Inside 208

As we approach the final week before the April 21st candidate filing deadline, the League continues to work with the Governor’s Office, Secretary of State, and legislative leadership to address the issues of gathering petitions signatures for the filing deadline and the anticipated increased costs for the May 5th, 2020...

Late yesterday, the Michigan Department of Treasury circulated the following email to local units of government requesting feedback on potential cash flow concerns local governments may be anticipating based upon current state and local economic conditions. The Michigan Finance Authority (MFA) provides effective, low-cost options for financing to municipalities. MFA...

The Michigan Municipal League has a new Census Toolkit for community leaders now that the deadline to fill out the Census has been moved to the end of October due to the coronavirus pandemic. The toolkit offers numerous suggestions and ideas on helping your communities get the most accurate Census [...]

In working with our partners at the National League of Cities, there has been a flurry of activity this week on the implementation efforts surrounding the recently passed CARES act and new federal proposals to address some of the shortcomings for local governments within the federal stimulus efforts and promoting...

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue just announced that Michigan is the first state to be approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA), signed by President Trump, which provides assistance to families of children eligible for free or...

There’s an excellent column in The Hill Monday about the importance of spending time now to think about how communities like Michigan are going to recover economically in the days, weeks and months following the COVID-19 pandemic. The piece was co-authored by John Austin, a Michigan resident and a friend [...]

The Department of Justice is has opened applications for the FY2020 Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Program. The Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program will provide funding to local law enforcement to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Projects and purchases include, but are not limited to: Overtime Equipment (including [...]

In accordance with Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' recommendations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,  the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy have rescheduled the Great Lakes Water Infrastructure Conference to December 1-3, 2020 at the Novi Suburban Showcase Collection in Novi,...

Governor Whitmer has signed Executive Order 2020-38 which relaxes requirements for responding to FOIA requests made by mail or fax during the COVID-19 emergency. This action will protect workers who handle FOIA requests by allowing public bodies to defer portions of requests that would require workers to report to work [...]

Following the lead of our partners at the National League of Cities, MML staff have been reaching out to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and members of Michigan's congressional delegation requesting flexibility as Treasury develops guidance on "necessary expenditures" related to the authorized use of Coronavirus Relief Funds within the recently passed...