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MML Announcement: John LaMacchia and Jennifer Rigterink to Lead State and Federal Affairs Team

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We’re pleased to pass along to our members an important announcement regarding new leadership for our state and federal affairs team based out of Lansing. The Michigan Municipal League’s John LaMacchia has been named director of our state and federal affairs team and Jennifer Rigterink has been promoted to assistant director.

Here’s the full press release going to the media today (Feb. 22, 2022):

Michigan Municipal League’s John LaMacchia and Jennifer Rigterink to Lead State and Federal Affairs Team

John LaMacchia and Jennifer Rigterink to lead MML’s State and Federal Affairs Team.

LANSING, Michigan – The Michigan Municipal League has selected new leadership for its state and federal affairs team. The League’s John LaMacchia has been named director of state and federal affairs and Jennifer Rigterink has been promoted to assistant director.

As director, LaMacchia succeeds Chris Hackbarth, who is relocating to Northern Michigan. Hackbarth served as the League’s director of state and federal affairs since January of 2015 following his earlier role as a legislative associate for the MML from 2009 to 2011.

“We will greatly miss Chris and wish him well in his new role. Chris has done an amazing job serving our members and has continually been recognized as a top lobbyist in our state,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director for the League. “Chris also has successfully mentored and formed a great legislative team for us and it’s to his credit that we are able to promote John and Jennifer to these roles.”

LaMacchia joined the League in January of 2013 as a legislative associate and later became the assistant director. In 2015, he was honored by the Michigan Society of Association Executives as one of 15 in ’15 Rising Leaders. In addition to his advocacy work, John oversees special initiatives and projects related to the Urban Core Mayors, City Business Collaborative, and the Coalition for a Strong and Prosperous Michigan.

“I have utmost confidence in John to lead our legislative team,” Gilmartin said. “As assistant director John has repeatedly taken on more responsibilities with great success, and he was an ideal choice for our state and federal affairs director.”

Prior to joining the League, LaMacchia served as Chief of Staff for former Sen. John Gleason for six years and previously worked in the office of former Senate Minority Leader Bob Emerson. John has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Michigan State University and lives in DeWitt with his wife, Dana, and three children.

“For eight years Chris has served as a mentor and friend, it has been a pleasure working with him and he will be missed,” LaMacchia said. “I am honored that the League has faith in me to lead our amazing team and I look forward to continuing to passionately advocate on behalf of Michigan’s communities.”

Rigterink started with the League in April 2016 as a legislative associate advocating for Michigan’s communities with a concentration on municipal services, economic development, and land use issues.

“Jennifer came to us nearly six years ago from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and quickly transformed herself into an excellent legislative associate,” Gilmartin said. “I know Jennifer and John will do an amazing job representing our members in Lansing and D.C. and leading our advocacy department.”

Rigterink represents the League on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Technical Assistance Advisory Council and sits on the executive committee of the Housing Michigan Coalition. She has a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Michigan State University. She lives in DeWitt with her husband Chris and two children. She and Chris own a small business called The Mattress Source in East Lansing and Lansing, Michigan.

“I thoroughly enjoy my time with the MML and working on behalf of our members,” Rigterink said. “I look forward to working with John to help guide our team into the future.”

In addition to LaMacchia and Rigterink, other members of the League’s state and federal affairs team are Herasanna Richards, legislative associate, and Betsy DeRose, capital office coordinator.

For additional information, contact Matt Bach, Michigan Municipal League assistant director of strategic communications, at mbach@mml.org and (810) 874-1073.

Community Leaders Call on State Legislature to Adopt COVID-19 Community Stabilization Plan 

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Westland Mayor William Wild moderates a news conference Monday on the League’s Community Stabilization Plan.

Municipal leaders across the state held a video news conference today to urge state lawmakers to adopt a Community Stabilization Plan that addresses the dire fiscal situation facing communities across the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The highly successful press conference was attended by nearly 10 members of the state and national media and about 150 League supporters. The event was led by League Board President William Wild, mayor of Westland, and featured Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, chair of the Urban Core Mayors, Pauline Repp, mayor of Port Huron and president of the Michigan Association of Mayors, Dr. Eric Scorsone, a municipal finance expert based out of MSU, and business leader Dan Dimitroff, a partner with Bay City property development and management company RDS Management. The League’s Chris Hackbarth, director of state and federal affairs, and Anthony Minghine, COO and deputy executive director, also helped answer questions from attendees and reporters.

Related links:

News coverage

Here are some of the articles from Monday’s press conference:

The pandemic has caused a host of issues for local governments, including increased costs, decreased tax revenues, and challenges adhering to the Open Meetings Act while also maintaining social distancing protocols. The goal of Monday press conference was to raise awareness about these issues.

