Government Leaders Give Update on City and County of Saginaw
Saginaw Mayor Brenda Moore and County Board of Commissioners Chair Christopher Boyd addressed community and business leaders at the 2024 State of the City and State of the County addresses Thursday morning.
During her speech, Moore talked about a variety of achievements and ongoing projects including development on the Saginaw Medical Diamond campus and preparation for the 2024 Memorial Cup, but she also mentioned issues faced by the City’s government, namely a tax cap approved in 1979.
“We’re the only city in the nation limited by a property tax revenue of 7.5 mills or $3.8 million to be collected,” said Moore. “We may have to take a look at that tax cap. If you want the city to move forward, we’re going to have to change it.”
Moore also discussed efforts to address violence in the city through a growing police force and outreach programs like the Healing Engagement Love and Presence (H.E.L.P.) group, which aims to implement long-term solutions by connecting with youth.
“We are going to be proactive. We are taking steps to engage young adults and parents and ensure we have role models in our schools,” said Moore. “In less than 6 months since we formulated H.E.L.P. we’ve grown from 10 members to 50 members.”
In his address, Saginaw County Board of Commissioners Chair Christopher Boyd spoke about a variety of successes, challenges, and ongoing projects including the hiring of a new County Administrator, progress on backlogged court cases, and improvements at the Dow Event Center. Boyd also highlighted the work being done to bring an all-encompassing medical campus to downtown Saginaw.
“This is really designed to make progress toward a healthier Saginaw,” said Boyd. “That plan includes properties around Ascension Saint Mary’s Hospital and Covenant Medical Center so that we incorporate all of our medical campuses together into one campus.”
Boyd says they hope the involvement of Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine will provide an “anchor” for the Medical Diamond, which has so far received funding from federal, state, county, and city governments.