Announcements

Robert R. Robinson Scholarships deadline is May 31

Help ensure that today’s youth become involved in local government tomorrow! Encourage students in your community to apply for MTA’s Robert R. Robinson Memorial Scholarship by May 31, 2012. The scholarship is a one-time award determined on a competitive basis by the applicant’s academic achievement, community involvement and commitment to a career in local government administration.



Ensure students in your area know about the scholarship! Post a link on your township website to www.michigantownships.org/rrrschol.asp.

Presidential Primary Reimbursement Online Claim Forms

A Special Edition for City/Township Clerks

The Bureau of Elections has designed an online submission system to collect the information necessary to claim reimbursement for the costs you incurred in administering the presidential primary.

Update County Chapter Officers

MTA would like to know who your county chapter officers are. In the past, we have collected information for the chairperson or president and the secretary position only. However, MTA has changed their policy and would also like to include treasurers.

As a chapter officer, MTA asks that you submit the minutes of past chapter meetings. We compile excerpts of previous chapter minutes and provide this information on our website. These excerpts can be invaluable to other county chapter officers as they may present ideas for future meeting agenda items.

Visit the MTA website to submit your chapter officer information (see link below). If you have any questions related to county chapters, contact Cindy Davis, MTA member information specialist at 517.321.6467, ext. 245 or email cindy@michigantownships.org.

Michigan ICT Innovation Management and Fund

To Achieve Michigan's goal of a reinvented Michigan and providing value in government requires the state to fully implement, utilize and further advance a world class innovation strategy and management process. In the new global economy, information, communication, and technology (ICT) is a major enabler of process efficiencies, productivity, improved quality of life, and a driver of innovation.

The Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) is focused on promoting a unified state approach to ICT, integration of ICT and business practices, and innovation management wihtin state government and the state of Michigan. Further, improved government productivity, efficiencies, and economies in the state call for the use of shared and partnered best practices and innovation, including the redesign of existing practices and relationships.

A mature, best pactice ICT innovation management appoach requires a full continuum of strategies, an innovation process, and an appropriate organizational design. Therefore, the Governor is directing the Director of DTMB to establish and implement an ICT Innovation Management process and plan, including an ICT Innovation Fund Investment Board.

Use this link to view the process and plan as directed by the Governor, http://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/ED_2012-1_373029_7.pdf.

Michigan Public Policy Survey

The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local public officials in Michigan that began in 2009. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process. While there are ongoing surveys of the business community and of the citizens of Michigan, before the MPPS there were no ongoing surveys of local government officials that were representative of all general purpose local governments in the state.

Conducted by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the University of Michigan in partnership with the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Municipal League, and Michigan Townships Association, the MPPS investigates local officials' opinions and perspectives on a variety of important public policy issues and solicits factual information about their localities relevant to policymaking.

To view the questionnaires and results of past surveys, visit the CLOSUP webpage. Everything you need to know about the surveys is available on this page, including contact information.

Introducing the Michigan Shared Services Community

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget is thrilled to announce an innovative shared service collaboration initiative that will be revealed by State of Michigan CIO David Behen at the Sept. 27, 2011, Mi-GMIS Annual Conference. For those of you who will be there, we look forward to seeing you.

For those of you that cannot attend, please follow the State of Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management & Budget’s Twitter account at @MI_DTMB beginning at 10 a.m. for real-time tweets about the announcement. Use the hashtag #MiShare to ask questions or to join the conversations with your colleagues!

Easy to Follow Instructions for Community Connection

Learn how to update your profile, create a signature, post a question, subscribe to a forum and so much more. We have put together some useful instructions on basic functions in Community Connection. We want your experience to be enlightening and fun, so check out some options and start networking with your peers.

Also, just recently, with a program update, there are a few minor changes in how you upload a document to a forum library. These instructions will guide you through the process.

Contact tammie@michigantownships.org if you have additional questions about the instructions.

Find a Township/MI Locator is LIVE!

Find a Township on the MTA website has been updated to include MI Locator. MI Locator is a tool from the State of Michigan to help citizens search any location for state government services, state parks and recreation, or educational entities. By using Find A Township on the MTA website, MI Locator produces a map with icons for the selected government entity with each state government service or facility in that area. Searches can be tailored to suit your needs by turning on and off "turn points" or features.

MTA will also be working closely with the State of Michigan to implement additional points of interest on the maps that are specific to townships.

Learn more about MI Locator at http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/milocator/default.aspx.

Update County Chapter Officers

MTA needs your assistance to update the current county chapter officers. If you can, please complete the online form at http://www.michigantownships.org/updateccofficers.asp, or e-mail tammie@michigantownships.org with your current list of officers.

Adding Documents to Libraries

If you have a sample document to share, be sure to upload it in the corresponding library in Community Connection. By including a sample document in the corresponding groups' library, it will be available for others now and in the future, too.

Create a County Chapter Website

MTA County Chapter websites are available! These sites can be developed specifically for your county chapter members to share information—meeting agendas, minutes, handouts, sample documents and much more—with other chapter members.

If you have an interest in creating a county chapter website and have a member in your chapter that will volunteer to be the site's administrator, contact MTA Member Information Coordinator Tammie Underhill for details (tammie@michigantownships.org).