News

Local Officials Seek Financial Help from President Trump, Congress

Press Release

Contact:

Matt Bach
Director of Communications
Michigan Municipal League
(734) 669-6317; C: (810) 874-1073
[email protected]; www.mml.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 5, 2020

Local Officials Seek Financial Help from President Trump, Congress

Michigan Municipal League Board Send Letter to D.C.

AANN ARBOR, Michigan – Local municipal leaders representing communities of all shapes and sizes from throughout Michigan sent a letter to President Trump and Michigan’s Congressional delegation this week seeking direct funding to communities battling the coronavirus.

The 18-member Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees sent a joint letter to the President and members of Congress asking for support of $375 billion in direct flexible aid for communities of all sizes. You can view the letter here, League members also were encouraged to send letters to the President and Congress and several dozen have already done so.

We want our national leaders to know that Michigan’s economy is hurting, and we need their help to make it strong again,” said League Board President Brenda F. Moore, Saginaw Mayor Pro Tem. “Without this assistance the economic downturn Michigan now faces will linger even longer.”

“It’s time for our representatives in D.C. to set aside politics and do what’s right for our communities battling COVID-19 on the front lines,” said League Vice President Bill Wild, Westland Mayor. “For our local governments, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing our tax revenues to dry up, as local employers and employees struggle with the challenges of re-opening, re-engineering their businesses to operate in accordance with health and safety guidelines, and trying to retain their customer base. Our residents and businesses need more services than ever before, and we need federal help to make this happen.”

The National League of Cities (NLC) has estimated that local governments in Michigan will lose 37 percent of revenues, putting the Great Lakes State as fourth highest in the nation in projected revenue losses for communities, just behind Kentucky. The Michigan Municipal League has joined with the National League of Cities in helping fill those funding needs in supporting $375 billion in direct support of communities nationwide.

“When cities suffer, economists tell us that local businesses also suffer,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League.

Gilmartin explained that businesses value and need police and fire protection, road repairs, parks, effective permitting, safe streets, and other services that our communities provide. Without strong funding support, a recovery will take longer to achieve.

Even more directly, businesses will see immediate impacts from canceled or delayed water, sewer, road and bridge projects. They will feel the impact of lost revenue from other canceled or scaled-back contracts for goods and services that Michigan’s local governments can no longer afford. As a result, many communities are laying off workers and making dramatic budget cuts, numerous news articles have shown.

The letter explains that the current version of the HEALS Act proposed in the U.S. Senate does not include additional funds that local governments need to survive the effects of the pandemic and aid the economic recovery.

“This omission is a significant concern for us and the voters our communities represent,” Moore said. “If we all work together, we can help make our cities, states, and nation strong, so that our communities can be vibrant tools for business and employment growth.”
For additional information contact the League’s Matt Bach, director of communications at (810) 874-1073 (cell) and [email protected].

For additional information contact the League’s Matt Bach, director of communications at (810) 874-1073 (cell) and [email protected].

About the League: Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.

 

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