Inside 208

Here is an urgent action alert we’ve sent to our members this morning: We need your help! The Michigan House is currently working on legislation, HB 5016, that could be voted on this week that the Michigan Municipal League strongly opposes. The bill would require municipalities to reimburse a telecommunications [...]

(UPDATE: View the League’s new Dark Stores resource web page and view additional Dark Stores-related photos here). The Michigan Municipal League and some of our members were given the opportunity to offer testify on the Dark Stores tax loophole issue Wednesday before the House Tax Policy Committee. If you’re not aware, [...]

Today, the House Local Government committee passed out SB 394 (S-2 version: SB 394 S-2), a bill to fold townships into the mix of those local communities who qualify for the Housing Law, clarifies that inspection programs are optional at the local level, and states a rental inspection fee cannot be [...]

The Michigan House Tax Policy Committee today is reviewing legislative proposals regarding what’s known as the data center issue and the Michigan Municipal League along with other organizations have distributed a joint statement regarding the legislation. The biggest concern from the League’s perspective is ensuring that local communities continue to have the [...]

President Obama signed the FAST (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) Act yesterday, making the first long term transportation bill in a decade official. There are some big wins for local governments within the new law, which is worth approximately $305 billion. A good, comprehensive 13 page summary of the law can be [...]

This week SB 556, a bill to extend the sunset of the Commercial Rehabilitation Act from December of this year to 2020, received full passage from the House of Representatives! This act has been used in communities across the state to assist in eradicating blight and putting properties back to productive use. [...]

For the first time in ten years, Congress is on the verge of passing a long-term transportation package and there are some big wins for local governments within the new deal. The committee of House and Senate negotiators have agreed to the new bill worth approximately $305 billion, entitled the FAST [...]

Today, a package of bills (SB 579 and SB 619-624) to exempt separate library millages from tax capture by Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Authorities received testimony and was voted out by the Senate Finance Committee. The language in each bill in the package states that if the TIF Authority does [...]

Governor Snyder signed key legislation over the past week that will positively impact municipalities in Michigan.  The League has been closely monitoring and advocating for both Senate Bill 372 and House Bill 4904 as previously reported here – http://blogs.mml.org/wp/inside208/2015/11/13/legislature-wraps-up-busy-fall-session/. Signed Monday, SB 372 grants training reciprocity to out-of-state firefighters, allowing local governments [...]

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) took an encouraging and surprising step, proposing to ease federally-mandated design standards on many roads, making it dramatically easier for cities and communities of all sizes to design and build complete streets that are safer for everyone. Currently, FHWA has a long list of design [...]