The Michigan Municipal League issued the following media statement regarding a U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruling Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in the city of Detroit bankruptcy case. The statement was by Utica Mayor and Michigan Municipal League President Jacqueline Noonan:
“The ruling is a stark reminder and affirmation of the critical need for the Legislature, Gov. Snyder, and local elected officials to work together to develop a policy plan and vision for the future of Michigan’s cities, where the vast majority of jobs and economic, cultural and educational activity occurs in our state. It is a reminder of the need to fix the state’s broken municipal finance system, under which the Legislature and governor have taken about $6 billion in funds that, by state law, were supposed to go to local governments as statutory revenue sharing, including to the city of Detroit. The Legislature, instead, kept the money to pay for state programs and services, according to a report by the highly respected, nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.
“It’s worth noting that during the last decade state spending increased 26 percent, while local governments throughout Michigan struggled to pay bills and meet other financial obligations, and had to shed nearly 17 percent of all local government workers. Instead of balancing the state budget on the backs of local governments for the last 10-plus years, we need state government to embrace and advance policies that enable local communities to better manage our programs and services and become the types of places that can prosper once again, where educated, entrepreneurial people want to live, work and raise families.
“To move Michigan forward, the League, along with numerous partners, have developed a policy vision and plan for Michigan’s cities called the Partnership for Place: An Agenda for a Competitive 21st Century Michigan. You can view this policy agenda here: www.mml.org/advocacy/partnership-for-place.html.”
This statement was picked up by the Associated Press and posted in news sites throughout the nation, including Anchorage Alaska, Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Detroit media outlets.
Matt Bach is director of media relations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at [email protected] and (734) 669-6317.