“No one could have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic or planned for the scale of its impact across every sector of society. Local governments are on the front lines of this crisis,” said Westland Mayor Bill Wild, president of the Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees, in a press release about this morning’s event. “The Community Stabilization plan we are presenting to lawmakers will ensure that local governments can continue providing the vital services our residents and businesses need and expect and keep us functioning efficiently as we work to defeat the pandemic.”

The news conference comes just days after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on state lawmakers to pass a $100 million COVID-19 relief plan, along with other public health measures. The proposed Community Stabilization Plan, however, does not call for increases in tax revenues, but changes in policies that will ensure communities can continue collecting the revenue needed to provide essential public services.

The three pillars of the Community Stabilization Plan include:

  • Extend changes to the Open Meetings Act (OMA) that allow public bodies to conduct virtual meetings. The Legislature approved in October a change to the OMA that allows public bodies to meet virtually through Dec. 31, 2020. It is clear that the virus will continue to be a public health crisis throughout Michigan well past this deadline. If legislative action is not taken to extend the deadline into next year, local government and all public bodies will be forced to choose between violating OMA requirements, or not following Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) gathering limits. This puts municipalities at risk of being sued for OMA violations or slapped with fines for disregarding MDHHS orders and putting their board members and community volunteers at risk from exposure to the virus.
  • Prevent local income tax losses that will devastate revenues in Michigan’s 24 income tax cities. A significant number of employees have spent the past nine months working from home. Current state law does not allow municipalities to collect local income taxes from these workers on days they are not working in their employer’s physical location. Combined with losses in tax collection from unemployment income for local governments—a restriction federal and state governments do not suffer—the Treasury Department estimates Michigan’s 24 local income tax communities will lose up to $250 million in revenue this year alone. This represents up to 30 percent of income tax revenues among these 24 cities. The Community Stabilization Plan calls on the Legislature to pass a law that allows the state’s 24 income tax communities to continue collecting income taxes as if COVID-19 did not happen. This law would be modeled after a measure Ohio’s Legislature recently passed to protect their communities.
  • Address property tax losses caused by the interaction of Proposal A and the Headlee Amendment. COVID-19 is causing the permanent closure of businesses and reducing occupancy for retail and commercial office space across Michigan, which could lead to reduced property values—and therefore cuts to property tax revenue—in every single community. As we learned from the Great Recession, the fiscal impact to local governments that result from declines in property values caused by the pandemic will become permanent due to the unintended interactions between Proposal A and Headlee. The Community Stabilization Plan calls for the Legislature to restore Headlee’s original allowance for upward and downward fluctuations in millage rates based on actual inflationary activity and allow communities to truly benefit from increases in real estate values. This change will allow Proposal A and Headlee to work as intended by limiting existing millage and value growth to inflation, but allow for the economic catch up after sales.

Additional Quotes from the press release:

“The Community Stabilization Plan will ensure our communities can quickly recover from the pandemic and have the resources we need to provide police, fire, road maintenance and other vital services that impact the quality of life our residents and businesses expect and deserve. It’s critical that the legislature takes up this issue before the end of this year,” said Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, chair of the Urban Core Mayors.

“As a business owner, I rely on local government to provide efficient and effective services, but for me, and others like me, to maximize our success, we need Bay City, and other communities across Michigan, to be great places to live. As this pandemic threatens to drastically impact city budgets across Michigan, Michigan lawmakers need to act quickly to pass a Community Stabilization Plan. Without action, the quality-of-life opportunities business and places need to be successful won’t be realized,” said Dan Dimitroff, a partner with Bay City property development and management company RDS Management.

“Life for the past nine months has been completely upended because of this virus, and if the Legislature does not work together to pass the Community Stabilization Plan, then the financial impact to cities across the state will be felt long after it’s gone. Without legislative action, the impact to parks, public safety, and local roads will be yet another tragedy felt by the virus,” said Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp, president of the Michigan Association of Mayors.

“There is no way to sugar coat it. The projected revenue losses caused by COVID-19 will put communities across the state in serious financial trouble. Without a Community Stabilization Plan, cities will be forced into job cuts and the quality and frequency of local services will be felt deeply. It’s critical that lawmakers work together to help us recover from the virus,” said Michigan State University Professor and municipal finance expert Dr. Eric Scorsone.

For more information contact, Matt Bach of the Michigan Municipal League at 810-874-1073, and mbach@mml.org.

League Connects Local Leaders With Senate Appropriations Chair; Mayor Donker Testifies in D.C.

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Senator Jim Stamas (second row center) had a virtual meeting with community leaders and League staff Monday.

A number of local officials had the opportunity to meet virtually with State Senator Jim Stamas (R-Midland) on Monday, May 4, to hear an update on the state budget process and the Legislature’s understanding of the state revenue picture at this time. The senator also wanted to hear first-hand about the financial impacts that COVID-19 is having on Michigan communities.

The Michigan Municipal League greatly appreciates Senator Stamas taking the time to meet with these local officials and our staff and to learn about the financial challenges being faced by local government across the state.

