County Communicator 2/3/23 Edition

COUNTY COMMUNICATOR FEBRUARY 3,2023

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION FOR FUTURE COUNTY COMMUNICATORS: EMAIL HANNAH DUELL

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VALENTINE'S DAY 14 FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY 2023 MONDAY

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Upcoming

Events

COMEDY FEST

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Hosted by the Downtown Traverse City Association (DTCA), the Traverse City Comedy Fest will feature a mix of stand-up performances, improv, podcast tapings and specialty shows. More than 40 comedians – including national headliners and local and state favorites – will appear in over 20 shows over the three-day festival. Events will be held at the City Opera House, Traverse City Comedy Club, Encore 201, The Workshop Brewing Company and Hotel Indigo.

With a diverse mix of genres and styles – including both large mainstage performances and intimate smaller shows – there will be something for everyone at the Traverse City Comedy Fest! More information on dates, locations and comedians click here.

SIPS AND SKI: LEELANAU WINE COUNTRY SKI TOUR Ski the Leelanau Trail from Shady Lane Cellars to Farm Club! The scenic Leelanau Trail is groomed and beautifully connects the two iconic Leelanau County wineries. Join us for this truly unique winter wine country experience, while taking in the views of our winter wonderland! More information here.

GALENTINE'S DAY WITH L.A. COOL X THE GOOD BOWL Nourish your hearts and stomachs this Galentine's Day at. l.a.cool. The Good Bowl will serve a curated selection of heavy hors d'oeuvres with wine from Chateau Chantel. There will be store discounts for attendees, a champagne tower, gift bags, and even a door prize for someone lucky! Come shop, eat, and drink, while ladies celebrate ladies.

47TH ANNUAL NORTH AMERICAN VASA RACE The North American Vasa Festival of Races is a premiere cross-country ski event featuring 50K, 27K, 12K, and 6K races through the stunning Vasa Pathway.

For more information or to register for this event, please click here.

ANNIVERSARIES BOURION

JENNIFER

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DARGE

DARREN

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NOTHSTINE

KENT

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SASSER-DRONE

BRANDEE

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SMITH

BOB

1

GRIST

JENNY

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REITHEL

CHRIS

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FEWINS

HEATHER

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KRUMM

MICHELLE

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MIKOWSKI

KRIS

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MAAS

EMILY

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BERRY

JOE

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RICE

EMILY

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LEACH

JOHN

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LIDGARD

LUKE

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OSIM

GRETCHEN

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MORRISON

BEVERLY

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HARP

JESSICA

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PURVIS

CINDY

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DUNWIDDIE

NIKI

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MEISTER

JESSIE

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NOONAN

BECCA

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MOSLEY

SHEILA

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FORSTER

CYNDIE

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KARAKOS

SUSAN

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MCLAIN

TAMMY

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HORNACEK

MIKE

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JAMESON

JACKIE

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HOGUE

JEREMY

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ALGER

NATE

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RODGERS

TAMMI

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WELCOME NEW HIRES Kelton Schlueter - Sewer & Water Operator I Stephen Gorr- Road Patrol Stefany Gray- Finance & Admin Director

MEET YOUR COMMISSIONER

DARRYL NELSON District 6

Darryl Nelson was elected to the Board of Commissioners in November 2020 for his first term with Grand Traverse County. Darryl was born and raised in Traverse City and attended Alma College to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. Darryl looked forward to becoming Commissioner due to his family’s history of community service, starting with his grandparents. By becoming Commissioner Darryl views this service as a continuation of his past family member’s service and an addition to his own history of community service. He enjoys working and residing in Grand Traverse County where it provides a wonderful place to grow up and raise his children. A result he finds comes from the hard work of so many previous community leaders.

Darryl hopes to help keep Grand Traverse County a great place for the next- generation as well as make decisions to be proud of 20 years from now. He hopes to build on what Grand Traverse County is blessed to have and support the current Grand Traverse County staff in providing excellent customer service in the various roles serving the taxpayers. Darryl is appointed to the Board of Public Works, Community Corrections, Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and regularly attends other community meetings, and functions to provide a resource to them and help coordinate with fellow agencies. When he is not working for the residents of Grand Traverse County you can find him hiking, kayaking, motorcycling, camping, spending time with family and friends, and operating his businesses within the area.

myGTC UPDATE

myGTC

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GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY UNIVERSITY Have you checked out GTCU? County employees now have access to a wide variety of training materials for onboarding, Microsoft 365 and myGTC. GTCU is housed in SharePoint, and can be accessed here. Your login will be the same as your Outlook email login and password.

Other ways to access SharePoint: 1. Browser Outlook(Email) 2. Desktop Outlook (Email) Watch a tutorial on how to access SharePoint here.

VIDEO TUTORIAL ON FLIPBOOK Things you can do in myGTC: Just a few things we would like to highlight this month.

Update your 457(b) contributions, such as Nationwide or Mission Square - please note, going to the carrier website to update your contributions does not integrate with myGTC Open a new 457(b) plan, such as Nationwide or Mission Square.

