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October, 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1     Forward

5     Demographics

18   Child Care Demographics

25   Volunteerism

28   Transportation

35   Economic Development

38   Agriculture

45   Natural Resources

60   Education

74   Health

81   Government Technology

85   Safety

92   Housing

104  Handicap Accessibility

108  Parks and Recreation

111  Public Utilities

FORWARD

"Hillsdale County, already a fine place to live, can have a very bright future indeed".

It’s Resources and Their Development (1962)

The above sentence was the closing statement in the Foreword chapter of the first of two publications titled, "It’s Resources and Their Development", written in 1962 and again in 1970, the latter being the last time Hillsdale County created a countywide report.

January 1997, Mr. Ken Lautzenheiser, of the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners, formalized an idea to bring Hillsdale County Citizens together for identification of key issues and to create focus groups for discussion around these issues. Working with Mr. Mark Williams, County Extension Director, they convened the first meeting, "Facing the Challenges and Opportunities", of what has since become known as the Hillsdale County Stakeholders’ Committee.

Through the course of several meetings, 14 issues were identified as being important to the future of Hillsdale County. Several Focus Groups formed around issues identified to provide an in-depth evaluation of where Hillsdale County was 27 years ago, where the county is today, and where the county needs to be in the future. This report is a summary of their findings.

In addition, the MSU Extension Office conducted a Citizens’ Interest Survey in the Spring of 1997. The results are not published as a part of this report, but provide a supplement to the Focus Groups’ findings and are to be shared separately with local governmental boards.

Special thanks are given to the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners for their participation and financial support of the Hillsdale County Stakeholders and to the MSU Extension Community Leadership Grant Committee for funding the survey.

A final thanks to all those citizens who participated in this activity, sharing their time, thoughts and efforts. The following lists are the names of these participants.

*Duke Anderson - Director, District Health Department

Greg Bailey - Mayor, Hillsdale City

*Elizabeth Batdorff - Reporter, Hillsdale Daily News

Franklin Beck - Involved citizen

Peter Beck - Principal, Hillsdale High School and Chair, Hillsdale Chamber of Commerce

William Berry - Board Member, Hillsdale County Farm Bureau

*Donald Bildner - Hillsdale City Council Member

Christina Brasher - Township Trustee, Wheatland Township

Amy Brown - Hillsdale County Commissioner

Judy Buzo - Hillsdale Dial-a-Ride

Stan Clingerman - Director, Hillsdale County Road Commission

Delores DeBacker - Involved citizen

John Dooley - Involved citizen

John Dove - Assistant City Manager, City of Hillsdale

*Gerry Dulmage - Asst. Superintendent/Interim Supt., Hillsdale Schools

Peg Dwyer - Equalization Department, Hillsdale County

Ann Fike - Executive Director, Hillsdale County Chamber of Commerce

Fred Fowler - Hillsdale County Builder

Shirley Fowler - Hillsdale County Realtor

Dot Gebhardt - Hillsdale County Red Cross

Kathryn Gervasi - Facilitator, Michigan Leadership Institute

Ardath Gillette - Involved citizen

Lee Gillette - Involved citizen

Janet Goering - Involved citizen/spouse of Supervisor, Pittsford Township

Julie Gordon - Indiana Northeastern Railroad Company

Dave Grassi - Retired Principal, Jonesville High School/Involved citizen

*Donna Guernsey - Director, Community Prevention Services

Dennis Haskins - USDA, Resource Conservationist-Natural Resources and Conservation Agency

Parke Hayes - WCSR Radio

Kara Hodorowski - Director, Provider Services - LifeWays

Tom Horn - Involved citizen

Margo Hubbell - Superintendent, Hillsdale Public Schools

Carman Kaiser - Involved citizen

Gertrude Kaiser - Involved citizen

John Kreucher - Regional Director, Human Resource Development

Marsha Kreucher - Executive Director, Community Action Agency

Ken Lautzenheiser - Hillsdale County Commission

Claire Leininger - Supervisor, Amboy Township

Linda Loomis - Treasury Department, Hillsdale County

*Connie Mann - MIX 102.5 Radio

Ken McCosh - Hillsdale County Parks Director

Claudia Mesarosh - Executive Director, Medical Care Facility

Delcy Miller - Board Member, Board of Education-Litchfield Community Schools

*Jennifer Mitchell - USDA, Resource Conservationist-Natural Resources & Conservation Agency

Thomas Mohr - Hillsdale County Clerk

*James T. Monaghan - Hillsdale County Road Commission Board

Gary Moore - Superintendent, Hillsdale County Intermediate School District

Mary Moore - Involved citizen

*Steve Murphy - Director, FIA

Linda Null - Involved citizen/Spouse of Board of Commissioner

Robert Null - Hillsdale County Commissioner

Charles Reisdorf - Executive Director, Region 2 Planning Commission

*Louis Rogers - Equalization Director, Hillsdale County

Doug Sanford - Director, Hillsdale County Emergency Services

James Scheiber, Hillsdale Aero, Inc.

Harold Spencer - Chair, Michigan Township Association-Hillsdale County/Supv., Scipio Twp.

Dave Steel - Hillsdale County Commission

*Bill Steger - Director, Community Action Agency-Hillsdale County

Janet Stevens - Involved citizen

Arthur Thomas - Involved citizen

Lynelle Thrasher - Director, District Health Department

Reb Turner - Executive Director, Hillsdale County Industrial Development Commission

Tom Warzecha - Hillsdale County Commissioner

Bill Watkins - Hillsdale County Road Commission Board

Roberta Weber - Dairy Area of Expertise Agent, MSU Extension, Hillsdale County

Mark Williams - County Extension Director, MSU Extension, Hillsdale County

Richard Wunsch - Involved citizen

*Paul Yarger - Supervisor, Jefferson Township

Rod Ziegel - Treasurer, Board of Education, Hillsdale Community Schools

 * Indicates no longer in that position

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CHILD CARE DEMOGRAPHICS

Number of Sites and Current Vacancies

* These are the sites that are open and actively giving care. Providers that are licensed but inactive are not included in these statistics.

Number of Children Needing Child Care + Potential Need of Low-Income Single-Parents

Total number of licensed child care spaces for all ages = 1,057

Number of Hillsdale County children needing child care (under age 12 years) = 3,994

Cost of Care and Family Income

Average cost annually for one full-time preschool space: $3,772 (current)

Mean Family Income for Married Couples = $39,396 (1990)

Cost of care as percent of income = 9.6%

Mean Income for Single Parents = $13,834

Cost of care as percent of income = 27.3%

Provider Training Levels

41% have Early Childhood training through conferences, Michigan Child Care Futures Courses, and/or college study (including Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees).

59% have no training

1 site (day care center) is Nationally Accredited.

75% of Center Directors have Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees.

SUPPLY OF LICENSED CHILD CARE

SPECIALIZED CHILD CARE SUPPLY

Special Needs Care

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, all licensed providers must be willing to care for special needs children. The intent of this law is for the providers to consider the child as a child first, with skills and needs, not to accept or deny placement based on the child’s diagnosis. Child Care Network refers parents of special needs children to an open, community-wide list of providers. The agency does, however, track individual providers’ training and experience with various special kinds of care, and will include these providers in the referral when appropriate. Seven group and family day care homes in Hillsdale County list training in various special needs ranging from asthma to ADHD to autism. Most sites list experience, rather than formal training. CCN does not track center training in special needs due to high staff turn over.

Part Day Care

Hillsdale County has 9 sites that offer part day programs. These program, such as co-ops and nursery schools, are scattered throughout the county, offering morning or afternoon care or a 9-3 p.m. schedule for up to 259 children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 5 years. Currently, these programs have 80 vacancies.

Hillsdale County also offers Head Start and School Readiness at seven locations that serve up to 165 children between the ages of 3-5 years.

The 1994 Kids Count report on Child Care and Early Childhood Education shows Hillsdale County with 724 total spaces through Head Start and 4-Year-Old At-Risk program. Estimated number of eligible children ages 3-5 in poverty is 1,796. At the time of the Kids County report, enrollment was serving 40.3% of eligible children.