Officials from Saginaw, Westland, Battle Creek, Rogers City and Grand Rapids joined Michigan Municipal League staff in the meeting with Stamas, chair of the Senate appropriations committee and until recently, long-time chair of the General Government subcommittee, responsible for revenue sharing. Local leaders on the call were Saginaw Mayor Pro-Tem Brenda F. Moore, League president; Westland Mayor William Wild, League vice-president; Battle Creek City Manager Rebecca Fleury; Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss and Joe Hefele, city manager for Rogers City.

It was a very productive and enlightening meeting as the local officials heard Senator Stamas discuss how the state is facing a deficit that he is expecting could be as much as $3 billion for both the current and next fiscal year due to the coronavirus. He expressed concern that even those estimates are clouded by a lack of clear revenue data (until the May 15th consensus revenue estimating conference) and questions that remain over the eligible uses of federal stimulus money that the state has received.

Moore and Hefele discussed how their communities will be hard hit by the expected declines in constitutional revenue sharing, which is tied to the sales tax. The officials asked that the state do what it can to not cut statutory revenue sharing. They also highlighted concerns over required infrastructure investments in water, sewer, and roads that will likely be impacted by the reductions in state and local revenues. The local officials explained that most Michigan communities have yet to recover from the Great Recession and further financial hardship from COVID-19 will be extremely difficult to overcome.

Mayor Wild and Fleury talked about city employee furloughs happening in their communities. Mayor Wild said about 66 percent of his non-public safety staff have been furloughed. Battle Creek has furloughed 95 employees, including 11 from the city’s police and fire departments, Fleury said.

Mayor Bliss said local governments stand ready to partner with Senator Stamas, Governor Whitmer and other state leaders to help get local businesses up and running again, based upon the critical role that local government’s play in economic development within their community.

The League was pleased to help facilitate this meeting and continues to meet with key administration and legislative leaders in our ongoing effort to secure financial assistance for local governments that are on the front lines of battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, the League sent a letter to Governor Whitmer and state leaders seeking a share of the $3.89 billion in CARES Act dollars that the state received from the federal government. We discussed with Senator Stamas how critical it is that the state share these funds with all local governments, regardless of population size, to reimburse them for their eligible expenses fighting this pandemic. We also reiterated the League’s commitment to working in D.C. to get additional, flexible federal stimulus funding directed at all local governments.

Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director, Michigan Municipal League

To that end, League staff shared with Senator Stamas our work with the National League of Cities and our coordination with state leagues from around the country, advocating for additional direct local government support.

For example, League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin is leading a discussion among state league directors from across the country. The discussion is focusing on establishing a formula on how local dollars would be distributed to local governments under this next stimulus package being developed.

Also on a national level, on Monday Midland Mayor Maureen Donker was invited to speak before a U.S. House of Representatives member forum on the Coronavirus Community Relief Act (HR 6467).

Mayor Donker discussed the fiscal responsibility of Midland and the unprecedented challenges that COVID-19 is causing for cities and villages across the nation.

Midland Mayor Maureen Donker

In particular, Mayor Donker countered the narrative that some in Washington have expressed regarding fiscal mismanagement. My residents “pay their taxes on time. And they correctly expect good and uninterrupted service from city hall,” Donker said. “Survival is not and should not be the objective for local governments. Local governments want to be in position to come out of this crisis and help our residents recover and thrive.”

House members who attended the members forum understood and took away a better picture of the challenges that local governments face due to COVID-19.

“Every elected official must be all-in on economic recovery,” Mayor Donker said.

The bill’s sponsor, Joe Neguse of Colorado, praised NLC for its leadership. When the bill was in formation, only four members were on board. Now, due to NLC’s outreach, more than one-in-three members of the House cosponsor the bill.

Michigan Municipal League members are strongly encouraged to engage with their own state and federal legislators to share the impacts that the current crisis is having on their community as we advocate for additional support for all local units of government.

Chris Hackbarth is the League’s director of state & federal affairs. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 and chackbarth@mml.org.

Michigan Municipal League, Chris Hackbarth Named Among Top Lobbyists in State

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Chris Hackbarth and the League’s legislative team – Betsy DeRose, Jennifer Rigterink, John LaMacchia and Herasanna Richards.

The Michigan Municipal League and our own Chris Hackbarth, state and federal affairs director, were both recognized today for being among the top lobbyists in the state.

The League shares this honor with you – our members – because we cannot be an effective lobbying team without the support of our membership. This support from you comes in many forms – sending a letter or email to a legislator about an upcoming bill, making a phone call to your State Rep or Senator, encouraging your own residents to take action on certain legislation, and coming to Lansing to testify in a committee hearing. All these things matter and make a difference. It’s all this work combined that results in acknowledgement like this.

