Inside 208

Yesterday the Senate General Government Appropriations Subcommittee reported its version of the budget that scraps the Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP) and reworks the revenue sharing formula. The Senate’s proposal includes an additional $31 million for revenue sharing for local communities. The proposal would give a 1 percent increase to [...]

With the summer months soon coming upon us, it is not too early to start considering a Labor Day bridge walk in your community. Every year the Michigan Fitness Foundation encourages Michigan communities to host a Labor Day Community Walk to demonstrate their commitment to physical fitness and community involvement. [...]

Yesterday afternoon the House Appropriations Committee reported its recommendations for the general government budget that includes the Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP). Under this proposal category 1, the dashboard, would remain in effect without change. Category 2 would require 5 percent of the second EVIP payment to be committed to [...]

The House Appropriations Committee voted out HB 5313 which included the transportation budget today by a vote 19-0 with all Democrats abstaining. Adjustments we made to the budget to reflect the changes that Speaker Bolger is proposing to increase funding to roads. As a result $391 million in general fund [...]

The House Transportation Committee took testimony today from Speaker Bolger on his $450 million road funding plan. The plan focused on four specific subject areas: increasing efficiencies, improving quality, improving fairness and investing current resources. That’s different from other plans that have focused on tax increases to improve the state’s [...]

Yesterday the Governor announced a proposal to double the state’s recycling rate over the next two years.  The proposal is intended to increase the state’s current 15 percent recycling rate to 30 percent by 2017. The initiative focuses on several important pieces including benchmarking progress, education and technical assistance for [...]

The Michigan Municipal League released a media statement today about a new report from the Citizens Research Council showing that state tax revenues increased by $1.2 billion from 2009 to 2012, while local tax revenues declined by $1.1 billion in the same time period. Here is a portion of our [...]

The International Downtown Association (IDA) will be holding their Midwest Forum in Downtown Grand Rapids May 5-6, 2014.  The conference has been designed to be distinctly different and memorable.  Attendees won’t be stuck inside convention and meeting spaces – they’ll be moving between six progressive topical sessions held inside the [...]

Renowned economist and Hillsdale College Professor Dr. Gary Wolfram has released a report calling on the state to commit to restoring state revenue sharing dollars and remove restraints on road funding enacted in the PA 51 funding formula. The report indicates that statutory revenue sharing is still 26 percent lower [...]

This week the campaign to pass the August 5, 2014 ballot proposal, the last step in personal property tax (PPT) reform, kicked off with a series of press conferences. The Michigan Citizens for Strong and Safe Communities coalition is seeking to pass a ballot referendum that would allow for use [...]