Auburn Hills, Mich. – March 21, 2019 –Munetrix, a public sector solutions provider offering data management, analytics and reporting tools for states, local governments and public school districts, showed its support for Escanaba and Michigan’s so-called Dark Store legislation, with a recent donation of $4,100.

The donation follows Munetrix September 2018 pledge to donate 10% of its subscription service price for each new Michigan city, village, township or county customer in the month of September to the Dark Store Legislation Defense Fund. Donations per governmental unit ranged from $500 to $1,500 depending on the subscription category. 

A vexing national issue for local governments and school districts, SB 1025 and HB 6049 were introduced in Michigan in May 2018 in response to Michigan Tax Tribunal’s application of a tax loophole that assessed the value of fully functioning big box stores as if they were empty (“dark”).  Both bills were re-introduced with bi-partisan support in January 2019 and are awaiting action. 

The loophole was first applied to a Menards store in Escanaba in 2014, but grew to national pharmacies, chain stores and fast food restaurants as retailers used it as a precedent to reduce their own property tax bills. The cumulative result has been a significant reduction in local tax revenues, which creates a challenge nationally for already struggling communities striving to deliver quality services in an affordable manner. 

The money donated by Munetrix and others, including municipalities and individuals, is helping defray the legal costs incurred by the City of Escanaba as it awaits a re-trial before the Michigan Tax Tribunal beginning May 13.

“Serving more than 300 Michigan municipalities and school districts, Munetrix gets in the trenches with our customers to help build and support fiscally healthy governmental units throughout Michigan. This donation falls right in line with that type of support and shows our commitment to their mission,” Munetrix President Bob Kittle said.

Auburn Hills, Mich. – March 20, 2019 –Munetrix, a public sector solutions provider offering data management, analytics and reporting tools for states, local governments and public school districts, showed its support for Escanaba and Michigan’s so-called Dark Store legislation, with a recent donation of $4,100. 

The donation follows Munetrix September 2018 pledge to donate 10% of its subscription service price for each new Michigan city, village, township or county customer in the month of September to the Dark Store Legislation Defense Fund. Donations per governmental unit ranged from $500 to $1,500 depending on the subscription category. 

A vexing national issue for local governments and school districts, SB 1025 and HB 6049 were introduced in Michigan in May 2018 in response to Michigan Tax Tribunal’s application of a tax loophole that assessed the value of fully functioning big box stores as if they were empty (“dark”). Both bills were re-introduced with bi-partisan support in January 2019 and are awaiting action. 

The loophole was first applied to a Menards store in Escanaba in 2014, but grew to national pharmacies, chain stores and fast food restaurants as retailers used it as a precedent to reduce their own property tax bills. The cumulative result has been a significant reduction in local tax revenues, which creates a challenge nationally for already struggling communities striving to deliver quality services in an affordable manner. 

The money donated by Munetrix and others, including municipalities and individuals, is helping defray the legal costs incurred by the City of Escanaba as it awaits a re-trial before the Michigan Tax Tribunal beginning May 13. 

“Serving more than 300 Michigan municipalities and school districts, Munetrix gets in the trenches with our customers to help build and support fiscally healthy governmental units throughout Michigan. This donation falls right in line with that type of support and shows our commitment to their mission,” Munetrix President Bob Kittle said. 

Auburn Hills, Mich. – February 5, 2019– Among a compendium of 100 companies focused on making a difference in state and local governments, Munetrix is pleased to announce its inclusion on the 2019 GovTech100, an annual index by Government Technology magazine that highlights the top 100 companies in the country that serve government in unique, innovative and effective ways. Munetrix, a public sector solutions provider offering data management, analytics and reporting tools for states, local governments and public school districts, has been included on the GovTech100 since its introduction in 2016 and is one of only two Michiganbased companies that made the 2019 list. 

Munetrix President Bob Kittle said it’s gratifying to be recognized among the best in the country for government tech. 

“Being named to the GovTech100 for the fourth consecutive year reinforces our commitment to helping municipalities and schools increase productivity and efficiency while planning for the future,” Kittle said. “We have worked hard to earn our reputation of being a thought leader who guides government customers in budgeting, transparency, complying with legislated mandates, and data management—enabling them to monitor their municipal wellness through the use of our technology. Our team couldn’t be more proud.” 

A complete list of GovTech100 2019 honorees can be viewed here. The list is also featured in the January/February 2019 issue of Government Technology magazine. 

The 2019 GovTech100 recognition comes on the heels of Munetrix winning the “Education Advocate” award in December 2018 from the Auburn Hills, Michigan Chamber of Commerce for its efforts to help plan for the next generation of public sector leaders. 

With estimates that only two percent of graduates are bound for a career in the public sector, while more than a third of public sector employees are expected to retire in the next seven years, Munetrix has been a leading advocate of succession planning and the development of professional administrators to head local units of government in the future. Because both cities and schools benefit by using its software platform, Munetrix products effectively respond to the ‘silver tsunami’ of anticipated retirements using data science and best-in-class analytics. 

“Munetrix has embedded a data management strategy into our online platform that institutionalizes relevant information, including compliance lists, in order to create a seamless handoff from retiree to new hire,” Kittle said. “This role-based information system lets new hires know what they need to do and when they need to do it. No matter who may come and go, the responsibilities of the role generally remain unchanged and can be successfully managed.” 