The recognition of the League and Chris making a real impact in Lansing politics was part of the 2019 Capitol Insider Survey done by MIRS News Service and EPIC-MRA. It’s the second consecutive time where the League and Chris were both recognized in the survey for lobbying effectiveness.

“It’s excellent to see others recognize what we already know – that Chris and our Lansing legislative team do an outstanding job fighting on behalf of Michigan’s communities every day,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League. “It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, attention to detail to be effective in Lansing. But most importantly it takes a supportive, committed membership. Fortunately, we have both – a great staff and exceptional members who support us and act when called upon. Together we are making a difference in Lansing.”

The League was part of a three-way tie for third in the survey to the question, “Thinking about Lansing’s membership organizations or associations, which one membership group do you think does the most effective lobbying job?”

Hackbarth, the League’s director of state and federal affairs, was tied for fourth in the category for effective individual lobbyists for an association.

The League’s legislative team includes Hackbarth, John LaMacchia, assistant director of state and federal affairs, Jennifer Rigterink, legislative associate; Herasanna Richards, legislative associate, and Betsy DeRose, capital office coordinator.

The April 23-May 11 survey had 520 respondents from legislators, lobbyists, staff members and other insiders in and around the state capital. The survey, which is conducted every other year, had a 3.6% margin of error.

The League and Hackbarth were also recognized the last time the survey was done in 2017. In that year, the League and Hackbarth were both tied for fourth in their respective categories.

League’s Legislative Committee Kick-Off Gets Members Ready for the Year

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(View  more photos from the event here).

About 40 members of all the legislative committees of the Michigan Municipal League gathered this morning (Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019) in Lansing to kick off the year.

The League event was highly successful as members from the League’s various legislative policy committees heard from state lawmakers, League staff and communications experts. The League’s State Affairs and Membership Engagement led the orientation event. We discussed the committee process and how the committee members can be effective advocates for the League and their own community.

The League makes policy decisions based on the input from its six League policy committees that are broken into topics – energy and environment; economic development and land use; municipal finance; municipal administration and permitting; municipal services and elections; and transportation, infrastructure and technology. View a list of all the committee members below.

Representative Ben Frederick welcomes League committee members to Lansing.

The opening legislative speaker was Representative Ben Frederick, who welcomed the group to Lansing. He was followed by League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin who thanked the members for their service on the policy committees and explained how important their work is to the League’s success as an organization.

Other event speakers were Chris Hackbarth, director of state and federal affairs; John LaMacchia, assistant director of state and federal affairs; Jennifer Rigterink, legislative associate; Emily Kieliszewski, member engagement specialist; and Kelly Warren, director of member and affilate engagement for the League.

The panel included Michigan Senators Jim Stamas, and Jeremy Moss, and state Representatives Jeff Yaroch, and Jim Ellison.

Legislative panel discussion at the League’s committee kick-off event.

The panel was moderated by Kyle Melinn of MIRS News Service. It was a great discussion about everything from revenue sharing to fixing the roads and it’s worth checking out.

Tuesday’s event was wrapped up with a panel discussion about communications, PR and the Insider’s Guide to Lobbying by Dave Waymire, partner with Martin Waymire and Mike Compagnoni, government relations with Midwest Strategy Group.

Here is a list of the 2019 committee members:

Economic Development and Land Use: Tim Wolff, (Chair), Village Manager, Lake Isabella; Greg E. Sundin, City Manager, City of Alpena; Suzanne Pixley, Mayor, Eastpointe; Brad Barrett, City Manager, City of Flushing; Michael A. Hart, Assistant City Manager, City of Fenton; Brad Kaye, City Manager, City of Midland; Jade Smith, City Administrator, City of Milan; Zach Michels, City Council Member, City of Dexter; Kara Wood, Director, Economic Development, Grand Rapids; Josh Jones, Councilmember, Menominee; Julius Suchy, Village Manager, Village of Sparta; Sharlan Douglas, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Royal Oak; Chris Miller, Economic Developer, City of Adrian; Michael Fisher, Chief Assistant City Attorney, City of Livonia; Timothy Dempsey, Deputy City Manager, East Lansing; MaryAlice Adams, Commissioner, Benton Harbor; Brian Urquhart, Planner/Zoning Administrator, Middleville; Scott Adkins, City Manager, City of Roseville; Gabriel Costanzo, City Councilmember, Walled Lake; Larry Moss, City Council, Greenville; Chad Ross, Frankenmuth City Council, Frankenmuth; Christine Zuzga, Planning Manager, Battle Creek; Erich Podjaske, Zoning & Economic Development Director, City of Grayling; Jennifer Cross, City Council Member, Norton Shores; Connie R. Mitchell, Councilwoman-District 6, Inkster; Mark Nickita, City commissioner, Birmingham; Caroline Kennedy, Assistant Village Manager, Elk Rapids; Patrick Reagan, City Manager, Crystal Falls; Willard Redman, Mayor Pro Tem, Hastings; Bob Craig, Vice-Mayor, City of St. Johns; Scott Smith, Mayor, South Haven.

