastructure.
Wayne
County's
credit
rating
has been
upgraded
by all
three
major
credit-rating
agencies
–
Moody’s,
Fitch,
and
Standard
and
Poor’s –
elevating
it to
“A”
level
ratings
across
the
board.
Many
Wayne
County
residents
have
faced
mounting
debt
from
high
medical
bills,
which
has put
a strain
on their
lives.
Evans
announced
that
Wayne
County
is
partnering
with
R.I.P.
Medical
Debt, a
non-profit
dedicated
to
retiring
medical
debt and
local
health
systems,
to wipe
clean up
to $700
million
in
medical
debt for
pennies
on the
dollar.
This
means
that
thousands
of Wayne
County
residents
experiencing
financial
hardship
will get
a fresh
start
and
peace of
mind.
Evans
noted
that
although
there
have
been
challenges
at the
Juvenile
Detention
Facility
(JDF),
Wayne
County
has made
significant
strides
in the
last
year.
They
have
improved
everything
from
food
quality
to
education
to
recreation
at the
facility.
Evans
remains
committed
to
addressing
the
challenges
head-on
and
working
collaboratively
to
ensure
the
safety
and
well-being
of the
youth
and
staff.
Wayne
County
is just
months
away
from
completing
its
criminal
justice
center,
which
will be
the
largest
construction
project
in the
county’s
history.
The
building
will
feature
more
than
1,400
office
spaces
for
employees
and
serve as
a
centralized
hub for
the
county’s
criminal
justice
operations.
Evans
also
highlighted
the
value of
a good
education
and how
it can
help
shape
the
future
of Wayne
County
and the
state.
To that
end,
Wayne
County
invested
over $13
million
into
Wayne
RESA to
support
mental
health
services
and
improve
math and
literacy
outcomes
for K
through
12
students.
The
crisis
in Gaza
and
Israel
affects
the
lives of
many
residents
of Wayne
County,
and
Evans is
concerned
by the
toll it
is
taking
on them,
as many
of their
loved
ones are
directly
impacted
by its
growing
tragedies.
He was
one of
the
first
elected
officials
to come
out
immediately
and call
for a
permanent
cease-fire,
and he
believes
that
popularity
is not
leadership.
More
than
300,000
Arab
Americans
and
Muslims
live in
Wayne
County,
and they
are a
fabric
of the
county,
as well
as
neighbors,
colleagues,
and some
are
family.
The
county
has
invested
$8
million
into
constructing
a new
25,000-square-foot
facility
at the
Kirksey
Recreation
Center
in
Livonia
to
provide
seniors
with
more
space to
thrive.
Finally,
Evans
highlighted
his work
to
spearhead
a joint
effort
between
the
county,
the city
of
Detroit,
the
courts,
and
state
and
local
leaders
to
combat
crime.
The
initiative
led to
Detroit
experiencing
its
lowest
number
of
homicides
in more
than
half a
century,
accompanied
by
significant
decreases
in
shootings
and
carjackings
in 2023.
Wayne
County’s
Violent
Crime
Reduction
Initiative
and the
Fugitive
Apprehension
Services
Team
(F.A.S.T.)
are two
innovative
lynchpins
of this
work.
These
teams
operate
in the
background
coordinating
efforts
to
identify
the
source
of the
county’s
most
serious
violent
crimes.
It’s
working,
and
they’re
just
getting
started.
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