The Board- is strongly devoted to economic development as a policy issue and in a million dollar plus partnership with the Chamber has strengthened the promotion of Kalamazoo County. In addition, the County is a strong partner in the CEO Council and Business Development Bureau. The Board has contracted for management audits in the courts, the Prosecutor's Office, the Sheriff's Department with others being planned. I'm pleased to announce that in 1997, nearly half of the non-papermill waste stream was recycled. That means over 204,000 tons of waste is being diverted from area landfills.
Congratulations go to our citizens, government, schools, and our business and industry leaders.
With the efforts of over 1,600 citizens, the County's Household Hazardous Waste Program removed over 78,000 pounds of dangerous products from homes and diverted them away from potential ground contamination. The Board has created new services for the County's 21,000 veterans and has added coordination of services to the County's nearly 40,000 elderly population. The County Board, with the support of the Portage City Council, the Kalamazoo City Commission and the seven District Court judges, provided the consolidation of the three District Courts. These are just a few examples we as a Board have worked on, and there are others coming down the road this year and into the future. Unlike District Court consolidation, the merger of the Juvenile Court into the Circuit Court happened very quickly.