Energy and Environment: Eric Zuzga (Chair), Village Manager, Village of Quincy; Joseph Sova, Utilities Director, City of Midland; Linda TerHaar, Councilmember, City of Saline; Fred Cowles, Government Affair Committee, Michigan Water Environment Association; Robert J Baldyga, City Counci, Portland; Robert Monetza, City councilmember, City of Grand Haven; James Godbout, Council President, City of Westland; Elizabeth Koto, City Planner, City of St. Clair Shores; George Sleeper, City Councilmember, South Haven; Melissa Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director, Ann Arbor; Corey S. Blair, City Council, Algonac; Tony Graff, City Manager, City of Menominee; William Mogren, City Councilmember, North Muskegon; Ross Gavin, Councilmember, City of Berkley; Branden Dyer, Councilmember, Charlotte; Dennis Baldinelli, Mayor Pro Tem, Kingsford.

Municipal Administration and Permitting: Deborah Stuart (Chair), City Manager, City of Mason; Dave Hunsaker, Mayor Pro Tem, City of DeWitt; Clint Bryant, Councilmember, Saginaw; Ann Peterson, Councilmember, Rochester; David Quick, President, Village of Lawrence; Joseph Bippus, City Manager, City of Three Rivers; Don Bowers, City Council, Hastings; Aaron Desentz, City Manager, Eaton Rapids; Jim Kantola, Councilmember, Negaunee; Jeffrey Harris, City Administrator, City of Woodhaven; Brian Earle, Councilmember, Garden City; Doris Taylor, Councilmember, Pontiac; Steve Miller, Mayor, Ludington; Barbara Valentine, Village President, Mayville; Sanya Vitale, Community Development Director, City of Niles; Colleen O’Toole, City Manager, City of Durand; Brad Dick, City Councilor, City of Linden; James W. Hart, Councilmember, City of Westland.

Municipal Finance: Shea Charles (Chair), City Manager, City of Howell; Michael Lesich, Councilmember, Fraser; Brenda McNabb-Stange, Councilmember, City of Hastings; Brandon Fournier, Attorney, Southgate/Woodhaven; William Wild, Mayor, City of Westland; Oliver Turner, City Manager, Sault Ste. Marie; William Lasher, Mayor, Ovid; Matthew Lane, Village Manager, Village of St. Charles; Richard Lerner, Mayor Pro Tem, Farmington Hills; Marie Sherry, Treasurer/Finance Director, City of Dexter; Irv Lowenberg, Treasurer, City of Southfield; Brian Reed, Township Manager, Delta Township; James Wonacott, Village Administrator, Village of Blissfield; Brian Chapman, City Manager, City of Vassar; Dennis E. Champine, City Manager/City Clerk, City of Center Line; Jared Olson, City Manager, City of Roosevelt Park; Greg Mapes, Mayor, City of Alma; Dan Coss, City Administrator, City of DeWitt; Bill Colovos, Councilmember, City of Southgate; Dave Keenan, Assistant City Manager, Midland; Patrick Sullivan, City Manager, Northville; Stephanie Carroll, Manager, Business Development, City of Auburn Hills; Matthew V. Horning, Treasurer, City of Ann Arbor; Russell W. Whipple, Mayor, City of Mason; Rebecca Fleury, City Manager, Battle Creek; Thomas Youatt, City Manager, City of Imlay City; Tracy Bottecelli, City Councilmember, Fenton; David Trent, Village Manager, Village of Grass Lake; Lev Wood, City Councilmember, Grosse Pointe Farms; Derek Thiel, City Manager, Gibraltar; John Fournier, Assistant City Administrator, Ann Arbor; Brenda F. Moore, vice president of Michigan Municipal League,Councilmember, City of Saginaw; Pattie Rayl, Village Manager, Colon.

Municipal Services & Elections: Adam Smith (Chair), City Manager, City of Grand Ledge; Joshua Meringa, Council Member, City of Grandville; Monica Galloway, Councilmember, Flint; Michael Hikade, Councilmember, City of Newaygo; Marcus Peccia, City Manager, City of Cadillac; Mark L. Heydlauff, City Manager, City of Charlevoix; Sandra Howland, Walker City Commissioner, Walker City; Sam Janson, City Manager, City of North Muskegon; Thad Taylor, City Manager, City of Manistee; Lisa Hicks-Clayton, City Councilmember, City of Dearborn Heights; Frances McMullan, City Clerk, City of Ypsilanti; Edwina King, Policy Analyst, Detroit; Sean Canto, Fire Chief, Rochester Hills; Gregory Newman, City Clerk, City of Grand Ledge; Kelly Breen, City Councilmember, Novi; Pamela Colestock, City Council, Eaton Rapids; Chris Swope, City Clerk, Lansing; Carol Stone, Director of HR & Labor Relations, City of Midland; Kathleen Ling, City Commissioner, Mt. Pleasant; Brett Dreyfus, Township Clerk, Meridian Township; Gary Nelund, Mayor, Norton Shores