SPECIALIZED CHILD CARE SUPPLY

Evening Care (closing time between 6:30-11:00 p.m      Capacity Vacancies

Jonesville 1 Family Day Care Home 6 0

Litchfield 1 Family Day Care Home 6 0

Totals 12 0

Second Shift Care (closing time >11:00 p.m.)        Capacity Vacancies

Hillsdale 6 Family Day Care Homes 36 18

3 Group Day Care Homes 36 11

Hudson 2 Group Day Care Homes 24 9

Jonesville 1 Family Day Care Home 6 6

Litchfield 2 Family Day Care Homes 12 3

Quincy 1 Group Day Care Home 12 0

Reading 1 Family Day Care Home 6 5

Totals 132 52

SPECIALIZED CHILD CARE SUPPLY

Overnight Care        Capacity Vacancies

Camden 1 Family Day Care Home 6 5

Hillsdale 3 Group Day Care Homes 36 5

5 Family Day Care Homes 30 18

Hudson 1 Group Day Care Home 12 3

Jonesville 2 Family Day Care Homes 12 3

Litchfield 2 Family Day Care Homes 12 6

Osseo 3 Family Day Care Homes 18 11

Quincy 1 Group Day Care Home 6 0

Reading 1 Family Day Care Home 6 0

Totals 138 46

Weekend Care (Saturday and/or Sunday)

Hillsdale 2 Family Day Care Homes 12 2

1 Group Day Care Home 12 5

Hudson 1 Group Day Care Home 12 2

Totals 36 9

Care for Mildly Ill Children

Some family providers will accommodate a mildly-ill, currently-enrolled child on an informal, case-by-case basis.

Transportation

Head Start and School Readiness programs provide transportation.

CHILD CARE PROVIDER TRAINING

Number of Providers 15 Centers

20 Group Day Care Homes

66 Family Day Care Homes

Total 101

Centers

Director Level of Education

DCIS minimum requirements 0

B.A., M.A. or more 12

Head Teacher Level of Education

High School Diploma/18 yr. degree 0

Associates of CDA 1

B.A., M.A. or more 7

B.A. and E.C.E. 5

Other Training

NAEYC Accreditation 1

Michigan Child Care Futures:

Basic 2

Advanced 1

Administrator 0

Family and Group Day Care Homes

Experience:

26 sites - more than 5 years experience

75 sites - experience as parents

Training:

Workshops/conferences 12

E.C.E. degree 0

CDA degree 0

NAFCC Accredited 0

Certified Teacher 2

Michigan Child Care Futures:

Basic 18

Advanced 7

Administrator 0

Associates degree 3

Bachelor’s degree 2

Master’s degree 1

Source: Hillsdale County Child Care Report, June 1998.

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VOLUNTEERISM

Current Status

There is a fragmentation of agencies needing volunteers and a need to match agencies with qualified volunteers. The current volunteer population has been decreasing as older people are tired of volunteering and younger people are not replacing them in adequate numbers.

Issues

There is an urgent need for collaboration between agencies so one central volunteer bank can be developed and accessed.

Recommendations

Short Term Solutions (to be addressed within 1 to 5 years):

1. Coordinate a "Volunteer Fair" with the annual countywide "Health Fair".

2. Better training and recruitment of volunteers.

3. Promote Volunteer month - April. Start work now.

4. Communicate/promote the urgent need for a County Volunteer Center for local agencies and service organizations.

a. Form a working board.

b. Actively recruit a director/promotional person.

c. Start collection of data for a Volunteer Bank.

Long Term Solutions (to be addressed within 5 to 10 years):

Creation of a County Volunteer Center that would recruit, monitor, train, and evaluate volunteer services and opportunities in one central location.

Address the need for people to give something back to their community. (For example, if people want something from the food bank, maybe they would be willing to give two hours of community service.

Future Ramifications (if solutions are not addressed):

Most urgent recommendation - the need for a Countywide Volunteer Center. Plans are being developed by the Hillsdale County Community Foundation to provide a building to house non-profit organizations. The several organizations interested in locating in this building have indicated that a Volunteer Center would be a logical part of this building and should be organized at the time such a building was completed. Contact with the Volunteer Centers of Michigan was made by this group for advice and assistance.

Discussions have taken place regarding the need for a position of director/promotional person. The major problem to be addressed is funding. Startup funds might be available, but matching funds will be required.

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TRANSPORTATION - ROADS

Current Status

Hillsdale County is blessed with a variety of topographical and soils conditions. From the almost flat land in the Waldron area, to the extreme hills of the Somerset area. The soils range from pure sand, to clay, to muck and often in the same mile of road. These conditions not only effect the gravel roads, but the paved roads as well.

Most of the roads in Hillsdale County were built at a time when a two-ton truck loaded with grain was the heaviest load to be found. But over the years, the loads have increased to the point that many of the trucks today haul as much as, or more than rail cars did when the roads were built. To add to this problem with the cutback in the rail network, there are more of both large trucks and passenger cars using the roads.

Issues

We are currently in a situation where we have seen years of under-funding of our road programs. We are now playing "catch-up", when we should be building for the future. Growth can only occur as long as the road system is adequate and continues to improve with or ahead of that growth. A part of building for the future is predicting where growth is going to occur. North, South, East or West, a plan is needed to make sure that growth is not allowed to destroy the very things that make this county a desirable place to live. Growth needs to be in areas where the least damage will be done. It also should be in areas where roads can be built or improved with minimal cost.

In a recent survey prepared for the Hillsdale County Road Commission, the people said: 1) that paved road maintenance was the first priority, 2) gravel road maintenance was second, and 3) that new construction was of least importance. Their number one concern was that gas tax monies be used for funding these projects.

With the new gas tax increase, the roads should slowly start to improve. However, when major work is necessary, there should be a mechanism to raise the funds. Many of the roads that need improvement are cross-county roads (roads used by people in one part of the county to get to another area). These roads are through unpopulated areas. The elected officials in township B have a problem putting money into a road improvement that benefits townships A&C more than their own. This is where a countywide plan is needed. To see the roads that service the whole community can be planned for and funded. This plan should also include improvements to alter traffic and to lessen congestion on already over burdened roads.

Recommendations

The most important part of transportation improvements are planning and funding. The sooner we address these problems in an aggressive as well as acceptable manner, the sooner we will have the community we can all be proud of.

TRANSPORTATION - PUBLIC TRANSIT

Current Status

The City of Hillsdale Dial-A-Ride service has been in operation since February 10, 1975. It came into existence due to a void in public transportation with the cessation of the local taxi service. Dial-A-Ride saw a first-day ridership of 100 customers. It was the 13th such service to be formed in the state in 1975 and continues to be a growing part of the community

Currently, the service provides an average of 300 rides per day from points within the city limits. Five buses are available on a call-in basis with four of them wheel chair accessible. Attendants may ride free when with those who are wheel chair assisted. Rides are provided on a call-in basis during the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. No standard routes are established at the present time although attempts have been made in the past to do so. Students and senior citizens make up the largest groups of riders.

Expenses for the buses are heavily subsidized by federal and state funds. Those funds for the 1998-1999 budget are federal - $22,170 (9.6%), state - $138,000 (59.4%), use fees - $41,000 (17.6%), and city general fund - $31,655 (13.6%).

Issues

Efforts are being made to evaluate the current system with the goal of improving both ridership, times of the day, and routes. Funding has been an issue as the system is not self-supporting and, thus, requires monetary support from federal, state, and city. To be self-supporting based on the current ridership level would require rates to be greatly increased and that is very unlikely.

Recommendations

One possibility is to expand the routes to accommodate the expanding residential, and retail market that is coming to central Hillsdale County. Surrounding cities and villages, with a combined effort, might be able to establish a more comprehensive transportation system.

TRANSPORTATION - RAIL SERVICE

Current Status

Rail service in Hillsdale County is provided by the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, a short-line railroad that connects with and is considered an extension of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The stations of Hillsdale, Reading, Jonesville, Litchfield, Bankers, Montgomery, Ray, and Allen have direct access to rail transportation. Freight service is provided to and from the Hillsdale County stations and the Norfolk Southern mainlines in Montpelier, Ohio approximately 2-3 times/week.

The Indiana Northeastern Railroad rail-line in Hillsdale County is owned by the State of Michigan, with the Indiana Northeastern serving as the designated operated.

The Indiana Northeastern railroad rail system crosses the county from Ray to Montgomery, to Reading to Bankers, to Hillsdale, to Jonesville, to Allen, to Quincy, and from Jonesville to Litchfield.

Ready-to-go rail served industrial sights are available in several Hillsdale County municipalities, including: Reading, Litchfield, and Jonesville.

Rail traffic from Hillsdale County can also travel westward through a secondary interchange with the Michigan Southern Railroad at Quincy, Michigan. This route leads to the Conrail System at White Pigeon, Michigan.

