Inside 208

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan EGLE recently announced the MI Clean Water plan that includes $500 million worth of funding resources to help local communities upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. EGLE will be hosting a webinar to provide additional information on Wednesday, Oct 14, 2020 9:00 AM – 10:00 [...]

The Michigan Municipal League wanted to update our members about two new developments regarding the coronavirus pandemic as it relates to our communities. First, on Friday the Michigan Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case of: In re Certified Questions From the United States District Court, Western District of...

The League, working with bipartisan support in both the state Senate and House, is happy to announce the introduction of Senate Bill 1108 and House Bill 6207. The legislation would amend the Open Meetings Act (OMA) to allow for electronic "virtual" meetings to take place without an executive order suspending...

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is notifying local road agencies that documentation of authority delegation from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is required. Though July 1, 2020 is stated in a letter previously sent to local road agencies, this is not yet effective for local agency projects. The effective [...]

In late 2018, industry leaders and Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up to establish the Work Zone Safety Task Force. Aimed at improving work zone safety and reducing the number of injuries and deaths across the state, the task force is comprised of seven Action Teams. Each Action Team represents [...]

The Michigan Municipal League has joined with state leaders and the county association in calling for additional resources to support essential services during this COVID-19 crisis. The League, the Michigan State Budget Office, and the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC), today sent this joint letter to President Trump and the [...]

Governor Whitmer signed executive order 2020-154, which extends previous executive orders to provide temporary alternative means to conduct public meetings, conduct administrative proceedings, and provide the required notice under tax abatement statutes.   Under Executive Order 2020-154, all three previous orders are consolidated and extended to protect the public health and safety of Michiganders. The new [...]

MDOT has announced the fifth annual call for grant applications to the Local Grade Crossing Surface Program. Applications are due September 25, 2020. As a reminder, the Local Grade Crossing Surface Program provides 60% state funding taken from “off-the-top” MTF, and requires a 40% railroad match for work on grade [...]

As a follow-up to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation and report on the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse in Miami, Florida, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has issued a policy to address recommendations made in Accident Report NTSB/HAR-19/02. This policy applies to all trunkline bridges under [...]

The Michigan Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program will provide funding to assist eligible state departments, local units of government, and tribes in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the coronavirus. These grants are available only to communities that did not receive direct allocations for the Department of Justice’s Coronavirus [...]