Transportation, Infrastructure & Technology: Gary Mekjian (Chair), Assistant City Manager, Farmington Hills; Howard Lazarus, City Administrator, Ann Arbor; Rock Abboud, President Pro Tem, Village of Beverly Hills; Devin Olson, City Manager, City of Munising; Michael Misteravich, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Richmond; Susan Baldwin, City Commissioner, City of Battle Creek; Amy Gilson, Director of Public Works, City of Charlotte; Darrel Schmalzel, City Manager, City of Walker; John Martin, City Manager, City of Sylvan Lake; Joe Valentine, City Manager, City of Birmingham; Jeffrey Jenks, City Commissioner, Huntington Woods; Lynn Markland, City Manager, Fenton; Todd Hackenberg, Superintendent of Public Works, Village of Lawton; Samuel E. Ekong, City Council member, City of Northville; Charlotte Kish, Council Woman, City Caro; Thomas E. Eustice, City Manager, City of Cheboygan; Mark Rambo, Deputy City Administrator, City of Kentwood; Tim O’Donnell, Mayor Pro Tem, Ferrysburg; Michael A. LePage, Village President, Pigeon; John Niemela, City Manager, City of Belding; Michael Radtke Jr., Councilman, Sterling Heights; Christian Wuerth, Village Manager, Village of Milford, Carl L Hamann, Village Councilmember, Village of Sanford; Richard Sullenger, City Engineer, City of Alpena; Bob Kittle, City Council & Munetrix, Auburn Hills; William H. Irving, Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Dearborn; Joshua Fredrickson, City Engineer, City of Midland; Tim Neumann, Executive Director, Michigan Rural Water Association.

(View  more photos from the event here).

Watch Our First Monday Morning Live Chat on Facebook

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(Click here to watch the Facebook Live video)

MMLive logoWe covered a lot of ground in the Michigan Municipal League’s first ever – Monday Morning Live broadcast on Facebook Live.

And while the live broadcast that took place 10:30 a.m. this morning is over you can still watch it anytime on the League’s Facebook page here.

Go here to watch it.

Our first one was today and featured a chat led by the League’s Matt Bach, director of communications, with our Lansing legislative team – Chris Hackbarth, John LaMacchia and Jennifer

Our first Monday Morning Live broadcast took place this morning and featured (from left) the League's Matt Bach, John LaMacchia, Chris Hackbarth and Jennifer Rigterink. Tune in for our next one 10:30 a.m. Dec. 3 on the League's facebook page.

Our first Monday Morning Live broadcast took place this morning and featured (from left) the League’s Matt Bach, John LaMacchia, Chris Hackbarth and Jennifer Rigterink. Tune in for our next one 10:30 a.m. Dec. 3 on the League’s facebook page.

Rigterink.

Our next two scheduled Monday Morning Live broadcasts are Monday, Dec. 3 and Monday, Dec. 17.

It’s an active time right now in Lansing with the Lame Duck period of the state Legislature getting underway now and continuing for the next few weeks.

On our first chat, we talked about the November election results, what we’re hearing may or may not come up during Lame Duck, what Proposal 1 legalizing recreational marijuana in Michigan means for our communities and what the first part of next year will be like for our Legislative team.

We also answered several questions from those watching the Live feed, including one question about breed-specific legislation. Jennifer handled that one.

State House Considering Revenue Sharing Package

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The League's Chris Hackbarth testifies about the proposed revenue sharing bills Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017 in the House committee along with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

The League’s Chris Hackbarth testifies about the proposed revenue sharing bills Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017 in the House committee along with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

Following the introduction last week of the 16-bill OPEB reform package, three additional bills were introduced in the House to create a structure that attempts to address the chronic under-funding of revenue sharing for local units of government.

Lead by chief sponsor, former Walker city mayor, Rep. Rob VerHeulen, House Bills 5314-5316 do three main things:

 

  1. Creates separate city, village, township (CVT), and county Revenue Sharing Trust funds to protect against future revenue sharing reductions. These trust funds would receive dollars earmarked directly from Michigan’s sales tax to provide the funding for statutory revenue sharing for CVTs based upon the current budget appropriation amount (approx $248 million for CVTs).
  2. Provides an initial attempt at increasing revenue sharing by growing the current statutory appropriation by $100 million over the next 20 years from the sales tax. The bills would divide these new funds ($5 million/year) equally between counties, cities, villages, and townships.
  3. Secures future Personal Property Tax (PPT) reimbursement revenue that is available above what is needed for 100% reimbursement, as an additional down payment on revenue sharing restoration.

