Inside 208

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...

Register today for the MAM Capitol Reception coming up on April 17!  This event is FREE for all MAM members ($25 for non-MAM members).  It’s a great opportunity to meet with your legislators to discuss issues that are vitally important to your communities such as Personal Property Tax funding, transportation...

The initial date for final submission of billings for the American Recovery and Reconstruction Act of 2009 (ARRA) has been changed. The original date was set at September 30, 2015. A new guidance document released by the Federal Highway Administration headquarters requests all field offices to shorten the timeframe by...

Last month the President introduced his 2013 budget proposal.  This month, its the House GOP turn. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin introduced the bill on March 20th and one day later, it was voted out of committee by one vote.  Even so, a vote on the House floor is expected...

With a March 31 deadline looming on the latest extension of the current federal transportation authorization act, it appears that House Republicans will pass a three month extension. Readers will recall that the House bill, H.R. 7, failed to get off the House floor, while the Senate passed its own bill, S....

The House Transportation Committee took up HB 5304 for testimony only on March 14. This bill among other things would amend Public Act 51 to provide that local road agencies that receive less than $50,000 in 2012 would have their funds shifted to their respective counties starting in 2015. Michigan...

This week I had the opportunity to testify in Senate Finance committee on SB 972 (Sen. Hildenbrand, R-Lowell), a bill that would require local municipalities to include past due amounts on all tax bills.  While we agree that this is an issue that should be addressed, the practical implications surrounding...

Mitch Bean speaks to the Michigan Municipal League Board in 2010.There was an excellent article from MIRS (Michigan Information & Research Service) this week about who is to blame for the ongoing financial strain in Detroit and other Michigan cities. MIRS interviewed Mitch Bean, the former House Fiscal Agency Director,...

Yesterday afternoon the House passed HBs 4265 and 4266, bills that lift the yard waste ban exemption in certain circumstances to allow for the capture of methane gas as a form of renewable energy. The League has been supportive of this legislation for several sessions, and we have several communities...

Yesterday morning the Senate passed SB 756, a bill that would institute a cell phone ban for level 1 and 2 graduated drivers licenses. The League was approached to support this by several members who passed resolutions supporting the KDR Challenge – a foundation focusing on Kids Driving Responsibly and...