Update your Federal and State W-4 Tax Elections Upload documents to your personal information such as - certifications, licenses, or anything required by your job description.

Update your contact information, address, phone number or personal email address.

Add or edit your Emergency Contacts

myGTCWELCOMETIPS TO GTC JUDGE HAMLYN Things you can do in myGTC: Just a few things we would like to highlight this month.

Update your 457(b) contributions, such as Nationwide or Mission Square - please note, going to the carrier website to update your contributions does not integrate with myGTC Open a new 457(b) plan, such as Nationwide or Mission Square.

Update your Federal and State W-4 Tax Elections Upload documents to your personal information such as - certifications, licenses, or anything required by your job description.

Update your contact information, address, phone number or personal email address.

Add or edit your Emergency Contacts

COUNTY UPDATES

UPDATES

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COUNTY CLERK OFFICE: WELCOME TO GTC JUDGEELECTION HAMLYNUPDATE RECOUNTS A third party requested a hand recount of Proposal 3 for various precincts throughout the state. Grand Traverse County was required to recount nine precincts. Worker's hand counted the ballots over two full days. The recount conducted throughout the state did not change the overall results of Proposal 3 and verified the election machines tallied the votes correctly.

AUDITS County Clerks and State officials have been conducting post-election audits following the November 2022 election. The post-election audit process thoroughly reviews procedures performed before, during, and after the conduct of an election, including a review of voted ballots with a hand tally of select contests. The review of voted ballots looks at verifying the equipment used to count votes worked properly and yielded the correct result. Information collected as part of the post-election audit process will be used as an educational tool for all levels of election administration.

Grand Traverse County Clerk and her Chief Deputy conducted audits in East Bay Charter Township, Garfield Charter Township and Grant Township. In addition to reviewing all the procedures required before, during and after the election, hand tallies of the Governor’s race in those jurisdictions matched the election machine results and verified the integrity and accuracy of our elections.

PARKS ANDTO REC: CONNECTED WELCOME GTCSTAY JUDGE HAMLYN Sam Tyson is retiring this Friday, February 3rd. He has been with the County for 25 years and has been a wonderful resource for the Parks and Recreation Department. We wish him the best as he begins his next chapter.

Summer at the Civic Center: Registration for American Legion Baseball is open and will run until April 1st. Traverse City American Legion Baseball (traversecitylegionbaseball.com) Norte's Youth Bike Programs: Spring Program Registration opens February 1 and Summer Bike Camp registration opens February 15. Norte Youth Cycling Summer Bike Camp: Building Confidence and Community in northern Michigan —Norte Youth Cycling.

Grand Traverse Conservation District Native Seedling Sale: The Grand Traverse Conservation District’s (GTCD) Annual Native Seedling Sale is happening online now through March 31st! This year, GTCD is offering 25 high-quality, bare-root tree and shrub species, many of which are 18 – 24” in size, which is larger than previous years’ selections. This year’s offering includes two Michigan Assisted Tree Range Expansion Project (ATREP) species to support climate change resilience in our local forests.

Visit natureiscalling.org/native-seedling-sale to shop native seedlings today! To order in-person, please contact info@gtcd.org or call (231) 941-0960 to schedule an appointment. Seedlings will be packed and ready for pickup at the Boardman River Nature Center, 1450 Cass Rd, Traverse City, MI 49685, on Friday, April 28th from 12:00 – 6:30pm and Saturday, April 29th from 9:00am – 2:00pm.

COUNTY UPDATES

UPDATES

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GT COUNTY TO SURPLUS SALEHAMLYN WELCOME GTC JUDGE What?

Grand Traverse County will be doing a surplus sale. The purpose of this event is to create an opportunity to clear our surplus property held at County facilities, freeing up space and capital.

When?

The Load will start on Thursday, May 18 (8:00 am‐2:00 pm). Sale days are Friday, May 19 (9:00 am‐3:00 pm), and Saturday, May 20 (8:00 am‐12:00 pm), and finally loadout will be on Monday, May 22 (8:00 am‐ 12:00 pm) How? Each department is asked to identify all saleable surplus property the department would like to include in the sale using this surplus item list by April 19, 2023. If any items you wish to sell are considered capital items (original cost $5,000+), please contact Dean Bott to determine if the item can be sold. The list will be provided to the Board of Commissioners with a request to declare the items surplus and eligible for sale Each department will need to coordinate delivery of surplus property to Howe Arena between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm on Thursday, May 18. Departments will be assigned a space in the arena for their surplus items. All items must be clearly marked with a sale price and department identifier. A tag template will be provided to you as the sale draws closer.

Who? Departments will be responsible for delivering their items to Howe Arena on Thursday, May 18 and removing all unsold items from the arena on Monday, May 22. Items may not arrive earlier or be picked up outside of these dates. Limited dumpster space will be available on‐site. Facilities Management can accept limited requests for moving surplus equipment on a first‐ come‐first‐served basis. Each department will be expected to provide at least one representative from the department to be present at Howe Arena during the sale hours on Friday and Saturday. Representative may include monitoring the surplus equipment, assisting with loading, and taking payments. A sign‐ up sheet will be provided as the sale draws closer.

