County Government at Work
DOWNLOADJuly 2, 2025 - Brad Neumann, Eric Walcott, and Mark Skidmore, Michigan State University Extension
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Email"County Government at Work" provides a basic overview of the roles and responsibilities of the departments, agencies, and commissions that carry out the health, safety, and welfare functions of county governments. This 18th edition of the County Government at Work resource is a substantially revised version of a reference guide for county officials initially authored by Professors Al House and Garland Wood in 1976.
Over the years, the reference guide has been updated and expanded by the current authors to reflect changes in county government. Retired Professor Kenneth VerBurg provided input to the publication over the years. Gary Tayler, Extension Specialist for State and Local Government (1999-2004), contributed his expertise to the 12th and 13th editions.
Special thanks to Will Shields and Joe Martin, visiting Extension Specialists, and Beth Moore, Extension Public Policy Specialist, for their help in updating tables and charts, editorial assistance, and graphic design for the 14th edition. Eric Scorsone, Ph.D., and Joe Martin contributed their expertise for the 15th edition.
Claire Layman, Mark Skidmore, Ph.D., Kurt Schindler, John Amrhein, Brad Neumann, and Eric Walcott contributed their expertise to update later editions.
Readers are referred to the "Guide to Michigan County Government, Fifth Edition," by John Amrhein, Brad Neumann, Kurt Schindler, Mary Schulz, and Eric Walcott, which can be ordered through the MSU Extension bookstore at shop.msu.edu.
County Government at Work is organized around four functional groupings:
- County Finance and Administration
- Health and Human Services
- Public Safety and Courts
- Physical and Economic Development
