Saginaw, City of - Purchasing Dept.

This document provides an update on the Saginaw County Health Department's involvement in the Medical Diamond Project. The initiative focuses on two primary goals: ensuring future physicians understand their role in public health by fostering an academic health department, and securing a new, community-needs-driven physical location for the health department. Key areas of development include strengthening the overall public health system, enhancing equitable access to care by addressing barriers such as transportation and insurance, and establishing a 'health precinct' through collaborations with partners like Covenant Healthcare and Great Lakes Bay Health Centers to create a centralized service hub. The project also encompasses significant neighborhood revitalization, including property renovation, new home construction, senior living facilities, and park improvements within the medical diamond area.

This document provides an overview of the Saginaw Medical Diamond Initiative, a long-term economic development effort aimed at transforming the city's riverfront into Michigan's third bioscience hub. Key strategic priorities include consolidating medical education, fostering private development, and leveraging major medical institutions and universities to enhance critical healthcare access for the region. The initiative seeks to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve health outcomes for the Saginaw community and surrounding areas.

This project update outlines Saginaw Valley State University's vision for the SVSU Greater Michigan Graduate Health Profession Center, focusing on enhancing healthcare education, workforce development, and community health. Key priorities include establishing an interprofessional learning environment for various health disciplines, fostering strong community partnerships to address critical health workforce shortages and improve health outcomes for underserved populations, and contributing to regional economic vitality through downtown revitalization. The initiative integrates innovation and technology in healthcare delivery and training, and extends applied research in biomedical sciences, aiming to create a shared community asset that positions Saginaw as a destination for education, care, and opportunity.

The primary focus of the session was the presentation and awarding of the Law Enforcement Accreditation from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police to the Saginaw Police Department. Representatives from the Association detailed the accreditation process, which involves voluntary compliance with 128 professional standards (equating to approximately 600 sub-standards) over a two to three-year period. The process includes policy review, proof demonstration, assessor examination, interviews, ride-alongs, and a public call-in session. The accreditation signifies a commitment to excellence and places the department among the top 16% of agencies in Michigan to achieve this status. Following the presentation, the Chief expressed pride in the department and the community, emphasizing that this achievement represents significant, long-term change and requires continued support from officers, citizens, and the city council for future improvement.

The presentation focused on the Fiscal Year 2025 Audit for the City of Saginaw. The city received the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, marking the 16th consecutive year. The audit resulted in an unmodified opinion, the highest level of assurance. Key discussions covered General Fund revenue, noting that income taxes constitute 34% of total revenue and increased over the previous year, while intergovernmental revenue decreased significantly due to the non-recurrence of a large pension grant received in the prior year. On the expenditure side, public safety represents the largest component at 59%. The presentation also detailed cash flow for the proprietary Water and Sewer funds, noting fluctuations due to pension grants and federal/state grants, such as the $10 million Eagle grant for the water fund. Retirement fund contributions were reviewed, with pension contributions at $20.6 million and retiree healthcare at $7.1 million. A prior period adjustment was noted concerning the capitalization of capital grants and assets, which was corrected. Furthermore, a single audit confirmed no compliance findings across three major federal grant programs, including the Community Development Block Grant and ARPA funds.