Wayne County exec touts population growth, other improvements in State of County

Brownstown Township — Wayne County Executive Warren Evans highlighted the county's growing population and said expanding mass transit in the region will take collaboration but he's committed to making it a reality during his State of the County address Wednesday.

Speaking to a packed auditorium Wednesday night at Woodhaven High School in Brownstown Township, Evans, who took office in 2015, highlighted the county's improved financial position over the last decade, along with infrastructure improvements, health initiatives, reduced crime rates and a growing population.

Wayne County's population has grown by 9,000 people in the last few years, according to Evans, which he said reflects a promising trend and mirrors Detroit's population growth. Detroit gained more than 1,800 people between July 2022 and July 2023, according to the U.S. Census data, reversing a decades-long trend of population loss in the city.

"What that's telling us is people aren't running from Detroit to the out counties, or vice versa. We're all growing," he said.

Evans also touted 10 years in a row of balanced budgets, a turnaround from Wayne County's precarious financial position when he took the helm as chief executive. He said the county was headed toward bankruptcy, a situation he was determined to avoid.

The bounce-back in the county's credit rating means lower interest for financing projects and more security for county employees and retirees because of increased pension payments and lower unfunded healthcare obligations, he said.

The Wayne County Commission approved a $2.23 billion budget last fall for the county's current fiscal year, including $25 million in raises for rank-and-file county employees, funding to contract with small businesses and nonprofits, and money for extra staffing in the county's new criminal justice complex.

"There is a key aspect to this budget; we're not just balancing the numbers, we're investing in our people," Evans said.

Expanding transit

Evans signaled his support for a new Michigan law that eliminated an "opt-out" provision for communities in Wayne and Oakland Counties from participating in and voting on transit millages.

Seventeen of Wayne County's 43 communities currently opt out of the SMART bus system. But the new law closes that loophole the next time the county's transit millage comes up for a vote. Currently, the property tax supporting SMART is about 1 mill and will come up for a countywide renewal vote in November 2026.

Evans said collaboration between all of Wayne County's communities will be key to creating a transit plan, adding "real solutions aren't one size fits all." Access to transit plays a significant role in where young people are willing to live, he added, which is particularly important for communities that have aging populations.

"This isn't just about convenience. It's about access, opportunity and improving lives for residents who can't afford a car or are unable to drive a car; or who simply don't want a car," he said.

State Rep. Jamie Thompson, a Republican who lives in Brownstown Township and represents the 20th District, said she was grateful Evans chose to give his address in her community. She said she believes he may have picked Downriver because cities in the area have been more skeptical of the new legislation prohibiting Wayne County communities from opting out of countywide transit programs.

"Sometimes Downriver does feel like it gets lost in the shuffle, and other major cities in Wayne County get a little more attention than we do. So it means a lot for the Downriver community to have this State of the County here at Woodhaven," she said.

Looking to the future

The county plans to unveil health-focused initiatives by the end of the year, Evans said. One will involve a partnership with Eastern Market to deliver fruits and vegetables to schools and senior households in the county, called the Fresh Foods program. And he also said the county also is working to create "resilience hubs" to combat climate change.

The county also plans to expand for two years a program called RxKids, developed by faculty from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, which offers pregnant mothers $1,500 in support of their pregnancy and $500 each month for the first six months of their babies' lives. Evans said the program has made a difference in child poverty in Flint.

"People usually use it for the right reason. They really do," Evans said.

Decrease in crime

Evans also highlighted infrastructure improvements and lower crimes rates. He said the county spent more than $26 million for bridge repair and replacement in Westland, Lincoln Park, Ecorse, Inkster and Detroit in 2024.

"The total amount we spent for infrastructure upgrades in Wayne County was just over $63 million dollars," he said.

He also highlighted a decrease in homicides in Detroit recorded by the city in 2024, which he said was the city's first in more than 50 years, and echoes a decrease in crime across Wayne County. He attributed success to the county's Violent Crime Reduction Initiative started in 2019, a collaboration of policymakers in the criminal legal system.

"As a former sheriff and police chief, I can tell you that these results don't just happen. It takes leadership and it takes collaboration," Evans said.