Wayne County, Michigan

Recovery Plan 

State and Local Fiscal Recovery 

Funds

2021 Report
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 1

Wayne County, Michigan

2021 Recovery Plan

Table of Contents

General Overview......................................................................................................................2

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................2

Uses of Funds .........................................................................................................................2

Promoting Equitable Outcomes ...............................................................................................5

Community Engagement .........................................................................................................8

Labor Practices .......................................................................................................................9

Use of Evidence ......................................................................................................................9

Expenses by Expenditure Category.........................................................................................9
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 2

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Executive Summary 

Wayne County, Michigan (the “County”) acknowledges the severe impact the COVID-19 

pandemic has had on our community and is dedicated to utilizing the historic State and Local 

Fiscal Recovery Funds in a way that ensures an equitable recovery. On May 24, 2021, the 

County received its first tranche of the allocation, amounting to $169,894,684. To date, the 

County has not obligated or expended any of its State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund

allocation. The County has been utilizing this time to review the guidance and generate a plan 

that is in compliance with Federal regulations. In developing programming, the County is 

focused on addressing needs created or exacerbated through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Additionally, the County is prioritizing equity, feasibility, the ability to leverage funding with 

collaborators, and the return on investment, meaning that the projects are sustainable and 

promote better outcomes moving forward. The County is currently in the planning phase and is 

focused on outreach to gain a better understanding of the needs in the community. Information 

gathered from local municipalities and community organizations is helping to shape the larger 

strategy, which includes assistance through additional funding sources, like Emergency Rental 

Assistance and the HOME-ARP allocations. 

Uses of Funds

As of July 31, 2021, none of the State and Local Fiscal Recover Funds have been obligated or 

spent. The County has worked diligently to reach out to the leadership in all the 43 communities 

within the County to understand their priorities and needs. Based on those ongoing 

conversations, the County has developed the framework below to categorize and prioritize

potential State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds projects.

Figure 1
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 3

Potential plans categorized by eligible uses are documented below.

a. Public Health 

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for medical services of our residents and 

strained the capabilities of the Health, Human and Veteran Services Department. To better 

serve the residents of the County, the following list of potential public health projects has 

been developed: 

• Countywide Health Study to determine what areas of public health are most urgent in 

the County and address them efficiently. This study will provide data that can be 

used to target the most vulnerable populations in the County and provide them with 

the resources they need. 

• A mobile vaccination clinic to reach the homebound and residents who lack 

transportation.

• Improvements to the Health, Human and Veteran Services Department’s Health 

Administration Building to allow staff to provide care more efficiently and residents 

the ability to safely receive care. 

• A permanent COVID PCR and Antibody testing laboratory in Wayne County, for 

testing of County sheriffs and inmates, as well as other County staff and the general 

public.

b. Negative Economic Impacts 

Due to the public safety measures put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19, the 

County businesses have suffered significant financial losses. The resiliency the business 

community has shown to adapt to a frequently changing landscape has been immense and 

commendable. The County plans to support those small businesses who were hardest hit 

by COVID-19 and provide programing that will allow them to make it through these difficult 

times and come out stronger than ever. Some of the programs the County is considering 

include:

• Small business support to those most impacted by COVID-19.

• Main Street and façade improvement programs to create a welcoming and safe

environment for residents to shop and businesses to thrive.

• Microbusiness lending to support entrepreneurs.

• Last dollar grants for developments stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As part of addressing the negative economic impacts, the County also recognizes the need 

to support residents with housing. The County has accepted and is managing Emergency 

Rental Assistance 2 (ERA2) funding. This funding is meant to help individuals who are 

lower income and need assistance in securing their rent. The County is also waiting on 

guidance for the HOME-ARP dollars to further build upon the housing strategy. Additionally, 

the County has applied for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Community Navigator 

grant program with hopes to further support small businesses that were negatively 

impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 4

c. Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities 

The County has several communities which have been disproportionally impacted by the 

COVID-19 pandemic. After speaking with leaders of these communities, the County is

proposing the following projects:

• The replacement of lead water service lines into resident homes. Many Wayne

County communities are faced with the burden of aging infrastructure. One of those 

legacy burdens is the use of lead service lines providing water to homes. The 

residents of many of the communities with lead service line water hookups are not 

able to privately afford to replace them and the municipalities do not have the means 

to subsidize line replacement. The County is considering a program to help alleviate

some of the costs to homeowners and municipalities in the replacement of these 

lead lines. 