In addition to software that eases succession planning, the company offers paid internships through the Munetrix University to college students who want to learn about careers in cities and schools by working with Munetrix and its local units of government customer base. The company has hired 23 interns since the Munetrix University program began in 2012. 

Since its founding in 2010, Munetrix has continued to solidify its reputation among government and school district leaders. Munetrix is an approved vendor prequalified by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget to provide data analytics tools for reimbursement to both Michigan public school districts and cities. It is the only resource provider that generates a fiscal wellness measure—the Munetrix Score—for cities and schools, and the company has twice received “Readers’ Choice Top Products” recognition from K-12 leaders’ education trade publication, District Administration. The GovTech100 for 2019 brings to nine the total number of awards Munetrix has received in just four years—reassurance that it is focused on the right things. 

Auburn Hills, Mich. –January 4, 2019 –Munetrix, a public sector solutions provider offering data management, analytics and reporting tools for states, local governments and public school districts, is pleased to announce Stacey Frankovich has joined the company in the new role of Chief Administrator. The announcement was made by Munetrix President, Bob Kittle. 

As Chief Administrator, Frankovich will be responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the company, including the recruitment and hiring of new employees. 

“Munetrix has experienced significant growth in the last two years and we need the additional administrative oversight to keep the office running smoothly as business opportunities increase,” Kittle said. “Stacey Frankovich thrives in a fast-paced environment and brings handson experience in project management and process and procedure development; she also has strong organizational leadership skills.” 

Frankovich has served in a variety of roles that intersect with education and municipal government. Immediately prior to joining Munetrix, she served concurrent roles as both the Director, Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Macomb Community College and North American Lead for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Inclusive Innovation Challenge (MIT IIC). 

MIT IIC is a global challenge aimed at supporting entrepreneurs who are using technology for social change and inclusion in future of work initiatives. Frankovich’s responsibilities included managing the day-to-day operations of the North American Challenge and relationship building with municipalities, public and private partnerships, government agencies, industry leaders and entrepreneurs. At the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, she managed the Innovation Fund, a $2 million pre-seed collaboration between Macomb Community College and JP Morgan Chase for early-stage tech start-ups. 

Frankovich also served as the Michigan DARPA Matching Funds Program Manager, Development Manager and Market Development Manager for the Macomb/Oakland University Incubator from 2012 to 2015 and as Program Lead of i2B, a student business incubator at Oakland University, from 2011 to 2015. 

Frankovich is also active in civic and professional groups. She is a Governor-appointed public member of the Michigan Board of Medicine, and a public speaker on entrepreneurship opportunities at the college level. She holds a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Administration from Baker College.

Auburn Hills, Mich. –January 18, 2019–Munetrix, a public sector solutions provider offering data management, analytics and reporting tools for states, local governments and public school districts, revealed the findings of its 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 review of tracking data on Michigan’s mandated public school safety drills, finding improvements in timing and safety, and also some areas where schools are beefing up security efforts. Munetrix is the only Michigan entity tracking such data. 

Per Michigan Public Act 12 of 2014, public school districts must run safety drills 10 times each year, for each building, for the following situations: 

• Fire 
• Tornado 
• Lock Down 

Note: Cardiac incident/AED checks are optional per the legislation, but 10% of school districts in the study have reported data on them. 

Munetrix looked at data from a combined 4,025 public safety drills completed in the 2016 – 2017 and 2017 – 2018 school years from the 120 Michigan public school districts that use the Munetrix Public Safety Drill app for compliance and performance improvement. Of the 4,025 drills completed, 99% documented drill execution times and lessons-learned comments in the app. 

Key findings include: 

• Fire Drill average execution time improved 4 percent from 2017 to 2018 
• Tornado average execution time remained virtually the same from 2017 to 2018 
• Lock Down average execution times improved 6 percent from 2017 to 2018 

The Munetrix Public Safety Drill app, which can also alert county emergency managers and first responders of an incident, allows for schools to submit feedback on drill results for each particular drill – and as this report shows, the overwhelming majority do. Munetrix Vice President and Co-Founder Buzz Brown said that while Michigan Public Act 12 doesn’t require comments, they are an acknowledgement of how seriously school administrators approach these drills. 

“Comments for improvement cite the need to shut doors, keep students quiet and enhance communication among staff, including substitute teachers, but the majority of feedback emphasizes how smoothly the drills went and areas that were improved over previous drills,” Brown said. “The overall efficiency of the drill process and efforts noted for improvement reflect the safety-first philosophy of Michigan’s school leaders. It’s a good example of the school community and the state working together for a common goal of student safety.” 

Bob Kittle, president of Munetrix, adds that Michigan Public Act 12 not only doesn’t require comments, it does not require school districts to include drill times in the documentation either. 

“When a mandate is made for an issue, especially those that involve student safety and have time sensitivity – like safety drills – tracking the data is a great way to validate the impact of the legislation and can even help establish benchmarks,” Kittle said. “Munetrix is leading the way in this effort. We believe all legislation should require statistical capture and reporting to determine if the desired outcome was achieved. Think of how much more we could learn about the effectiveness of Michigan Public Act 12 if this data was being captured for every district, as just one example. You know the old saying, what isn’t measured can’t be managed” 

Munetrix is holding a free webinar on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 2 pm entitled Lessons Learned from Statewide 2018 Public Safety Drills. Register here for the webinar or visit https://www.munetrix.com/.