All rail customers in Hillsdale County have access to the national rail network and competitive freight rates through either Indiana Northeastern Railroad interchange point Montpelier, Ohio or Quincy, Michigan.

Issues

The county rail stem is in class II condition from Reading south, generally capable of handling heavy loadings at 25 miles per hour.

An on-going maintenance program is required to maintain a competitive service to rail users.

Recommendations

Plans are in the works to upgrade the line from Reading to Hillsdale to the same class II condition in 1999. The remaining rail system north and wets of Hillsdale is in good condition to provide dependable rail service to customers. The Indiana Northeastern Railroad Company plans to continue their aggressive maintenance program on the entire rail line.

Some of the highlights of major program work accomplished over the past four years, with the assistance of federal and state resources include: installation of 55,000+ crossings, distribution of 35,000+ tons of ballast over 40 miles of production surfacing. Six miles of rail upgrade, rebuilt over 45 grade crossings and replaced 7 trunkline grade crossings with new surfaces and signals, rebuilt 9 railroad bridges, and have performed countless other upgrade projects over the rail line.

TRANSPORTATION - AIR SERVICE

Current Status

Since 1963, the County of Hillsdale has enjoyed the benefits of the Hillsdale Municipal Airport at its current location on State Road. Owned and supported by the City of Hillsdale, the Hillsdale Municipal Airport has served as the Aviation Gateway to our communities. The airport is licensed by the State of Michigan as a General Utility Airport with one east/west runway 4,000 feet in length x 75 feet in width. Runway lengthening, pilot controlled lighting, approach path and runway identification lighting, automated weather observation station are the recent upgrades in facilities that help provide an increase in the level of safety and utilization of the airport. The last economic impact study done in 1993 estimated the activity at the Hillsdale Municipal Airport contributed in excess of $8000,000 annually to the local economy and should continue to increase as activity increases.

Issues

Facilities Improvement. With a diverse group of users, the demand for improved facilities has become the major issue for the Hillsdale Municipal Airport. Enhancing safety and utilization of the airport has been the focus of management. Runway length, navigational facilities and hangaring/ramp space are going to require improvement. These items were highlighted by pilots responding to the latest completed survey as being top priority for improvements. The airport has continued to maintain a current Airport Layout Plan that illustrates where and how these improvements can be made.

Funding for Facilities Improvement. Competition is tough for Federal and State dollars. The larger airports in this state grab up most of the money available for improvements and the application/qualification process also favors the larger airports in prioritization for what discretionary dollars are left. The realities of the system have led current management to approach the funding problem by incremental improvements. Chipping away at the big project to come up with several smaller (easier to fund) projects that fall in line with Airport Layout Plan. Management will continue to proceed this way to ensure continued improvements at the Hillsdale Municipal Airport.

Recommendations

Airport development and improvements should continue. Current leadership and management are committed to improving safety and enhancing utilization of the airport. A current and compliant Airport Layout Plan, committed leadership and management with action plans to institute improvements and the support of all our local communities and its citizens are critical to the future of the Hillsdale Municipal Airport. The mission of the airport is to secure and improve the local economy and quality of life for the citizens of Hillsdale.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Current Status

Over the past two decades, various focus groups in the county have addressed the issue of economic development. An historical perspective provides a summary of Hillsdale County’s economy and efforts to support its economy.

1. From the early 80's through the early 90's, job creation was the primary goal. In 1980, the county unemployment rate was 11.9% with 2,450 out of work. 1990 showed 8.9% unemployment with 1,850 people out of work. The 1997 unemployment rate was down to 3.8% with only 850 people out of work.

2. A secondary goal was quality of jobs although this goal didn’t gain in importance until the 1990's.

3. A parallel interest in economic development was the quality of life that a steady salary could allow for the individual. Quality of job also impacts this interest.

4. A fourth theme was the increased tax base brought about by adding industrial, commercial, residential and personal properties. This tax base allows local government to provide desired or necessary services.

Issues

The early 90's saw these same themes being repeated, but with a different emphasis than before.

1. Job creation is still important, but now the idea that the quality of the job has become more important. As unemployment rates declined and the population reached full employment, it became evident that jobs requiring skilled or technologically qualified people provided salary levels necessary to support Hillsdale families and their quest for a higher quality of life.

2. Recognizing that a skilled technologically literate workforce is the key to the continual economic growth necessary for a good quality of life, the focus now is to determine how to ensure that the local workforce has access to the required training. Current efforts are directed to providing local access to training in different areas. These include Jackson Community College, Hillsdale Center; Hillsdale Workforce Development and Technology Center; HCISD sponsored Manufacturing Technology Program for high school students, and the K-12 public school School-to-Work program.

These programs are overlapping in many ways, but provide a method to meet the latest theme in economic development.

Recommendations

Where do we go from here?

1. Job creation is still important. The skill level and attendant pay levels are the development criteria, not just a job, but a quality job should be the focus of job creation efforts.

2. The quality of life is dependent upon pay-levels and tax base. These continually need to be priority in economic development strategies.

3. Education and training continues to be the method by which the economic development goals outlined above can be met. Continuing efforts need to be expended to ensure innovative and comprehensive education and training program are readily available.

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AGRICULTURE

Current Status

Agriculture in Hillsdale County revolves around corn, soybeans and wheat as cash crops, dairy and swine, and livestock operations. The agricultural statistics as shown below portray the current trends of Hillsdale agriculture.

1. Chemicals not included in 1970 2. Less than $50,000

3. A farm is any place from which $1.00 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, 4. Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms. or normally would have been sold, during the census year.

Corn is the most important cash crop. There were 82,000 acres in 1996. The acreage of wheat has decreased from 305,00 to 13,500 since 1996. There are approximately 19,000 acres of hay harvested. The acreage of soybeans continues to grow from 5,805 acres in 1959 to 54,000 acres in 1996. Milk is marketed through Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Fort Wayne and Adrian retail outlets as well as the local markets. Livestock is sold through Archbold, Ohio, Battle Creek, Coldwater, Napoleon and Detroit. The grain moves through local elevators and directly from farms to markets at Ottawa Lake and Maumee Ohio.

The present agricultural land use is as follows:

Issues

Census data shows that farms in Hillsdale County continue to decrease in number and are getting larger in size. In the 10 year period, 1982-1992.

farm numbers dropped from 1,354 to 1,018, a decrease of nearly 25%.

farm size increased from 195 acres to 227, a growth of 14%. Fewer producers are operating more acres.

land devoted to farms decreased from 264,630 acres to 231,557 acres, a decline of nearly 12%. (Development pressure on agricultural land continue to fragment tillable acreage primarily in the form of rural residences. Invasion of rural residences into farm communities increases assessed land values and the conflict between farm and non-farm).

all forms of livestock have decreased in numbers during the period 1985-1995.

- dairy cattle declined 9.5%, but total milk production increased

- beef cattle declined 39%

- swine declined 21%

- sheep declined 57%

- poultry declined 37%

Some of these livestock industry declines are a result of conversion of farm operations to cash crops, retirement of farms, conversion of livestock farms to non-agricultural uses and enrollment of some land in the United States Department of Agricultural Conservation Reserve Program (36.500 acres total in 1996). However, production increases in milk production more than offsets decreases in number of cattle. Total milk production is increasing.

Remaining livestock operations are becoming larger with greater potential for adverse water quality impacts.

With USDA price supports being phased out (they will end in 2002), agriculture will utilize more farmer driven marketing efforts. Farmers may continue to specialize or increase the scale of operations to be more competitive.

Other issues in agriculture include:

24,400 cropland acres have soil losses from water erosion that exceed levels for long term sustained crop production.

83,100 cropland acres have high runoff rates that continue to degrade the county’s surface waters.

Cropland is managed more intensively with higher chemical inputs.

Recommendations

1. Develop a land use plan that would protect prime farmland.

2. Explore opportunities to diversify agricultural operations.

3. Promote use of wetlands as natural filters and storm water storage areas.

4. Provide information and education to riparian landowners on nutrient management and increase the amount of green buffers along riparian corridors.

5. Promote/explore alternatives to pesticide usage in crop production.

6. Develop a surface water monitoring program.

7. Accelerate programs designed to reduce agri-chemical discharge into surface waters (particularly for the Maumee watershed).

8. Increase soil conservation protection on environmentally sensitive land.

9. Improve on-farm storage, handling and land application of agri-chemicals and fertilizers.

10. Locate and decommission abandoned wells.

11. Develop cost efficient storage and innovative handling methods for animal wastes.

12. Balance animal waste land application with targeted crop nutrient needs.

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NATURAL RESOURCES

Much of the potential and current development that takes place within Hillsdale County is a direct result of the natural resources existing within the county. The following is a brief generalized description of land, mineral, vegetation, and water within Hillsdale County.

