What to know as Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter delivers the 2026 State of the County address

Annual address set for March 5 with focus on affordability and county priorities

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter is scheduled to deliver the county’s 2026 State of the County address at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2026. The event is planned as an invitation-only program with a livestream available for residents who want to watch remotely.

The annual speech serves as the county executive’s primary public accounting of major accomplishments and a platform to outline goals for the year ahead across core areas of county responsibility, including public services and economic development.

Venue and format

• When: 7 p.m., Thursday, March 5, 2026

• Format: Invitation-only in-person audience, with online viewing options

• Setting: The prepared remarks list The Oakland Center at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan

Affordability framed as a central theme

In remarks prepared for delivery, Coulter identifies affordability as a key concern for residents—particularly in three areas: health care costs, education costs and housing. The prepared text describes those pressures as affecting broad segments of the workforce, including young adults, and positions county initiatives as targeted interventions meant to reduce household financial strain.

The prepared remarks describe affordability as one of the biggest concerns across the political spectrum, with the county focusing on health care, housing and education.

Programs highlighted in the prepared remarks

The prepared text points to specific initiatives and dollar figures intended to illustrate the county’s approach:

• Medical debt relief: The county reports a $2 million investment in a partnership with Undue Medical Debt. The prepared remarks state that the program helped about 14,000 Oakland County families eliminate $9 million in medical debt and that an additional 6,300 residents would be notified that another $6 million had been settled.

• Student loan support: The prepared remarks state that more than 3,200 residents have used the county’s SAVI Student Loan Support Program, with an average reported reduction of $46,000 per participant and an estimated $142 per month in additional purchasing power.

• Housing Trust Fund: Coulter’s prepared remarks describe a Housing Trust Fund seeded with $20 million in federal funds and state that it has helped spark more than 1,100 affordable residential units across multiple communities, with a recent project referenced in Royal Oak Township.

Pontiac redevelopment and county relocation plans

Beyond affordability, the prepared remarks emphasize redevelopment efforts in Pontiac, including completed demolition of the Phoenix Center and plans to relocate about 700 county employees—including the county executive’s office—to the former General Motors building. The prepared text also references a broader revitalization effort described as including a $50 million investment by the State of Michigan and anticipates increased downtown activity by 2027.

What to watch for during the speech

As the address is delivered, residents can expect the county executive to connect program metrics to a broader set of priorities, including service delivery, regional collaboration and longer-term economic development. Key points for viewers to track include which initiatives are proposed for expansion, what timelines are provided for major Pontiac milestones, and how affordability efforts are framed in relation to the county’s budget and partnerships.