Inside 208

Late last night, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a new version of the previously vetoed summer tax deferral legislation.  This new version of SB 943 was approved along mainly partisan lines and was developed without prior input from local government groups or schools. The proposal strikes all of the [...]

Following the Governor's late June announcement of a budget deal to address the current year state budget shortfall due to the pandemic, the House and Senate Appropriations committees met jointly this morning to act on those negotiated reductions. For League members, a key component of this budget deal includes a...

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative has recently launched its campaign to secure $20 billion for shoreline communities throughout the Great Lakes Basin and along the Mississippi River impacted by high waters and shoreline erosion. The Cities' Initiative's ask to both the US and Canadian federal governments is...

Governor Whitmer signed executive order 2020-154, which extends previous executive orders to provide temporary alternative means to conduct public meetings, conduct administrative proceedings, and provide the required notice under tax abatement statutes.   Under Executive Order 2020-154, all three previous orders are consolidated and extended to protect the public health and safety of Michiganders. The new [...]

MDOT has announced the fifth annual call for grant applications to the Local Grade Crossing Surface Program. Applications are due September 25, 2020. As a reminder, the Local Grade Crossing Surface Program provides 60% state funding taken from “off-the-top” MTF, and requires a 40% railroad match for work on grade [...]

As a follow-up to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation and report on the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse in Miami, Florida, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has issued a policy to address recommendations made in Accident Report NTSB/HAR-19/02. This policy applies to all trunkline bridges under [...]

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) recently launched a new data collection initiative, known as the Mega Data Project. EGLE is seeking information from ALL municipalities that manage waste, recycling, and organics programs. The data will be used to help EGLE (and your county) make informed decisions...

The Michigan Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program will provide funding to assist eligible state departments, local units of government, and tribes in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the coronavirus. These grants are available only to communities that did not receive direct allocations for the Department of Justice’s Coronavirus [...]

Late this afternoon the Michigan Department of Treasury released guidance and application materials for the two largest appropriations of federal CARES Act funding targeted at supporting local governments from the recent passage of Senate Bill 690. The League is providing three upcoming webinar events where the CARES Act funding will...

Earlier today, the Governor signed Senate Bill 690, as expected. This $880 million spending bill is the first appropriation of the roughly $3 billion that the State of Michigan had been allocated under the Coronavirus Relief Fund established within the federal CARES Act stimulus plan from earlier this spring. As...