This week, the Senate Local Government Committee took testimony on SB 394 S-1 (SB 394 S-1).  This legislation folds townships into the mix of those local communities who qualify for the act, clarifies that inspection programs are optional at the local level, and states a rental inspection fee cannot be required to be paid more than 6 months prior to the actual inspection.

In the past, this issue has been very contentious.  This session we worked closely with the Rental Property Owners Association (RPOA) and the Apartment Association of Michigan (AAM) to come to a solution that addressed some of their issues but also didn’t jeopardize current local programs or create a one size fits all program from the state.  Because of this, we were able to take a position of support on this legislation.

We appreciate Sen. Robertson and his staff for allowing us to work through this process.  I would also like to thank RPOA and the AAM for their willingness to sit down with us and discuss this really important issue. We look forward to continuing to work with these organizations in the future.

Nikki is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development, land use, and municipal services issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.