• Improvement of the parks and trail systems to allow the County residents better 

access to outdoor spaces. The County communities made clear their desire for 

improved access to quality parks and public spaces. This need is exacerbated in 

economically challenged areas which feature less recreation space and less funding 

for park programing and maintenance. The County would like to make public park 

space available to all residents and is considering allocating funding to allow for 

greater access and improved maintenance and infrastructure in our parks. 

As mentioned previously, the County has applied for the SBA Community Navigator grant 

program. If awarded, the County would target assistance toward groups that were 

disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. For example, the County would target 

assistance to minority owned small businesses, many of whom were less able to access 

support in 2020. Within the ERA2 program, the County also plans to focus outreach in our 

lower socioeconomic status and high minority population communities. The County

understands that these populations often face more barriers to accessing funding and is 

working to reduce these barriers. 

d. Premium (Hazard) Pay 

The County is considering a single premium (hazard) pay program for County employees

who worked in person and in public facing positions during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

e. Water, Sewer, and Broadband Infrastructure 

Upgrading the County’s aging infrastructure is a top priority of many of our communities. 

Even before the flooding events experienced in the summer of 2021, it was clear that the 

County’s water, sewer, drainage, and pump systems were in dire need of improvement. 

The County is exploring any water infrastructure project which helps create a system which 

is resilient to the pressures of climate change and will serve the residents of the County for 

decades to come. 
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 5

f. Revenue Replacement EC 6)

The County is exploring a variety of options to fund essential County services within the 

allowable uses outlined by the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Interim Final Rule. 

Promoting Equitable Outcomes

As illustrated in Figure 1, equity is at the core of the County’s plan for its allocation of the State 

and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The Sections below illustrate the different aspects through 

which the County is focusing on equity and equitable outcomes. 

a. Goals

The County is the most diverse County in the state of Michigan and would like programming 

to reflect that. The population includes 38% Black or African American, 6% Hispanic or 

Latino, and 3% Asian. Additionally, there are 79,330 veterans. We also have over 70,000 

women-owned firms and minority-owned firms each inside the County. We are also focusing 

on those qualified census tracts inside of the County. The figure below illustrates the 

qualified census tracts inside the County.

Figure 2 

Along with those minority populations, the County intends to serve those who are 

recently unemployed and returning citizens. As you can see from the figure below, there 

is a correlation between minority status, specifically Black/African American and 

Hispanic/Latino, and experiences of unemployment. The County is working with its 43 

communities and several community partners to address these disparities and best 

serve these populations. 
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 6

Figure 3

b. Awareness in Disproportionately Impacted or Underserved Communities

The County understands that different communities require different levels of effort in order 

to access resources they require. Over the last year, the County has pursued several 

techniques to reach diverse populations based on the specific challenges they face. 

Outreach efforts have included:

• Door knocking campaigns, to reach those with limited to no broadband and internet 

access.

• Accessibility through mobile phone, to reach those with limited to no broadband and 

internet access.

• Language Translation, to reach the significant population of residents who speak 

English as a second language inside the County.

c. Access and Distribution

The County prides itself on its ability to meet residents where they are. This includes 

thoughtful consideration of the challenges facing different populations by discussing the 

existing barriers with partner organizations that serve different populations. The County is

developing a list of organizations through community conversations that it intends to 

leverage in order to help all groups successfully apply and receive benefits. 
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 7

d. Equitable Outcomes

The County understands that its outcomes should be closely connected to the intentions of 

the programs it creates. Along those lines, the County will pursue outcomes that align to the 

purpose of the program and the availability of data related to the program. For example, the 

County may pursue to reach universal levels of service for vaccinations due to the urgency 

its communities are facing to get the population vaccinated. Some programs may need to 

focus on intended outcomes, such as closing gaps. For example, water infrastructure 

projects may reduce the incidence of flooding for lower median income households.

e. Equity in Addressing Negative Economic Impacts 

At this point in the process the County is developing and sourcing program and project ideas 

from municipalities and other organizations. The County is utilizing a scoring rubric that 

documents the number of qualified census tracts that will be impacted by the program or 

project. As the County progresses into program design it will directly look for opportunities to 

serve these communities with the consultation of community organizations. 

f. Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities

At this point in the process, the County is sourcing project ideas. The application includes 

questions around the potential project’s impacts and ability to support the County’s 

disproportionately impacted communities. The County has put together a scoring rubric that 

provides additional points for those projects and programs that prioritize these communities.

g. Data Driven Solutions

The County intends to track the dollars it spends and the intended impact on the prioritized

communities. At this point, the County is still collecting ideas and working with municipalities, 

non-profits, and private organizations to increase the impact of the funds spent. 

