The State of Ingham County address is Wednesday night. The chairperson of the county board of commissioners, Sarah Anthony, will speak at the Potter Park Zoo.
Anthony says 2016 was a big year, and many of the same issues remain on the county’s table, starting with the budget. "We're going to be transitioning to a pretty tough budget year at the county," she explains, "and so we're going to struggle with how we can continue to provide services for our residents but still look at the budget restraints that we have and decide how can we live within our means."
The speech will also touch on health services provided by the county, considering the uncertainty of the future of the Affordable Care Act at the federal level. "Our community is very generous," Anthony says. "We have passed millage after millage, and one of my favorites is the health services millage, in which we have said we are going to health services for folks, our hardest to reach people. But what happens if the Affordable Care Act goes away? What is going to be the county's commitment?"
Sarah Anthony's State of the County address is open to the public. It will be held in the zoo's Safari Room at 6:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6.