Inside 208

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 afternoon, the House Appropriations committee is taking testimony on two bills which deal with providing locals pension flexibility. The bills are HBs 5725 and 5726. HB 5726 (Rep. Opsommer, DeWitt) would allow bonding when communities switch from defined benefit to defined contribution, so communities could help smooth transition costs. A nearly identical [...]

The Michigan Municipal League has submitted a comment letter to the State Transportation Commission (STC) regarding the Draft Complete Streets Policy. The League received member feedback which was used to provide suggestions to the STC on ways to strengthen the Complete Streets Policy. The letter that was submitted can be viewed here: MML CS [...]

SAULT STE. MARIE, Michigan – Last week Travel Michigan/MEDC held a strategic planning work session in Sault Ste. Marie–one of many being held across the state this summer. Fueled by the success of the Pure Michigan campaign, the updated strategic plan will extend five years to 2017. The vision statement [...]

On Wednesday, July 18 the Senate Energy & Technology Committee is holding a hearing Senate Bills 1083 and 1084, bills that would create an exception for governmental immunity for a municipal corporation with respect to its obligations under the MISS-DIG Act. The bills as introduced are basically obsolete as we [...]

If you were out enjoying the weather over the last couple of months, chances are you were met by someone carrying any number of clipboards tryng to get you to sign a petition to place a issue on the November ballot.  And the clipboard holders wound up being very successful. [...]

For those interested in information, reports, and analysis of the new transportation authorization act known as “MAP-21” (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century), you are encouraged to visit Transportation Issues Daily, “MAP-21 Learning Center”.  The site contains links to congressional summaries and reports as well as webpages and news reports from any [...]

With the presidential election heating up, the debate over how to deal with federal deficit is coming into sharper focus. Recall that as part of the deficit deal of last year, automatic spending cuts and tax hikes will take effect if no deal is reached by the end of this year. [...]

In the 2006 lame duck session the legislature passed PA 480 of 2006, a law requiring uniform video franchising.  Our members are very familiar with this law and it’s effect to eliminate local control in cable issues. On July 10 the Federal District Court in Detroit issued a major decision [...]

From the Michigan Department of Treasury: The Michigan Department of Treasury is reopening the second round of the Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP) grant award process for the 2012 fiscal year, after Governor Snyder’s signing of a supplemental appropriation which includes an additional $10 million for the popular grant program. [...]