LAND RESOURCES

Current Status

The present land surface in Hillsdale County is the product of intermittent continental glaciation which began about one million years ago and ended about 14,000 years ago.

Glacial deposits range from 3 feet to 300 feet thick over most of the county. This glacial veneer is the result of at least four advances of continental glaciation. Only the deposits of the last stage, which was the Wisconsin stage, remain exposed at the surface. The surface features in the county are a result of this glacial action.

Hillsdale County was covered alternately by both the Saginaw Lobe and the Erie Lobe of the glacier. The contact zone between the two lobes runs diagonally from Somerset Township to Camden Township (Martin 1957). The major geographic landforms developed by this glaciation are till plains, moraines, glacial spillways, and interlobate moraine areas (Veatch and others, 1928).

In places where the glacial ice melted while stagnant, gently sloping till plains were formed. The till plains are small because of the activity of the two lobes advancing and retreating against each other. If the lobes had melted while advancing, they would have formed moraines or other similar steeper rolling and hilly areas. Moraines and similar land forms are common in the county.

The Saginaw Lobe carried material derived mainly from acid sandstone, and thus it produced soils that are generally sandy or sandy loam. The Erie Lobe carried material derived mainly from limestone. The soils that formed in this material are loamy and clayey and have a relatively high pH. The areas where the two lobes of the glacier met are called interlobate areas. The materials in these areas are side by side, overlapping, or mixed, and thus the texture of the resultant material is variable, both horizontally and vertically. The location of the interlobate areas helps to explain the relative consistency of soil materials in the southeastern and northwestern parts of the county and the diverse textures of the soil materials in the central part of the county.

The general topography of the county is characterized as gently rolling to moderately hilly with average elevations throughout the greater portion of the county from 1,000 to 1,200 feet above sea level. Extreme elevations range from 900 to 1,300 feet.

LAND

In the publication "An Inventory of Michigan Soil and Water Conservation Needs", published in 1959, none of the land in Hillsdale County was rated "Capability Class I". This is a type of land with very few limitations on its use. Artificial drainage and special practices are not necessary.

CAPABILITY CLASSES AND SUBCLASSES

Approximately 203,117 acres of Hillsdale County land is rated as "Capability Class II". Soils in this class require careful soil management, including conservation practices to prevent deterioration or to improve air and water relations when the soil is cultivated. The limitations are few and the practices are easy to apply. With good management, it is fairly easy to obtain high yields of adapted crops under fairly intensive cultivation. Many farmers secure yields of 110 to 125 bushels of corn; and 4 to 5 tons alfalfa on soils of Class II. These soils may be used for cultivated crops, pasture, woodland or wildlife. Soils in this capability class are considered prime farmland.

There are about 108,191 acres of county land classified "Capability Class III". Class III soils have more restrictions on their use than do Class II soils. Conservation practices are usually more difficult to apply and maintain. Permanent characteristics restrict the intensity with which Class III land can be cultivated. These lands are usually less productive and less profitable to farm. Yields of 85 to 100 bushels of corn, 30 to 40 bushels of wheat, 3 to 4 tons alfalfa are not uncommon with good practices. With good management, this land can be safely used for cultivated crops, pasture woodland and wildlife.

28,315 acres are classified as Capability Class IV. Soils in this class have characteristics and qualities which severely restrict the choice of crops that can be grown. When these soils are cultivated, more careful management is required and conservation practices are more difficult to apply and maintain. Yields of 60-80 bushels of corn and 3-4 tons alfalfa are not uncommon with good management. Class IV soil may be used for cultivated crops and are adapted to pasture, woodland and wildlife uses.

About 43,392 acres of land have pronounced limitations for cultivation such as steep slopes, severe erosion, stoniness or low water holding capacity. This land is best adapted to woodland, wildlife or recreation development. Much of these lands adjoin streams and rivers.

The balance of the 388,166 acres in the county is used in residential, commercial, and industrial land uses or are included in 388 bodies of water covering 4,275 acres.

Issues

Soil erosion is occurring in Hillsdale County. Streams cut and widen their channels. This process contributes substantial amounts of suspended sediment in the Lake Erie drainage system. Man induced soil erosion from agriculture and construction sites is also a major contributor of sediment and nutrients in surface water that Hillsdale County delivers to Ohio and Indiana.

Unplanned development is impacting the landscape of the County. Agriculture and wildlife lands are being converted to rural residential.

Recommendations

1. Developers, contractors, and farmers need to be educated in techniques to minimize soil erosion.

2. An inventory of critically eroding streambanks is needed to identify and prioritize the stabilization of these sites.

3. Search out funding sources through grants and existing programs to accelerate the protection of the County’s soil resources.

4. A land use plan is needed to assure that development is orderly and does not adversely impact the land resource base.

MINERALS

Current Status

The bedrock of Hillsdale County consists of the eroded edges of the bowl-like formation that makes up the Michigan basin. The oldest rock directly beneath the glacial drift veneer is the Coldwater Shale, which underlies the entire county and is the uppermost bedrock in the southern and eastern parts. It is overlapped in the central and northern half of the county by Marshall Sandstone. In some places, the Marshall Formation is exposed or is very near the surface (Martin, 1957).

Soils in the Hillsdale County vary. They include the lighter sands such as Coloma; the sandy loams, such as Hillsdale and Fox; the gently sloping to hilly loams of Miami, Conover, and Morley; and the level, dark colored loams, silt loams and clay loams of which Pewamo and Brookston are representative. There are some isolated areas of muck, these however, are small and not of general economic importance. There are numerous deposits of high quality marl in these low areas.

There are about 37 different kinds of soil in the county. The soils range widely in texture, natural drainage slope, and other characteristics. Well drained soils make up about 51 percent of the county; moderately well drained soils, 11 percent; somewhat poorly drained soils, 19 percent; poorly drained and very poorly drained, mineral soils, 9 percent; and very poorly drained, organic soils, 8 percent. The rest of the county includes miscellaneous areas and water areas.

The recently published soils information updates the soil surveys of Hillsdale County published in 1928 and 1977 (Veatch and others 1928; Laurin and Whiteside, 1977).

Issues

Where are key mineral deposits? What type, quantity, and quality?

Sand and gravel deposit areas are being developed for building sites.

Open sand/gravel pit operations pose a safety hazard.

Recommendations

1. Inventory key mineral deposit sites for type, quality, and quantity.

2. Encourage development of mineral deposits to aid in the County’s economic development.

3. Protect key mineral deposits from residential development.

4. Ensure open pit operations that pose a safety hazard are fenced.

VEGETATION

Current Status

Prior to European colonization, Hillsdale County was heavily forested with oaks, hickories and sugar maples growing on the County’s well drained soils and elm, ash, basswood, shag bark hickories and swamp white oaks growing on the poorly drained soils.

Today’s landscape is composed primarily of agricultural uses with many of the remaining woodlands being smaller broken wood lot pockets on poorly drained soils, and on the rolling hills.

Wetlands encompass approximately 34,000 acres. Vegetative cover ranges from red and silver maple to canary grass and cattails depending on duration and depth of water. Most wetland areas are fringed with willow and other water loving shrubs.

Issues

Invasion by exotic plant species (ie. Purple Loosestrife).

Loss of wetland plant communities.

Overgrown christmas tree plantations are a source of insects and diseases.

Recommendations

1. Keep County residents informed of the latest control techniques for exotic invading plants.

2. Protect wetlands through land use planning or tax breaks.

3. Educate County landowners that old christmas tree plantations are sources of insect and disease pests.

4. Explore economic opportunities for utilizing wood/fiber products from old christmas tree plantations.

WATER

Current Status

Hillsdale County has about 350 ponds and 42 inland lakes and reservoirs. Five of these are man- made. Many of these lakes have less than 3 acres of surface water, but 15 are more than 100 acres in size (Friedhoff, 1968). Among the larger lakes are Baw Beese Lake, Lake LeAnn, Lake Somerset, Long Lake, and Lake Diane. Each of these lakes is more than 200 acres in size.

Many of the lakes are a result of blocks of ice left behind as the glacier retreated. These iceblocks were subsequently buried by the material in the outwash. When the iceblocks melted, they left depressions that are now filled with water. Examples are Baw Beese Lake and the lakes along Hog Creek.

