My name is Pat Crowley and I am the Drain Commissioner of Kalamazoo County. The Drain Commissioner creates and maintains the county drainage system and provides storm water guidance and support to Kalamazoo County.
Kalamazoo County is Michigan's 9th largest county in population with nearly one quarter of a million residents. We live in an intensely water-connected environment, with about 400 drainage districts, more than 360 lakes and ponds, and hundreds of miles of streams, rivers, and drains. This combination of dense population and abundant water resources means that Kalamazoo County really needs a Drain Commissioner who has a lifetime career interest in the unique variety of tasks that a Drain Office undertakes every day.
For many years Kalamazoo County routinely elected former County Commissioners to serve as Drain Commissioners. Those elected were then obligated to hire consultants to perform the most routine responsibilities. This hurt taxpayers. Not only did taxpayers pay dearly for this lack of fundamental expertise, they often lost their trust in a system that was meant to serve them. This is not the way we have worked these last eight years. I have served for two terms as Drain Commissioner and look forward to serving my County for a third term.
I have the passion, the experience, the education, and the desire to help my County do a lot better. Since becoming Drain Commissioner, I have built a robust and responsive Drain Office team despite tough economic times and challenging groundwater conditions.
Hard times made cost cutting a top priority. During 2009-2016, the Drain Office:
- Realized about 50% savings in excavation, engineering, contracting, and mowing costs.
- Improved accounting systems to guarantee that all debt was assessed, collected, and used properly.
- Adopted modern assessment software, mapping capability, and document handling systems so that more work could be done in-house by Drain Office staff.
- Apportioned rolls to more fairly reflect the unique character of each district.
- Saved up to 50% in financing fees and proposed improved debt management strategies.
- Returned a significant portion of the Drain Office budget to the County every year.
- Won FOUR grants (two for needed improvements to Davis Creek, and two demonstration projects: a rain garden at People’s Food Coop, and an innovative bioretention system on Willard Street) which stretched tax dollars, created new partnerships, and heightened public stormwater awareness.
The high groundwater levels remaining after the storm of 2008 resulted in hundreds of incidents of flooding, water in basements, and concern about the functioning of septic systems. This motivated the Drain Office to provide guidance for good site development for future taxpayer savings, safety and comfort in the form of:
The Drain Office team:
- Provided a high level of integrity, trust and professional care to partners and the public.
- Automated and streamlined the inquiry system to provide prompt and efficient response times.
- Created a comprehensive new website, with service request system, FAQs, bids, and educational info.
See County Drain Commissioner's Office for more information.
My goals for 2017-2020 are to:
- Provide leadership in culvert placement.
- Map all drainage districts and organize easement records.
- Encourage the adoption of modern stormwater management techniques.
- Provide excellent service and support to local units of government for drains and site development.
- Encourage public awareness of the importance of good site development.
- Work for the development of a more systematic drain maintenance program.
- Encourage more partnerships, especially in seeking grants.
- Provide ongoing support of better lake management.
- Bring more money into the county for wetland flood storage.
- Be a trusted and valuable partner in economic development and environmental protection.
- Do more to discourage dumping.
- Help strengthen the soil erosion program.
- Encourage improved stormwater management at county facilities.
- Improve public awareness about illicit discharges.
- Work for more modern notice requirements for public meetings.
- Make inter-county drain management more cost-effective.
I work very hard to earn your trust. Please support my re-election in 2016.
