Inside 208

Last week the House Tax Policy Committee passed a substitute for SB 972, a bill that would require local municipalities to inclue past due amounts on all tax bills. It would require thata taxpayer be notified of delinquent property taxes on the property as of March 1. This will be [...]

Transportation For America is urging U.S. DOT to hold states accountable for real progress under MAP-21. Next Thursday October 25 from 1:00 PM EDT to 3:00 PM EDT, the U.S. DOT has announced that they will hold a listening session about performance measures for the NHS system. We strongly urge [...]

Yesterday, the Michigan Senate passed the package of blight bills (SB 1096-1100) that would give communities additional tools to address blight. The bills now go to the House for consideration.An amendment was added on the Senate floor to SB 1096 that we are still assessing. It says that a bank/credit [...]

This morning the Senate Appropriations Committee passed House Bills 5566-5570, a package that amends the Emergency Municipal Loan Act to include school districts and amend the criteria for qualifying. The current statute does not allow school districts to qualify for emergency loans. The legislation allows school districts to qualify. In [...]

This morning the Senate passed SB 1167, a bill that proscribes a procedure for disincorporation of home rule villages. Many home rule villages have disincorporation procedures in their charters, and the League wants to preserve local control. The sponsor would like a uniform process for disincorporation statewide. We are working [...]

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee reported SB 1082, a bill that would more specific define what makes up synthetic drugs and bans those materials. Last session the legislature passed bills to ban synthetic drugs, but the manufacturers of these drugs began using different materials. This legislation is drafted more broadly [...]

Tell your lawmakers today to vote no on Senate Bills 1065-1072 regarding the the personal property tax. Use the sample letters here. LANSING, Michigan – The Michigan Municipal League is encouraging our members to write their lawmakers today in opposition to bills that would eliminate significant portions of the personal [...]

The Senate unanimously passed SB 1064 today, a bill regarding collocation of wireless communications equipment on an existing tower.  While the League is still philosophically opposed to the legislation, we appreciate Sen. Kowall’s willingness to work with us in addressing our concerns.  Attached below is a document containing the changes that were [...]

The Senate Finance Committee began testimony 24 hours after legislation was introduced to exempt portions of the personal property tax. The bills, SBs 1065-1072 would exempt all PPT under $40,000 in taxable value immediately for commercial and industrial. And, they would exempt all “eligible manufacturing” PPT starting in 2016. The [...]

Please help us educate lawmakers on the personal property tax issue and join in our call to “Replace Don’t Erase” the PPT. As you most likely know, an effort is underway in the Michigan Legislature to reduce business taxes by eliminating significant portions of the personal property tax (PPT). We [...]