Inside 208

Treasury shared the following information earlier today on training opportunities they have scheduled in communities throughout the state.  Interested local officials are encouraged to participate. The Michigan Department of Treasury is pleased to announce the development and implementation of a one day course titled Understanding the Basics of Assessing for Local [...]

Following the year-end passage of pension/OPEB legislation that implements the recommendations of Governor Snyder’s Responsible Retirement Reform task force report, Treasury released late today the reporting requirement documentation which ended up as the main component of Public Act 202 of 2017. This afternoon’s Treasury announcement is included in Numbered Letter [...]

While last week’s House and Senate adjournment merely marks the mid-point of this two-year legislative session, that did not mean that the Legislature coasted into their holiday break. Highlighted by the intense activity surrounding OPEB reform, both legislative chambers pursued aggressive agendas in the final days before adjourning.  Numerous bills [...]

The joint House-Senate conference committee announced their final reconciliation of the federal tax reform proposal on Friday.  Each chamber is expected to vote on the conference report early this week, where the bill is expected to receive enough support to make it to the President’s desk. The League has been working [...]

Staff from the National League of Cities shared the following information with MML and other state leagues over the weekend, following the Senate’s release of their proposed version of tax reform… Late Thursday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance Orrin Hatch (R-UT) released the Chairman’s Mark of his [...]

Local units of government that purchase financial forecasting and transparency reporting tools through one of the State of Michigan’s approved vendors, Munetrix or Forecast5, can now apply for a partial reimbursement. All cities, villages, townships and counties that enter into an agreement to purchase these web-based tools through Munetrix or [...]

Congress released the following details of the proposed federal tax reform legislation: – Ways & Means Cmte Tax Reform Highlights – bill text  https://waysandmeansforms.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bill_text.pdf Following NLC’s lead, MML staff have been talking with Michigan delegation members about preserving the State & Local Tax deduction (SALT) within the federal tax code.  The version [...]

The Senate Finance committee reported a bill package on Tuesday that has been a priority for the League this term.  Following testimony from the bill sponsors, League staff and officials from the city of Coldwater, the committee voted unanimously to send the bills to the Senate floor for further consideration. The [...]

Treasury released the following information this morning regarding grant dollars available through Treasury’s financially distressed city, village and township program: Cities, villages and townships experiencing financial struggles can now apply for a grant to help fund special projects and free up tax dollars for important services, according to the Michigan [...]

The Michigan Municipal League and our own Chris Hackbarth, state and federal affairs director, were both recognized this week for being among the top lobbyists in the state. The recognition of the League and Chris making a real impact in Lansing politics was part of the 2017 Capitol Insider Survey done by [...]