Hillsdale County has the highest elevation in south-central Michigan. It contains the headwaters of five of Michigan’s major rivers. The headwaters of the St. Joseph of the Maumee River , the Raisin River in the Lake Erie watershed, drains the southern and eastern parts of the county. The Lake Michigan watershed, which drains the northern part of the county, contains the Kalamazoo River and the Grand River. The St. Joseph River drains the western and southern parts of the county. Major creeks in the county include Sand Creek, Hog Creek, Bean Creek, Silver Creek, Laird Creek, and Bird Creek.

Issues

Overall, ground water quality in the County is good. In Litchfield, Scipio, Fayette and Moscow townships several water wells have high nitrate levels. Nitrate contamination in these areas is usually associated with livestock operations. It is highly likely that other agri-chemicals are also present although no testing has been done to prove or disapprove this.

Surface water quality is good to poor depending on the drainage systems.

High sediment loads and agri-chemicals are present in the Maumee and its feeder tributaries. Agri-chemicals are present in all surface waters during part of the year. This is particularly true after significant rainfall events.

Abandoned dug and driven water wells pose a serious threat to ground water supplies.

Recommendations

1. Complete a groundwater topographic map to locate groundwater recharge areas, draw down areas, and to gain an understanding of aquifer flow direction.

2. Initiate a ground and surface water testing program to identify and quantify areas of contamination.

3. For identified water quality problem areas, develop and implement corrective measures.

4. Location and properly close abandoned water wells.

LAKES AND STREAMS

Current Status

There are 5,900 acres of lake waters and 500 acres of stream waters in Hillsdale County. Hillsdale County is the origin point of five watersheds; the St. Joe, Grand, Raisin, Maumee, and Kalamazoo. Currently, the lakes of Bird Lake, Jefferson Township and Lake Diane and Lake Mary in Amboy Township have a residential sewer system. Lime Lake in Wright Township is in the planning process of constructing a system. There is a genuine concern for the water we drink, use for recreation purposes, and benefit from in other ways, as it affects our quality of life, especially the impact Hillsdale County’s waterheds have on communities in other regions.

Issues

Soil erosion is occurring in Hillsdale County. Streams cut and widen their channels. This process contributes substantial amounts of suspended sediment in the Lake Erie drainage system. Man induced soil erosion from agriculture and construction sites is also a major contributor of sediment and nutrients in surface water that Hillsdale County delivers to Ohio and Indiana.

1. Protect these lakes rivers/streams from contamination generated from residential, agriculture, and manufacturing sources.

2. Sandy soils in the county lead to the potential for pesticides, nutrients, and other harmful contaminants to enter surface and ground water.

3. Lack of recreation opportunities/access on larger rivers and streams.

Recommendations

1. Leadership, education, and resources are needed to provide positive steps towards improving the water quality for Hillsdale County residents and others beyond the county lines.

2. Best Management Practices (BMP) should be supported and implemented by the agricultural community to protect waterways from pesticide and soil runoff.

3. Initiate residential sewer systems around all major lakes supporting significant populations.

4. Consolidate sewer systems for small communities and lake areas.

5. Enhance recreation opportunities/access on larger river/streams.

WILDLIFE

Current Status

Hillsdale County is host to a wide variety of wildlife. Hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing opportunities about.

Issues

Several species have population numbers that are a nuisance. Racoon, white tail deer, Canada goose and woodchuck destroy crops and also generally conflict with man’s activities. Gypsy moths and zebra mussels have invaded the county also. Gypsy moths defoliate hardwood forests. The zebra mussels encrust on submerged vegetation, docks, boats, etc. These snails have so far only been confirmed in Baw Beese Lake. The long term impacts from the moth and mussel invaders are difficult to assess; however, other areas within the State have committed substantial economic resources to combat these pests.

Coyote are commonly sited in Hillsdale County. As this species build in numbers, additional conflicts with man will occur.

Wild turkey has been reintroduced in several areas of the county. These large birds add recreational opportunities for hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts.

Recommendations

1. Educate County residents on proper control techniques for targeted pests.

2. Educate county residents that what is a nuisance to man is "normal" behavior for wildlife species.

3. Work closely with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to minimize wildlife conflicts with County residents.

OIL & GAS

Current Status

There are 107 oil wells and 17 gas wells existing today in Hillsdale County. This does not mean the wells are producing at this time or have produced recently. In fact, some operators of these wells have filed bankruptcy, died or just walked away from their wells leaving them abandoned.

Hillsdale County produced 212,174.5 barrels of oil and 182,901.5 thousand cubic feet of gas in 1996. Compared to 4,227,511 barrels of oil and 3,489,613 thousand cubic feet of gas produced in 1963. Oil and gas production in Hillsdale County has declined greatly over the past 35 years.

Hillsdale County has nine brine disposal wells. 1,432,077.5 barrels of brine were produced in 1996 from oil and gas wells.

Most of the oil and gas well sites remain located in Scipio, Moscow and Adams Townships.

Issues

Several oil and gas wells have been abandoned leaving potential subsurface pathways for pollutants to travel.

There are 108 known or suspected oil and gas contamination sites which qualify under Act 61 located in Hillsdale County.

There are 29 sites known to be contaminated with any one or a combination of hazardous substances that either are or may be injurious to human health or the environment. These substances may include industrial or municipal wastes, pesticides, solvents, and other organic chemicals and heavy metals.

51 of the oil and gas wells in Hillsdale County also produce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S).

Recommendations

Work with federal, state, and county agencies on the urgency of clean-up per site and the cost of clean-up per site by the year 2000.

FORESTRY

Current Status

In pre-settlement Hillsdale County the land was nearly 100% forested. The small percentage of land that did not support trees was covered in wetlands or by water. With the arrival of the Europeans, the land was systematically cleared and put into agricultural production. Areas that were not cleared to produce crops or graze livestock were either too wet or too sloping and remain in a forested state today. Currently approximately 52,100 acres are covered with trees. This is about 13% of the land area. An additional 22,000 acres is in brush/shrub cover that will turn into forestland in time.

In the past, timber was harvested mostly for farm use. Livestock were grazed in the forests. The woods on most farmsteads were not seen as having real value. With the 20^th century came localized commercial sawmills. This created a ready market for saw timber. Most woodlots were over-harvested taking all the quality timber. What was left were low value and small trees. There was no thought to a scientific approach to managing the timber for long-term quality forest products.

Issues

Some of the same problems which have affected Hillsdale County forest decline in the past still exist today. Although pastured woodlots are not nearly as prevalent today, the practice still exists. Livestock in woodlots eliminate whole age classes of trees by browsing. They can also compact the soil around the roots of mature trees and can cause or contribute to that tree’s death.

The largest current problem facing local woodlots is the lack of sound forestry practices when harvesting timber. Woodlots are still being high graded and over harvested.

Hillsdale County produces some of the finest quality hardwoods in the world. There is value in local woodlots. Many county residents have no idea what their timber is worth. This has lead to considerable unscrupulous buying and cutting of timber that does not have the best interest of the forest or the landowner in mind. Unfair buying techniques and misleading information on the part of some timber buyers has lead to a bad reputation of timber buyers in general. This discourages many would-be timber sellers. Most landowners accept whatever the timber buyer offers without knowing how many board feet of what species is to be harvested and what the current market value is of each species.

Since the 1950's, there have been millions of trees planted in Hillsdale County. Most of the seeds were planted without thought to future use, not properly cared for to ensure survivability, and/or planted on a site where survival was marginal. Landowners need to use some forestry establishment techniques to ensure tree seedling survival.

Hillsdale County’s forestry resources will continue to see changes in the future. If current trends continue, the acres of mature forest stands will likely decline along with the overall quality and the diversity of timber species. Uncontrolled rural residential development will continue to fragment and invade the County’s woodlands.

On the asset side of the ledge, Hillsdale County is blessed with soils and a climate that favors high quality hardwood timber products. There are over 64,000 acres of land that is too steep or wet for agricultural use. More people are coming to Hillsdale County from surrounding urban areas. These people are purchasing parcels of land and entire farms and many are planting trees for future timber and wildlife habitat.

