{"id":5041,"date":"2016-04-22T17:43:22","date_gmt":"2016-04-22T21:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mml.org\/wp\/inside208\/?p=5041"},"modified":"2016-04-22T17:43:22","modified_gmt":"2016-04-22T21:43:22","slug":"revenue-sharing-budgets-positioned-for-initial-action-senate-cuts-statutory-by-1-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mml.org\/inside208\/2016\/04\/22\/revenue-sharing-budgets-positioned-for-initial-action-senate-cuts-statutory-by-1-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Revenue Sharing Budgets Positioned for Initial Action; Senate Cuts Statutory by 1.5%"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"One<\/a>

One of the many charts showing how Michigan has disinvested in its cities more than any other state in the state. That tiny red line you see is Michigan. A 2016-17 Senate budget plan would cut statutory revenue sharing to communities even more. Learn more at SaveMiCity.org<\/p><\/div>\n

The Michigan House and Senate Appropriations committees made their opening moves on the state budget this week by reporting the full budget bills to the floors of their respective chambers. Following expected floor action on these bills\u00a0in the coming week or two, each chamber will review the other’s proposal and move toward a final budget deal sometime in early June.<\/p>\n

Both proposals continue the current practice of ignoring the fiscal needs of local government, failing to make revenue sharing and the larger issue of municipal finance a budget priority. Without a renewed focus and commitment by the Governor and Legislature, Michigan will continue to occupy last place nationally in our treatment of local government. Learn about the League’s municipal finance initiative at SaveMiCity.org<\/a>. View how much money your community has lost in revenue sharing here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The House committee reported an omnibus budget bill, House Bill 5294<\/a>, to the floor which includes funding for revenue sharing. The House proposal maintains current-year funding for revenue sharing, only deviating from the Governor’s original recommendation<\/a> by maintaining the $5.8 million that the Governor would have removed for approximately 100 townships that hadn’t received revenue sharing previously.<\/p>\n

The Senate committee, on the other hand, moved Senate Bill 788<\/a> to the Senate floor with significant changes to the Governor’s proposal for revenue sharing. Statutory revenue sharing would see a 1.5% reduction ($3.85 million) in the Senate version, with the dollars from that reduction being shifted\u00a0to cover a\u00a0proposed local match requirement for the purchase of new voting equipment. The League urges you to contact your Senator, asking them to join us in opposition to this approach.<\/p>\n

In the Governor’s original budget proposal, the effort to replace existing voting equipment statewide was supported by $10 million in General Fund and $5 million in requested (unidentified) local match. These dollars would be coupled with remaining federal Help America Vote Act funds and dollars appropriated for this purpose in the current budget year. The purchase of new voting equipment has been championed\u00a0by the County and Municipal Clerks Associations and the Secretary of State’s office, but the call for a\u00a0local match requirement had not been voiced prior to this year’s budget.<\/p>\n

The proposal to accommodate the Governor’s local match request in the Senate version raises serious concerns for the Michigan Municipal League and member communities, even beyond the further erosion of an already devastated\u00a0statutory revenue sharing base.<\/p>\n