The League’s Chris Hackbarth testified Tuesday about the bills in the House Competitiveness Committee along with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

The League supports the bill package in concept and continues to advocate for a plan that restores the revenue sharing cuts of the past decade and distributes dollars appropriately. The three bills were voted out of the House committee Tuesday and await action on the House floor.

Rep. VerHeulen issued a press release about the package and explained it would be funded through Michigan’s sales tax and would give a level of security to local communities in the case of an economic downturn.

“There have been compounding factors that have all led us to where we are at right now in areas across the state,” VerHeulen stated in the release. “Our communities face a funding crisis. They cannot make reliable payments into retirement systems for their employees, including police and fire, and money is often being diverted away from vital public services in an effort to keep up with funding those retirement benefit plans or other budget necessities.”

The bills could be considered in the full House by the end of the year.

Posted by Matt Bach, the League’s director of communications, on behalf of Chris Hackbarth. For details contact Hackbarth at chackbarth@mml.org.

Stay Tuned: OPEB Revisions Forthcoming and We May Need Your Help

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UPDATED (10 a.m., Dec. 6, 2017): The League has been told to expect substitute versions for the 16-bill OPEB reform package sometime this morning or later today. The original package of bills, as introduced Nov. 30, was approved without support from Democrats in House and Senate committees Tuesday and have been tentatively scheduled for action on today’s House and Senate agendas. The League continues to actively press for amendments to the bills that would address our concerns. Please stay tuned as the League may ask you – our members – to contact your lawmakers to support or oppose the forthcoming revisions.

The League's Chris Hackbarth, right, testifies about the proposed OPEB legislation with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

The League’s Chris Hackbarth, right, testifies about the proposed OPEB legislation with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

FROM 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5, 2017: The League’s Chris Hackbarth and Anthony Minghine testified this morning and this afternoon in opposition to the introduced versions of the identical OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefit) bill packages in the Michigan Senate and House committees. Negotiation on these bills is ongoing and we are working diligently with the Governor’s Administration and House and Senate leadership staff to address our concerns. They have been receptive to our input so far and we are waiting for revisions that should reflect the input we have provided.

We testified Tuesday in both committees alongside officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association. League member and Port Huron City Manager James Freed also testified. We continue to work and propose changes to the complex 16-bill package. The Senate Michigan Competitiveness Committee approved each of the bills, along with a related technical amendment, along party lines in 4-1 votes and sent them to the full Senate for a vote. The Senate adjourned for the day and may take up the package possibly later this week or next.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed testifies about the OPEB bill during a state House committee meeting Tuesday morning.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed testifies about the OPEB bill during a state House committee meeting Tuesday morning.

As most League members are probably aware, the League has been working for nearly two years on major municipal finance reform through our SaveMiCity initiative (go to saveMicity.org for details). The SaveMICity efforts has been looking for revenue, structure, and cost solutions to make our municipalities more fiscally sustainable. OPEB has been identified as our most significant budget cost driver in need of reform. Therefore the OPEB discussion happening now in the state Legislature is extremely important. For many months, League staff have been working with the legislature and governor’s office to help craft solutions to the OPEB problem.

The 16-bill package (House Bills 5298-5313 and duplicate Senate Bills 686-701) has pros and cons that League staff continue to assess to determine if these reform bills will provide necessary tools for communities to better manage these costs while remaining true to our fundamental beliefs –  that communities need the ability to provide reasonable benefits to their employees and retirees without crowding out essential city services.

The League's Anthony Minghine testifies before a state House committee.

The League’s Anthony Minghine testifies before a state House committee.

There are many parts of the bill package that the League supports, but we are also working to address a number of concerns that exist within the bills as introduced. Chief among them is the use of the Emergency Management (EM) law as the enforcement mechanism to address any impasse situation in the OPEB reform process. The League’s Anthony Minghine, deputy executive director and chief operating officer, testified that the use of the EM law is a “broad overstep” to the problem. Specifically, the League has raised concerns over the inclusion of language in this package that opens PA 436, the Emergency Manager law to add in a new provision for an emergency management team to be appointed in communities where the community and its bargaining units are unable to come to agreement on a local corrective action plans designed to address an OPEB or pension funding situation that exceeds specified funding and budget spending thresholds.

Port Huron City Manager James Free talks with the League's Anthony Minghine during the Senate committee hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Port Huron City Manager James Free talks with the League’s Anthony Minghine during the Senate committee hearing Tuesday afternoon.

View details about the OPEB bills in a previous blog that the League’s Chris Hackbarth, director of state and federal affairs, posted Thursday, Nov. 30, and updated yesterday here.

While it appears that both committees will be moving their respective bill packages to the floor today we anticipate changes to these bills before any further action and continue to actively press for amendments to the bills that would address our concerns.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org.

League Testifies on OPEB Bills, Continues to Work on Revisions

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The League's Chris Hackbarth, right, testifies about the proposed OPEB legislation with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

The League’s Chris Hackbarth, right, testifies about the proposed OPEB legislation with officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association.