Recommendations

The landscape of Hillsdale County is changing and the forest component is not immune to this change. Rural residential development pressure, unscientific timber harvest and management will all impact county woodlots. To assure the best wise use of the timber resources, the following actions should be taken:

1. Educate landowners on the value of timber, it’s potential value and quality if properly managed.

2. Educate landowners into thinking long term in timber management.

3. Require bonding/licensing of timber buyers and cutters.

4. Educate landowners in proper tree planting and reforestation techniques.

5. Encourage landowners to utilize the services of non-biased forestry professionals.

6. Develop a specialty forestry products market.

7. Utilize more Red Pine plantings for future pressure-treated lumber products.

8. Acquire better information on establishing quality hardwoods.

9. Educate landowners to make them aware that brush land is worth something if planted and managed to a woodland use.

10. Encourage more woodlot diversity by expanding buffers of woodlot in cropland edge. (Width of buffer = height of tallest tree in woodlot edge).

11. Plan the development for urbanization of the countryside.

12. Be conscience of woodlots during new construction.

13. Encourage intergovernmental information network with consultant foresters.

SOURCES: Hillsdale County Agriculture Census 1995

Hillsdale County Soil Survey

Hillsdale County Natural Resources Inventory

Geologic History of Hillsdale County (MDNR 1957)

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

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EDUCATION

Current Status

Education is the key to the future progress of Hillsdale County. Providing an outstanding education in the current generations link to the future progress and prosperity of the people and industries.

Pre-school opportunities are available in Hillsdale County.

Two of the pre-schools are available at no charge to families. These are:

Head Start where at least 90% of the families must meet the U.S. Health and Human Services Poverty guidelines.

Michigan School Readiness Program where 51% of the families must qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

Pre-school opportunities are available on a fee basis at:

Karen Jenkins

Teaching Learning Center

Step By Step

Marilyn Reigle

Mary Randall

Kids Korner

Head Start sites are located in Hillsdale, Reading, Jonesville and Waldron. Michigan School Readiness sites are located in Hillsdale, Reading, Jonesville, Waldron and Camden.

The Marilyn Reigle Pre-School is located in Litchfield and Kids Korner is located in Jonesville. The other pre-schools are located in Hillsdale.

Currently, Hillsdale County has eight public school districts, one public school academy, and several private or denominational schools that are either K-12 of K-8 in configuration.

The eight public school districts are united through the Hillsdale County Intermediate School District, which acts as a liaison between the state and local school districts as well as a provider of some special education and vocational educational services. All of the public school districts are governed by an elected Board of Education and a superintendent of schools hired by the Board.

The public school districts are:

Hillsdale Community Schools K-12 and adult education

Jonesville Community Schools K-12 and alternative education

Reading Community Schools K-12

Camden Frontier Schools K-12

Litchfield Community Schools K-12

North Adams-Jerome Schools K-12

Pittsford Area Schools K-12

Waldron Area Schools K-12

These eight school districts participate in a "schools of choice" program that allows any student to attend any school district in the county.

The public school academy is:

Sauk Trail Academy K-8

An additional public school academy, the Will Carlton Academy is in the planning stage and should open in the fall of 1998.

The private schools or denominational schools are:

Hillsdale Academy K-8

Bird Lake Bible School K-12

Amish Schools K-8

Seventh Day Adventist School K-12

Manor Foundation K-12

Special Education services are offered by each public school district, the public school academy and through the Hillsdale County Intermediate School District.

Special education services includes programming for all children and include the following program descriptions.

Learning Disabled - Programs for children who have average intelligence but have some identifiable learning problem that requires adaptations in curriculum or teaching methodology.

Emotionally Handicapped -Students who possess the ability to learn, but must learn at a slower pace than usual.

Trainable Mentally Impaired - Students who can be trained to live and work in society, but may never acquire the more complex skills necessary for skilled work.

Multiply Impaired - Students who have more than one educational handicap.

Autistically Impaired - Students who meet the complex criteria for the label autism. These students have difficulty relating to others in real world situations. Autistic people range widely in abilities and achievement.

Physically and Otherwise Health Impaired - Students who have a physical handicapped, apparent or internal, that demands special services or curriculum adaptations.

Severely Mentally Impaired - Students whose mental impairment prohibits them from learning or being trained to perform successfully in society.

In addition to the K-8 or K-12 schools listed above, Hillsdale County also has opportunities available for the education of adults. First, the Hillsdale Community Schools offer an Adult Education program for people who have not finished High School or want enrichment courses. This program offers opportunities for:

High School Completion

Preparation for and taking the G.E.D.

Adult Basic Education (A.B.E.)

Post high school education classes are available through the Jackson Community College, Hillsdale Center; Spring Arbor College, either the Jackson Center or at Camp Michindoh Center; or Hillsdale College.

In addition to the school districts and other educational opportunities available within Hillsdale County, the following school districts, located outside Hillsdale County, offer programs to some Hillsdale County Residents.

Quincy Community Schools (Branch County)

Hanover-Horton Schools (Jackson County)

Hudson Area Schools (Lenawee County)

Morenci Schools (Lenawee County)

Addison Community Schools (Lenawee County)

Jackson Area Career Center (Jackson County)

Lenawee Area Career Center (Lenawee County)

Branch Area Career Center (Branch County)

Issues

Physical Plant

Twenty school buildings are presently being used by the eight public school districts in Hillsdale County. Only two of these buildings have been built within the last ten years. The remaining eighteen are all over twenty years old. Five buildings are over 50 years old. All of the districts have made good efforts to keep their facilities in good repair, but modernization is needed. Litchfield, Reading, North Adams, Camden Frontier, and Hillsdale have all been involved in remodeling projects within the past six years. See Table 1 for a comparison of the buildings by district.

All of the buildings in the county were built prior to the extensive use of technology in education. In addition, several changes have occurred and are occurring in vocational education across the state. There is a need for every student to become computer literate and to train students for team work in problem solving as well as training and retraining for several job specific skills. The increasing use of technology in the workplace has placed heavier demands on the math and science curriculums as well. The buildings within the county were not constructed with these changes in mind and need updated educational spaces to complete successfully in the 21st century. All curricular areas are using computers, television, various kinds of projection equipment as well as energy demanding administrative systems.

Many buildings have seen improvements in lighting, ventilation and heating systems. Some have remodeled exterior walls and windows to improve heating economy. Most need additional infrastructure work in electrical systems and mechanical systems.

In addition to the educational facilities, all districts must provide space and equipment for food service and transportation. Each district has a complete food service program offering breakfast and lunch to all students. Most of the buildings within the county have self contained kitchens, but some satellite kitchens are also used. Each district maintains a bus fleet and has facilities to maintain their buses in compliance with annual state inspections.

A complete spectrum of special education is offered within Hillsdale County. Most programs are offered within the eight public school districts. Specialized programs for more several challenged children are offered through the Hillsdale Intermediate School District at the Greenfield School.

Obsolescence of buildings continues to be a major problem for county school districts. The struggle to maintain and upgrade existing buildings is becoming more costly and more difficult.

In order to compete successfully in the future, the eight county school districts must come up with ways to improve or replace existing facilities with buildings that are designed for modern curriculums. The primary need, in Hillsdale County, is not for additional classrooms, at least not until the population grows, but rather for modern updated educational spaces designed to meet the specific needs of technology, school to work, job training and flexible scheduling.

Population and Enrollment

The growth in school population in Hillsdale County has been extremely slow, 2.27% over the past ten years. See Table 2.

Student mobility within the county has been somewhat more dramatic due to the increasing availability of rental housing, job changes, and open enrollment. The county schools have had an agreement since 1992 to allow any student in Hillsdale County to attend any school of their choice. In 1995, the state legislature included an open enrollment provision in law.

It is generally believed by the committee that the availability of housing is a major obstacle to student population growth in Hillsdale County. The job market has shown steady growth, in semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, but has been somewhat slower than it might be due to the limited availability of housing. When more housing becomes available we expect to see a sharper increase in the student population.

The Curriculum and its Operation

All the public school systems in the county offer a quality educational program in preparation for college or vocational schools. The staff in all the schools is well prepared and experienced. Table 3 shows the certification and preparation level of the teachers in the public school systems in the county. An average of 46% of the teachers have a masters degree or higher and 78% percent have either permanent or continuing certification. The average teacher in Hillsdale County has 15.3 years of experience. Table 4 shows that the average students teacher ratio in Hillsdale County is 17.84 to 1. The average range of students to teachers in Hillsdale County school districts is, less than 21 to 1, to 16.18 to 1. These are impressive statistics for any county in Michigan.

Some school districts offer more courses in math, science and foreign language than others. Hillsdale, because of its size and commitment to quality offers two foreign languages and higher level courses in math, science and English. All districts offer opportunities for exceptional students to excel at their own level of ability.

