Inside 208

Action in Lansing has been focused on positioning each chamber’s version of the state budget for initial voting. The full House and Senate Appropriations committees moved through their discussion and consideration of each subcommittee report during a series of meetings last week.  Following that discussion and a small number of approved [...]

The Senate Licensing & Regulatory Affairs subcommittee reported Senate Bill 860, the LARA Department budget last week.  This budget contains the funding for fire protection grants to local units hosting state buildings and the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission reimbursement grants for local governments that serve as their court funding units. [...]

As the Legislature returned from their Spring Recess last week, initial subcommittee action on all but two Senate-originated budgets was completed.  Each of the budget subcommittee reports are now awaiting action before their respective full Appropriations committees – http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDF/Bill%20Status.pdf. The Senate General Government subcommittee met last week and reported their budget [...]

Metro Act annual reports are due no later than April 29th. A municipality receiving funds under the METRO Act with a population of 10,000 or more shall file an annual report with the authority on the use and disposition of the funds. To find the form online please click here. [...]

The League’s 2018 Capital Conference brought together local officials from all across the state to learn from experts in the field, gather the latest intel on legislation, and network with colleagues. The general and breakout sessions covered a host of topics, including council-manager relations, medical marijuana, NLC’s federal advocacy, the League’s [...]

Last week was a busy week in Lansing as the Legislature began reporting budget bills from their respective Appropriations subcommittees and held hearings on a host of different pieces of legislation in preparation for their spring recess. Following last Thursday’s action, they are now on break until April 10. State Budget [...]

The Michigan Municipal League’s Capital Conference is our organization’s most important legislative event of the year and this year’s Capital Conference was certainly no exception. And the vast news coverage resulting from this year’s conference reflected this importance. This year’s conference, March 20-21 at the Lansing Center in Lansing, saw our [...]

Last Friday, President Trump signed off on a budget deal that reverses many of the spending cuts he had originally proposed…protecting numerous programs that are vital to local governments in Michigan. According to information provided through the National League of Cities, the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 1625), provides for a [...]

Many communities were left shaking their heads in confusion following the receipt of their most recent Personal Property Tax loss reimbursement check in November of 2017. Despite the news that there was more than $150 million in excess of what was needed to reimburse local units at 100% of their loss, [...]

The Michigan Municipal League has partnered with the Michigan Townships Association, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, Great Lakes Water Authority, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Oakland County and the Michigan Chapter of the American Water Works Association to develop public comments in response to the draft Lead and Copper Rule [...]