UPDATED (4:30 p.m. Dec. 5, 2017): The League’s Chris Hackbarth and Anthony Minghine testified this morning and this afternoon in opposition to the introduced versions of the identical OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefit) bill packages in the Michigan Senate and House committees. Negotiation on these bills is ongoing and we are working diligently with the Governor’s Administration and House and Senate leadership staff to address our concerns. They have been receptive to our input so far and we are waiting for revisions that should reflect the input we have provided.

We testified Tuesday in both committees alongside officials from the Michigan Association of Counties and Michigan Townships Association. League member and Port Huron City Manager James Freed also testified. We continue to work and propose changes to the complex 16-bill package. The Senate Michigan Competitiveness Committee approved each of the bills, along with a related technical amendment, along party lines in 4-1 votes and sent them to the full Senate for a vote. The Senate adjourned for the day and may take up the package possibly later this week or next.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed testifies about the OPEB bill during a state House committee meeting Tuesday morning.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed testifies about the OPEB bill during a state House committee meeting Tuesday morning.

As most League members are probably aware, the League has been working for nearly two years on major municipal finance reform through our SaveMiCity initiative (go to saveMicity.org for details). The SaveMICity efforts has been looking for revenue, structure, and cost solutions to make our municipalities more fiscally sustainable. OPEB has been identified as our most significant budget cost driver in need of reform. Therefore the OPEB discussion happening now in the state Legislature is extremely important. For many months, League staff have been working with the legislature and governor’s office to help craft solutions to the OPEB problem.

The 16-bill package has pros and cons that League staff continue to assess to determine if these reform bills will provide necessary tools for communities to better manage these costs while remaining true to our fundamental beliefs –  that communities need the ability to provide reasonable benefits to their employees and retirees without crowding out essential city services.

The League's Anthony Minghine testifies before a state House committee.

The League’s Anthony Minghine testifies before a state House committee.

There are many parts of the bill package that the League supports, but we are also working to address a number of concerns that exist within the bills as introduced. Chief among them is the use of the Emergency Management (EM) law as the enforcement mechanism to address any impasse situation in the OPEB reform process. The League’s Anthony Minghine, deputy executive director and chief operating officer, testified that the use of the EM law is a “broad overstep” to the problem. Specifically, the League has raised concerns over the inclusion of language in this package that opens PA 436, the Emergency Manager law to add in a new provision for an emergency management team to be appointed in communities where the community and its bargaining units are unable to come to agreement on a local corrective action plans designed to address an OPEB or pension funding situation that exceeds specified funding and budget spending thresholds.

Port Huron City Manager James Free talks with the League's Anthony Minghine during the Senate committee hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Port Huron City Manager James Free talks with the League’s Anthony Minghine during the Senate committee hearing Tuesday afternoon.

View details about the OPEB bills in a previous blog that the League’s Chris Hackbarth, director of state and federal affairs, posted Thursday, Nov. 30, and updated yesterday here: http://blogs.mml.org/wp/inside208/2017/11/30/legislature-introduces-opeb-reform-proposal/.

While it appears that both committees will be moving their respective bill packages to the floor today we anticipate changes to these bills before any further action and continue to actively press for amendments to the bills that would address our concerns.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org.

House and Senate Reach Agreement on Revenue Sharing Increase in Upcoming Budget

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A joint House/Senate conference committee met this morning (June 8, 2017) and approved a revenue sharing proposal for the upcoming 2017-18 state fiscal year.

Lead by former Walker mayor, State Rep. Rob VerHeulen and State Sen. Jim Stamas, the budget report included a 2.5% increase ($6.2 million) in funding for those cities, villages and townships that have been receiving statutory revenue sharing. This increase, alongside the expected improvement in sales tax collections that are estimated to improve Constitutional revenue sharing payments by more than $40 million, would reverse last year’s overall revenue sharing decline and provide the first increase on the statutory side in more than three years.

It should be noted that this morning’s conference agreement on SB 142 (http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2017-2018/billanalysis/House/pdf/2017-HLA-0142-7AA49F7E.pdf) was developed without any input from the Snyder Administration or the Department of Treasury, as the Administration and Legislature continue to haggle over Legislative leadership’s desire to include a closure of the MI Public School Employees Retirement System as a part of the spending for the upcoming budget year.

This means that while both chambers have consistently supported increases for cities, villages and townships throughout this year’s budget development process, the Administration did not originally recommend any increase and could resist the proposed increase if this version is presented for his signature without an overall deal in place on the MPSERS situation.

League members should contact the Governor’s office and urge his support for this proposed increase and for a long-term plan for restoration of the devastating cuts of the past decade.

Posted by Matt Bach on behalfof Chris Hackbarth. Hackbarth is the League’s director of state & federal affairs. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 and chackbarth@mml.org.