All districts offer classes in vocational education. In addition, all districts participate in cooperation programs with at least one intermediate school district to prepare students for immediate placement in jobs in industry. A new development is the Manufacturing Technology Center, a joint project between the public school districts in Hillsdale County, the Hillsdale Intermediate School District and county businesses. This program will focus on developing the skills necessary to train workers for local industry and retrain existing workers to make our work force the most competent in the state.

All school districts offer a good variety of extra curricular activities. Opportunities for participation in athletics is balanced in every public school district. The number of different opportunities varies per district, with the most offered by the Hillsdale Community Schools, but every student in every district has a chance to participate in athletics.

The county schools offer a complete opportunities for participation in music. Students can participate in band, orchestra, and choir. In addition, opportunities are available for participation in community bands and choirs.

Each public school district offers complete library services. The number of volumes differs per district according to the size of enrollment, but all public school districts have adequate libraries. In addition, public library facilities are available in most communities.

The public school districts in the county offer a complete range of educational opportunities for handicapped students. The program choices range from complete integration in the regular classroom, through pull out offerings in individual school districts to center programs through the Hillsdale County Intermediate School District. A description of the program areas appears in the introduction.

All public school districts are involved in the school improvement process through the involvement of staff and community on School Improvement Teams. These groups look at quality indicators such as test results on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program test, the High School Proficiency Test, and various standardized tests as well as research data to help plan changes in curriculum and teaching practices.

Finance

Schools are financed through three funding sources, the federal government, the state government and local tax payers.

Federal funding generally includes money to improve programming for disadvantaged children. The major federal programs are Head Start for preschool aged children and Title I for school aged children. Each public school district plans its own Title I program. Funding for these programs has risen gradually over the past several years. In addition to these federal programs, some money is available for vocational education and teacher in service in the math and science. Federal funding for the 1996-1997 school year was:

Title I Eisenhower Title VI

Camden Frontier $187,498 $ 5,128 $1,856

Hillsdale $376,956 $11,916 $5,267

County Youth Home $ 11,789

Jonesville $ 95,915 $ 4,902 $ 802

Litchfield $111,654 $ 2,867 $ 441

North Adams-Jerome $ 80,174 $ 2,896 $ 415

Pittsford $157,416 $ 4,607 $ 566

Reading $204,197 $ 6,451 $2,462

Waldron $106,189 $ 2,708 $2,507

Federal funding for vocational education is not included in the figures above.

There has been a dramatic change in the way school districts in the state of Michigan are financed. Beginning in 1994, Proposal "A" gave the state the majority of the responsibility for financing public education. Local property taxes were cut substantially and replaced with a higher sales tax. Before Proposal "A", an average of 80% of the financing for public schools came from local sources, after Proposal "A", 80% of the financing for public schools came from the state. The state guarantees a minimum funding level per pupil. Districts below that funding leveling had their funding increased at about twice the rate of districts above that level.

The districts in Hillsdale County are guaranteed the following foundation allowance per child for the 1997-1998 and the 1998-1999 school years:

Camden Frontier $5,071.04

Hillsdale $5,274.69

Jonesville $5,401.95

Litchfield $5,255.66

North Adams-Jerome $5,206.11

Pittsford $5,462.00

Reading $5,244.51

Waldron $5,308.00

In addition to operational monies, all public school districts in the county, except Hillsdale and Jonesville, have outstanding bonded indebtedness for school buildings. The amounts as of 6/30/96 are:

Camden Frontier $ 550,000

Hillsdale $0

Jonesville $0

Litchfield $4,000,000

North Adams-Jerome $3,262,845

Pittsford $1,700,000

Reading $4,145,000

Waldron $ 575,000

H.I.S.D. $ 54,000

Current legislation allows public school districts to vote to tax themselves for the purpose of maintaining buildings and ground and purchasing land through Building and Site Sinking Fund millages. Expenditures of these funds are controlled by the State Department of Treasury. Currently, the following public school districts in Hillsdale County have "Building and Site Sinking Funds":

Hillsdale 2 mills

Jonesville 1 mill

Growth in school financing is now in the hands of the state. The foundation allowance is reviewed annually by the legislature and final figures are part of the annual state aid act. School districts must seek ways to live within the foundation allowance and produce an annual balanced budget. Program improvements and additional programs are limited by the funds available. Individual school districts set priorities for expenditures.

Recommendations

The State of Michigan and our county school districts have focused a lot of attention on school improvement through parent involvement and the setting of district goals and objectives. Public Act 25 established the outline for school improvement and all publicly funded school districts have responded with enthusiasm and an eye toward improvement. Some of the outcomes of this legislation and local response has been to:

increase the input of parents through school improvement committees

establish mission statements and goals

evaluate progress on an annual basis

publish annual reports on progress

In addition to the locally developed goals of the eight public school districts, several common problems have been identified. They include the following:

solving the problems of increasing special education demands on local budgets?

increasing counseling services, especially at the elementary level?

improving and replacing our aging facilities in a cost-efficient manner?

serving the non-college bound students and preparing them for entrance into the work force of Hillsdale County.

improving the processes of education so that all children will learn to maximum potential?

providing up-to-date technology training for students at all levels of the curriculum?

TABLE 1

NOTES:

Camden Frontier has remodeled some of its building within the last 5 years.

Hillsdale has built an addition to Gier Elementary within the last 7 years.

Jonesville has built a new alternative high school within the last 3 years.

Litchfield is in the process of remodeling at the High School.

North Adams has remodeled and added on to the High School building within the last 10 years.

Reading has remodeled the High School and Elementary School within the last 5 years.

The ISD also has a Business Technology Center located in the Hillsdale Industrial Park.

Most of the school buildings in Hillsdale County are quite old (over 25 years) and in need of remodeling. Some buildings, usually those over 50 years, are in need of replacement.

TABLE 2

HILLSDALE COUNTY SCHOOLS

10 YEAR ENROLLMENTS

TABLE 3

TABLE 4

1996-97

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HEALTH

To understand the community’s health status, it is imperative to first identify a set of core indicators which impact health status or which can be used to describe fundamental health issues. An overview of these issues is presented below.

Socio-economic Considerations: The Michigan Department of Management and Budget estimates Hillsdale County’s population to be 45,400 (1995). This represents a 4% increase from 1990 Census population reports. Much of the county’s population growth over the past ten years can be attributed to natural increase. Of the total population, 98.9% are white, 0.2% are Black, 0.4% are American Indian, and the remaining are comprised of "other races." The population is evenly split between the sexes--51% are females and 49% are males. Comparisons with the state shows that Hillsdale County has a larger youth population (14 years and younger) and senior population (those over 55 years) that of the state.

The term "Amish" is used to refer to individuals belonging to a specific religious order, rather than a particular race or ethnic group. There is no census data items which identifies this group, but by using "German" or "Other West Germanic Language" as a proxy indicator, it is estimated that 521 people over the age of 5 years are living in homes where these languages are spoken as the primary language. From this, it is estimated that approximately 1.2% of the total county population may be Amish.

Income is one of many factors which can impact an individual’s health status. The median household income in 1993 for Hillsdale County was $29,788 which is 8.4% lower than the median household income reported for Michigan as a whole. While the number of persons in the civilian labor force remains constant, the unemployment rate is continually falling. Between 1987 and 1996, the county’s unemployment rate dropped dramatically from 9.2% of 4.4%. Yet in spite of this change, approximately one in eight people (12.8%) live at or below the poverty threshold. Children under the age of five and children living in single parent homes are more likely to live at or below the poverty thresholds than adults or seniors. More than one-third of the population (35.4%) are considered low income (living below 200% of poverty).

Educational attainment can also influence a person’s overall health. Higher levels of education completion are often associated with improved socioeconomic conditions, better health care utilization, and fewer risk behaviors. In Hillsdale County, 24.9% of residents 25 years and older do not possess a high school diploma; 43.5% are high school graduates, 16.5% have some college but no degree; and the remaining 16.6% possess some type of college degree. Between 1994-1995, approximately 5.6% of Hillsdale County high school students dropped out of school, while 76.2% of Hillsdale County ninth graders are projected to complete high school in four years.

The status of the family is another indicator which can impact the health of mothers and children. Over one-quarter (27%) of Hillsdale County’s children under the age of 18 years live in single-parent families. One-fifth (20%) live in single, female-headed households. Many children begin life at a disadvantage. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), 31.5% of births to county residents were out-of-wedlock births (1993-1995). Additionally, divorce rates are growing. Between 1991 and 1995, divorce rates are growing. Between 1991 and 1995, divorce rates grew from 10.5 per 1,000 population to 11.8 per 1,000 population, making Hillsdale County the 4^th highest among Michigan Counties for rates of divorce.

