Inside 208

April 18, 2012

Local Officials Call for Guaranteed Replacement of Personal Property Tax Cuts

LANSING, Michigan - Officials from throughout the state representing cities, schools, libraries, police and fire stood together Wednesday and called for guaranteed replacement of Personal Property Tax dollars that Michigan lawmakers are proposing to cut. On Tuesday, Michigan legislators introduced…

April 18, 2012

Cell tower zoning pre-emption passes Senate committee

This afternoon the Senate Economic Development committee passed SB 1064, a bill that pre-empts local zoning when it comes to colocation of wireless communications equipment on an existing tower. The bill was introduced yesterday afternoon and quickly passed through committee…

April 17, 2012

Michigan Mayors Talk With Lawmakers About Personal Property Tax, Other Issues

LANSING, Michigan - About 20 Michigan mayors from throughout the state attended the annual Michigan Association of Mayors luncheon at the state Capitol in Lansing. The mayors met with their lawmakers to discuss the most pressing issues facing their communities,…

April 17, 2012

Open Meetings Act bill passes House Committee

This afternoon the House Oversight, Reforms and Ethics committee reported HB 5459, a bill that amends the Open Meetings Act (OMA). The intent of the bill is to create more transparency when there are "emergency" meetings that are unable to…

April 17, 2012

Personal Property Tax Elimination Bills Introduced in Michigan Senate

This morning, the series of bills that phase out hundreds of millions of dollars currently going to local communities through the personal property tax were introduced. The bills are very similar to what the League has reported and the Governor's…

April 16, 2012

Federal Budget and deficit reduction – pass a resolution

Althought the House and Obama administration have each put forward their vision of the federal budget for fiscal year 2013, no one expects much to happen until after the November election. This of course means election year politics will play a…

April 12, 2012

League Hosts Mayors from Around the State in Meeting with Governor Snyder

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder talks Thursday, April 12, 2012, with Michigan mayors at the Michigan Municipal League's Lansing office. View more photos in this set on flickr.LANSING, Michigan - More than 20 mayors and local officials from cities around Michigan…

April 9, 2012

Congressional recess means opportunity

Congress is on their spring recess during the next two weeks, giving local officials a perfect opportunity to speak with them of issues of importance such as transportation and the 2013 budget. As you do so, please talk to them…

April 2, 2012

House passes 2013 budget

As quickly as it was introduced, Republicans in Congress have passed their blueprint for the 2013 fiscal year. By a vote of 228-191, with no Democrats supporting and ten House Republicans also voting no, the proposal now goes on to…

April 2, 2012

MDOT Announces Transportation Projects Selected for Grant Funding

On March 28, Zeeland and Tecumseh had transportation projects selected for grant funding through the Transportation Economic Development Fund Category A grant program. The projects approved with Category A grant funding represent public investments of $1,683,814 supporting private industry development of…

Inside208