This morning the House Regulatory Reform Committee began hearing testimony on a package of legislation that would crack down on scrap metal dealers to limit scrap metal theft. House Bills 4593-95 were introduced to the committee. The bills seek to…

In 2011 the legislature passed PA 152 which mandated a local unit of government either be under hard cap amounts for health care, institute an 80/20 cost sharing arrangement or opt out with 2/3 vote of the governing body.  In…

This morning the House Tax Policy Committee passed several bills that would exempt the "tax on the difference" of motor vehicle and watercraft sales. Michigan has reciprocal agreements with a number of states whereby Michigan and the reciprocal state each…

The budget agreement reached yesterday by the House and Senate includes more flexible language for the Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP). The language is viewable in the budget bill beginning on page 121. The new EVIP language expands eligibility for…

This afternoon bill providing more local control on the use of fireworks passed the House following significant complaints from local units of government after last July 4. HB 4743 passed with only one no vote. The bill would require retail…

The Community Revitalization and Business Attraction program will see a $20 million dollar increase for fiscal year 2013-2014, for a grand total of $120 million in the pot.  The governor recommended the $20 million increase, while the Senate recommended a…

State lawmakers are finally beginning the process of restoring more than a decade of cuts to Michigan communities. Thanks to the urging of Michigan Municipal League members in recent days, the state’s conference committee this morning approved a 2014 state…

This morning the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. The League testified about the need for local control and clarity in the Act. We were joined by two city attorneys, Clyde Robinson (Kalamazoo) and…

A series of articles about the financial plight of Michigan cities is being posted from the online-publication, Bridge Magazine. Two of the best entries in the series are a guest viewpoint by Michigan Municipal League President David Lossing, Linden mayor,…

For years the League has been working on a tax reduction loophole that was created due to the 2002 Michigan Supreme Court case of WPW Acquisition Company v. City of Troy. After Proposal A created the term taxable value, the…