Maternal-Infant Health Considerations (Teen Pregnancy): The status of the county’s maternal and infant health is of paramount concern because of the long-term consequences associated with negative pregnancy outcomes. Between 1994 to 1996, 2,292 infants were born in Hillsdale County. Almost two-fifths (39.2%) were to first-time mothers and nearly one-fifth (17.5%) were born to mothers under the age of 20 years. The second percentage denotes a serious trend for the county in the area of teen pregnancy. Between 1990 and 1996, the fertility rates for females aged 15 to 19 years rose from 48.8 to 57.9 per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 years. Correspondingly, teen pregnancy rates, which are calculated by combining the number of live births with the number of abortions and the estimated number of miscarriages, have also been on the rise. In 1990, Hillsdale County’s teen pregnancy rates were 67 per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 years. By the end of 1996, this rate had increased to 88.2 per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 years. In light of this information, it should come as no surprise that the percentage of mothers without a high school diploma has also increased.

Smoking and Pregnancy

In addition to the increasing number of younger mothers, Hillsdale County also saw some growth in both the percentage of pregnant women who smoked during their pregnancy and/or who did not gain an adequate amount of weight gain (less than 16 lbs.). These risk factors have been linked with low birth weight infants, for which Hillsdale County’s percentage has grown from 4.9% of all live births (1990-92) to 7.7% of all live births (1994-96). Yet, in spite of these negative trends, infant mortality has remained fairly constant, finishing at 8.8 per 1,000 live births by the end of 1994-96.

Prenatal Care

Real progress has been made in the area of prenatal care. The percentage of mothers who have received an adequate level of prenatal care (measured by the number of visits received and the weeks of gestation completed) has been increasing. During 1990-92, slightly more than one-half of all Hillsdale County mothers (56.6%) had received an adequate number of prenatal care visits. By the end of 1994-96, nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of all Hillsdale County mothers had received this level of care.

Cardiovascular Disease

Chronic diseases are a set of debilitating diseases which develop over a life span and often times are related to individual behavioral choices. For Hillsdale County, the leading chronic disease and cause of death is cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease refers to a wide variety of heart and blood vessel diseases, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke and rheumatic heart disease. Deaths from these disease constitute approximately 40% of all the county’s total deaths. Deaths from ischemic heart disease (otherwise known as coronary heart disease) comprised over half of these deaths (58.5%). Ischemic heart disease develops as plaque formations or fat deposits collect on the arterial walls, causing them to narrow and restrict blood flow. Heart attacks often ensue. During 1993-95, ischemic heart disease claimed the lives of 291 Hillsdale County residents. During the past six years, the county has seen an 8.6% increase in its ischemic heart disease crude death rate which has grown from 203.1 per 100,000 in 1990-92 to 217.2 per 100,000 in 1993-95. An even larger increase can be seen in hospital discharge rates related to ischemic heart disease which have grown from 8.2 per 1,000 in 1990-92 to 10.2 per 1,000 in 1992-94.

Cancer

Cancer, the second leading case of death for the county, is the diverse group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. During 1993-95, Hillsdale County reported 476 new cancer cases among county residents and 401 deaths due to cancer. Leading sites for cancer occurrence are: prostate gland, breast, lung and bronchus and colon cancer. Lung and bronchus cancers are the leading cause of cancer deaths, followed by colon cancer.

Cerebrovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease

Amongst other chronic disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are of special concern. Between 1993-95, the county reported an additional 152 deaths due to these causes. Fortunately, between 1990-92 and 1993-95, rates of death for all three of these chronic conditions have seen some reductions.

Motor Vehicle Crashes

Motor vehicle crashes are a major cause of death and long-term disability. In 1995, there were 2,461 reported motor vehicle crashes in Hillsdale County. Because of these crashes, 13 people died and 640 people were injured. Of those who were killed or injured, at least 22% were not properly restrained at the time of the crash. Alcohol and/or other drug use was an identified factor in 112 of all motor vehicle crashes and approximately 42% (1,031) of all crashes involved a deer.

Smoking

As stated above, individual behavioral choices impact the health status of both an individual and the community. Smoking status is of special importance because of its known relative risks to cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and poor birth outcomes. According to the Gallup Risk Factor/Utilization Study (1995), approximately 26% of all adults reported they are at least occasional smokers--19.4% reported that they smoked every day and an additional 6.8% reported that they smoked some days. Current smokers were predominantly under age 55. Cigarette smoking was associated with lower educational levels and, to a lesser degree, was more prevalent in lower income households.

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption, when in excess, can also cause a series of health-related problems, ranging from mental health issues to death. The Center for Substance Abuse Services, MDCH, estimated that approximately 5,080 of Hillsdale County Residents abused alcohol or drugs during 1994. For many of these individuals, alcohol was the drug of choice. Heavy drinking defined as the consumption of sixty or more drinks during the past month, was reported by less than five percent (3.1%) of the population (Gallup, 1995). However, more than one in seven adults (13.6%) appeared to have had at least one drinking binge, defined as five or more drinks per occasion, during the month that the survey was conducted. In addition, 3.5% of the adult respondents reported driving while intoxicated during that month.

Communicable Disease-Immunization

A well-immunized population is the best defense against disease outbreaks. Nationally, only about one-half of all two year olds are properly immunized. The most recent statistics available regarding childhood immunizations for Hillsdale County (MDCH, 1996) shows that 9% of children between the ages of 19 to 35 months had incomplete immunization records. The District Health Department also reports that 8% of children attending daycare are not fully immunized (DHD, 1996).

Senior Citizens are also at risk for communicable diseases and their complications. For those 55 years and older, approximately 2 out of 5 were not properly vaccinated against flu. Only 1/3 of them had received pneumonia inoculations (Gallup, 1995). Between 1991-95, Hillsdale County age-adjusted pneumonia/influenza death rates were 14.2 per 100,000 population which was 5% higher than state age-adjusted death rates for the same period.

Health Care-Physician Shortage, Cost, Access

Hillsdale County has received both the Health Professional, Shortage Area and the medically Undeserved Area designations by the Bureau of Primary Care. Counties that meet specific criteria in the areas of population distribution, physician ratios, birth outcomes and poverty percentages are granted these special designations. According to the Michigan Primary Care Association, the population to primary care physician FTE ratio is 2,767 to 1. The problems caused by a lack of primary care providers are compounded by health insurance issues. In 1992, 8.9% of the population were estimated to be uninsured. In addition, approximately 10.5% of the population were eligible for Medicaid and 12.6% of the population were eligible for Medicare.

The cost of health care continues to consume a large portion of the community’s annual earnings. While not complete data is available, rough estimates have been prepared for planning purposes based upon Medicare and Medicaid data with extrapolations for the private sector based upon the other two data sets. In 1991, Health Management Associates estimated that Hillsdale County total health care services equaled $2,277.97 per person.

All of these factors describe an access problem which is demonstrated through the next data set. According to the Gallup survey (1995), 16.3% of the Hillsdale County adults to not have a usual source of care. Over one-quarter (28.5%) have not been in for a checkup within the last year. Of those who did identify a usual source of care, approximately one in five (18%) identified their source as an urgent care center or a hospital emergency room. Yet, those who stated that they had a usual source of care were satisfied with the care they received. Over two-thirds of the respondents (70.7%) were very satisfied and over one-quarter were somewhat satisfied (28.0).

Recommendations

1. Develop work group of educators, concerned citizens, and health professionals to address issue of teen pregnancy.

2. Monitor access to adequate prenatal and other health services of Medicaid population as the system moves to managed care.

3. Explore health needs of aging population in Hillsdale County, in particular adequate children who are responsible for aging parent’s care may require supportive services.

4. Continue preventive programs on cardiovascular disease, substance abuse, and smoking.

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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY

Historical Context

In 1981, an agreement between Hillsdale Community Schools and the County of Hillsdale to provide hardware, telecommunications, and programming services on an IBM System/34 via 4800 Baud modems. The first office to use this agreement was the Equalization Office, in which files were converted from a Burroughs accounting machine to the school’s computer system.

Then, in 1983, hardware, telecommunications, and payroll programs were put in place in the Clerk’s Office.

During 1984, hardware, telecommunications, and accounting software was put in place in the Treasurer’s Office. Accounts payable was added to the Clerk’s Office as part of the accounting function.