Geographic and demographic data is also considered in determining which projects to 

pursue. While no funding has been obligated or distributed, the County has ensured that the

preliminary application from all municipalities includes questions about qualified census 

tracts and other community demographics. The County is prioritizing those projects that 

have higher numbers of traditionally marginalized communities. 
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 8

Community Engagement 

Stakeholder Number of Meetings

Commissioners (Committee of the Whole and Ways and Means) 2

The County Departments 24

Municipalities 13

Friday Roundtables 10

Community Colleges 3

Wayne Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESA) 2

Business Stakeholders 7

Non-Profit and Philanthropic Partners 11

Total 72

Figure 4

To date, the County has held 72 stakeholder meetings with over one hundred individuals to 

strategize and optimize spending to meet its communities’ needs. The County’s goals and 

proposed programming have developed out of discussions and ideas brought forth by 

stakeholders. The County has gathered input internally through documentation of County 

Commission and departmental priorities. The County has also sought external input through 

meetings with various community representatives, such as local municipality leaders, business 

stakeholders, community colleges, and non-profit and philanthropic entities. These meeting 

have all contributed to the guiding framework discussed at the beginning and illustrated in 

Figure 1.

Wayne County is made up of 43 different communities. As mentioned above, the County has 

met with representatives of all the local municipalities to understand needs and identify ways to 

leverage State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund allocations. In addition to holding meetings to 

discuss and document municipality priorities, the County also created an application process 

and collected written proposals from its communities and community organizations wherein 

funding for joint projects can be requested. The County is using a scoring methodology, which 

includes factors like feasibility and addressing equity in order to determine which projects to 

pursue. Working together towards common goals will result in programs that are successful and 

meet the needs of community members. 

The Friday Roundtable series consists of bi-weekly meetings to bring together members of the 

community, including but not limited to municipality leaders, chambers of commerce, and 

business representatives. While these meetings provide a variety of resources, ten of the 

meetings were specifically focused on discussing the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, 

and the American Rescue Plan more broadly. These virtual meetings utilized breakout sessions 

to solicit input on helping businesses overcome the negative economic impact due to COVID-19 

and develop ideas to build stronger communities. 
Wayne County, Michigan 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 9

The County is also invested in promoting workforce development for underserved populations. 

Due to the pandemic, many people have delayed their education or can no longer afford 

education. Other residents, whose jobs were severely impacted by the pandemic, are looking to 

“skill-up” and gain employment that is more secure. The County is meeting to collaborate with 

community colleges to leverage funding and develop support for these individuals. 

The County has also had meetings with several non-profit and Philanthropic partners to obtain a 

better understanding of the needs experienced by residents. In particular, the County has met 

with organizations that specifically service survivors of domestic violence, returning citizens, and

non-native English speakers in hopes to build out programming that best serves these 

populations.

Labor Practices 

No infrastructure projects have been approved as of July 31, 2021. The County intends on using 

strong labor standards on any future infrastructure projects and will document any labor 

practices provided in the reporting guidance. This includes enforcing the County’s current wage 

standards for federal infrastructure projects, which state that rates of wages to be paid to any 

laborers by any Contractors or subcontractors shall not be less than the wage rates issued by 

the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and wages rates of the locality in 

which the project construction is occurring. 

Use of Evidence 

The U.S. Treasury is encouraging the adoption of evidence-based interventions. While there are 

no definitive programs as of July 31, 2021, the County intends on using the evidence-based

interventions from the U.S. Treasury provided Clearinghouses for all applicable projects. All 

other projects will plan on implementing rigorous program evaluation standards. 

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

There are no expenses as of July 31, 2021.