COUNTY UPDATES

UPDATES

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2023 Contact: Ron Leix, Treasury, 517-335-2167 Gov. Whitmer Encourages Michiganders to Check State Website for Unclaimed Assets or Property National Unclaimed Property Day is on Wednesday, Feb. 1 LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer encouraged Michiganders to conduct a simple search online to see if they have any lost or abandoned property as a part of National Unclaimed Property Day. “Unclaimed Property Day is our annual reminder that Michiganders should check to see if they have something in the state’s ‘lost and found box,’” said Governor Whitmer. “The Michigan Department of Treasury has returned more than $500 million in property to the rightful owners or their heirs over the last five years. Searching for property and filing a claim is as easy as a few clicks of a mouse. I encourage all Michigan residents and businesses to check if they have any lost property that needs to be reclaimed.”

To find out if you have cash or property, go directly to the Michigan's Unclaimed Property website, which provides enhanced search options and the ability to upload verifying documentation easily and securely. Individuals who live outside of the state of Michigan can check multiple states’ unclaimed property listings at www.UCPday.com.

The Michigan Department of Treasury has millions of dollars in lost or forgotten assets that includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, valuables left in safe deposit boxes and stock certificates. These properties were all turned over to the state once they were determined to be abandoned as required by law.

The Michigan Department of Treasury is the custodian of these assets and reunites them with their owners -- or the owners' heirs -when they are rightfully claimed.

Individuals are encouraged to search their name, a maiden name, or the name of a business or nonprofit. There is never a charge to search for and claim property.

Claimants may also call 517-636-5320 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Everyone should take advantage of Unclaimed Property Day,” said State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks. “One in seven people has unclaimed property nationally. Take a little time today to search by name or business. My team is ready to help begin the process to reunite Michiganders with their unclaimed property.”

For businesses, corporations, nonprofits, public entities and other organizations holding unclaimed or abandoned property, instructions on how to prepare and easily submit your report and remittance online can be found on Michigan's Unclaimed Property website as well.

According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, more than $2.87 billion dollars in unclaimed property was returned to rightful owners around the country in 2021. In Michigan, nearly $137 million was returned to rightful owners last year.

For more information about other services provided by the state Treasury Department, go to www.michigan.gov/treasury

TREASURY: PRENOTE IN MYGTC WELCOME TO GTC JUDGE HAMLYN

COUNTY UPDATES FREE COFFEE! WELCOME TO GTC JUDGE HAMLYN Expresso Bay is celebrating #FreecoffeeFebruary. See below for days when you can receive a free coffee!

UPDATES

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WELLNESS FEEL, THINK, LIVE, BE... WELL!

PLANET OVER PLASTIC Did you know that the U.S. contributes the highest amount of plastic pollution in the world?

Here are some stats: Roughly 40% of the ocean’s surface is estimated to be covered in plastic debris 100,000 animals die from plastic each year Humans ingest 5 grams of plastic every week Plastic emissions will out waste coal by the year 2030 BUT! There’s good news! It is possible to cut up to 80% of plastic pollution by reducing the growth of its production and investing in recyclable plastics. Here are a few simple techniques that can make an impact on our planet and our wallets: Utilize reusable grocery and mesh produce bags while running errands Purchase a reusable water bottle over single-use plastics Switch to bar soaps, shampoos, and conditioners Plastic laundry tubs are unable to be recycled due to the chemicals in the detergents so opt for laundry detergent sheets or a refillable dispenser option instead Decline plastic silverware and straws when ordering out Choose to support businesses that offer more sustainable packaging options Switch to reusable silicone or recycled plastic bags to store foods/snacks or opt for glass Tupperware Ditch single use plastic house cleaning spray bottles for refillable glass bottles and cleaning tablets or concentrated solutions No amount of effort is too small, it all adds up. Together we can work to make improvements on the health of our planet and our bodies!

SUSTAINABLE SWAPS SEMINAR: February 15, 2023 1:00 pm This webinar is about choosing a sustainable lifestyle. It suggests tips and tricks that benefit our health as well as the health of our environment. As we make sustainable choices together, we can promote healthy present and future generations!

REGISTER HERE!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

BUTTER CHICKEN 2 pounds chicken thighs 3 tablespoons butter 1 onion diced 1 tablespoon ginger grated 5 cloves garlic minced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon coriander ½ teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon tumeric 1 cinnamon stick ¾ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste ¼ cup chicken broth 14 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon sugar 1 cup heavy cream

Marinade 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons garam masala 1 tablespoon cumin 1 cup plain yogurt

Directions 1. Marinate chicken in the marinade, 30 min or overnight.

2. Remove chicken from marinade allowing excess to drip off. Brown chicken in 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Melt butter over medium heat, cook onions until tender. Add spices and cook 1 minute or until fragrant.

4. Add chicken broth, browned chicken, crushed tomatoes and sugar.

Simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream and cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick.

5. Top with cilantro and serve over rice.

Nutrition Information Calories: 444 | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 499mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 841IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2mg

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