Author Archives: John LaMacchia II

House Passes $1.2 Billion Road Funding Plan that Relies on $600 Million in General Fund Revenue

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A fire truck makes an emergency run over crumbling roads in Macomb County.

A fire truck makes an emergency run over crumbling roads in Macomb County.

Late last night the Michigan House of Representative passed a plan that would raise $1.2 billion to fix Michigan’s infrastructure but relies heavily on state general fund revenue to do so. The plan could have a significant negative impact on the essential services that communities provide and Michigan Municipal League has consistently expressed our concern with any road funding solution that would jeopardize the long-term fiscal sustainability of this state and its communities.

This plan contains $600 million in new revenue and $600 million in general fund revenue. The new revenue would be generated by increasing gas taxes by 3.3 cents and registration fees by 40%. The plan does not identify where the existing revenue will come from. The following bills were included in the House passed plan.

• HB 4370 provides $200 million in tax relief by expanding the Homestead Property Tax Credit and also dedicates $600 million of income tax revenue to transportation. Based on current revenue and expenditure projections, this statutory dedication of General Funds would not result in a year end budget deficit greater than $60 million in the next five years.

• HB 4736  increases passenger and commercial vehicle registrations an average of $55 (40%) per vehicle. Additionally, the bill provides for plug-in hybrid ($30) and electric ($100) vehicle registration fee increases resulting in $400 million revenue increase for transportation.

• HB 4614, HB 4616, and HB 4738 provide for gas/diesel tax increases to 22.3 cents (increase of 3.3 cents) per gallon by 2019. The bills also implement diesel parity, institute a process for taxing alternative fuels, and tie the fuel tax rate to inflation resulting in $200 million revenue increase for transportation.

• HB 4610 allows townships contributing 50% or more to a road project to require an RFP for pavement projects over $50,000 and gravel projects over $25,000.

• HB 4611 requires an RFP process for all projects over $100,000 for MDOT. Local road agencies must do RFPs for all projects, excluding routine maintenance, over $100,000, unless the local road agency affirmatively finds that they can do it themselves for less.

• HB 4737 requires MDOT and local road agencies to secure warranties, where possible, for construction and preservation projects over two million dollars.

• SB 414 creates an automatic rollback of the income tax rate equal to the amount General Fund revenue exceeds the rate of inflation annually. The rollback begins on January 1, 2019 and the tax cut level will be dictated by annual General Fund levels and will vary from year to year.

The League strongly encourages Governor Snyder and quadrant leaders to restart their conversation and come up with a road funding plan that does not jeopardize the essential services that Michigan citizens rely on, such as police and fire protection, schools and public transit.

Additionally, the League encourage you to reach out to your individual Senator and ask them to pass a long-tern fiscally sustainable solution that relies more on new revenue and less on general fund revenue , does not jeopardizes future state budgets and does not  negatively impact the essential services communities provide.

View a League media statement on the House roads plan.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

 

Act 51 Compliance Requirements Due September 30th

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Act 51 compliance requirements are due September 30th as a result of changes that were made to the compliance requirements of Public Act 51 of 1951, Section 18j, MCL 247.668j related to funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation for roadways within local units of government.

To comply, by September 30, 2015, a certificate regarding the compensation plans for your local transportation employees must be completed, signed, submitted to the State Department of Transportation and posted on your municipal website. MDOT has summarized the compliance requirements in FAQ form.

If this form is not submitted by September 30th MDOT may withhold Act 51 funding for non-compliance.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

After Serious Negotiations It Is Back To The Drawing Board On Transportation Funding

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Legislators spent the majority of the week once again trying to find a way to invest more money in Michigan’s roads. Talks began with the most serious negotiations of the summer and at one point there was some belief that a deal was close. At the end of the day though a final compromise was unable to be reached and the Governor and legislative leaders are back to the drawing board.

The potential deal was a plan based around increasing road funding by $1.2 billion, with $600 million coming from new revenue and $600 coming from existing revenue. The new revenue would come from a combination of gas taxes and registration fee increases. The $600 million in cuts to existing revenue remained undefined and was one of the major sticking points with many legislators.

Talks have already begun on finding a way to solve this problem but further action will not take place until after Labor Day at the earliest. The League has continued to voice our concerns over the use of a significant amount of unidentified existing revenue, the need to invest in transit, and that any solution should not put an unnecessary amount of new reporting requirements on our members

The League will be working hard to ensure our voice is heard as we move closer to a deal. We will continue to update you on any new details and how you can engage members of the Legislature in the coming weeks.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

Save the Date: Transportation Asset Management Conference

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The Transportation Asset Management Council will we holding there Fall Conference on October 15, in Marquette. The theme of this years conference will be investing in our future with data driven solutions.

For more information, contact Frank Kelley, Asset Management Coordinator at 517-373-2111 or kelleyf@michigan.gov, or visit us on the Web at: www.michigan.gov/tamc.

To register, contact the Michigan Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) at the Center for Technology & Training at 906-487-2102 or ctt@mtu.edu.

For a copy of the Save the Date flyer please click on the following link. 2015 FALL TAMC Save the Date

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

League Highlights Potential Negative Impact of Using General Fund Revenue for Roads

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Although the Legislature made little progress this week in finding a solution to fix Michigan’s infrastructure needs, the League was very active in expressing our opposition to significant cuts to the General Fund.

On Monday we delivered a letter signed by the League and eight other organizations (Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Association of Police Organizations, Michigan League for Public Policy, Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union, Michigan Townships Association, Police Officers Association of Michigan and Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan) to all 110 members of the House expressing our serious concerns with using existing General Fund resources to improve Michigan’s infrastructure. A copy of the letter can be found at the following link. Final GF Concern Letter to Legislators

In addition to the letter the League requested much respected non-partisan former House Fiscal Agency Director Mitch Bean to look at the implications of SB 414.

Key findings in Bean’s report:

  • The state’s General Fund has declined 1.8 percent since FY 2001, and adjusted for inflation has declined 23 percent. No state in the nation has cut its budget more than Michigan over that period.
  • The state already faces revenue pressure from several tax changes scheduled to take effect in FY 2017-18, when SB 414 would take full effect.
  • Additional general fund spending pressures are also expected, given federal policy changes that will require more state support for basic human services.
  • If SB 414, as passed by the Senate becomes law, the likely impact on the FY 2017-18 General Fund (GF/GP) budget would be $450 million to $550 million in GF/GP budget cuts.
  • The state would have to cut between 11 percent and 13 percent from each department line item if they were able to reduce health and human services, and corrections spending, the two largest items in the GF budget, by a combined $100 million.

The report and a memo from the League was provided to every Legislator, the Governor, and the Capital Press Core. A copy of the memo and report can be found at the following link. Report for Legislators

The League will continue to work hard to ensure our voice is heard on the potential long-term negative impacts this proposal could have on our communities. We will continue to update you on the advancement of this proposal and how you can engage members of the Legislature in the coming weeks.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

 

Transportation Asset Management Council Policy for Collection on Roadway Condition Data on (Paved) Non-Federal Aid Eligible Roads and Streets

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Since 2009, the Transportation Asset Management Council (TAMC) has been working with local road agencies to collect PASER data on the paved non-federal aid system. In 2009, the TAMC began a policy to annually budget to reimburse agencies for data collection of PASER data on up to one third of the State’s paved non-federal aid road system. Many local road agencies have taken part in this reimbursement program to the extent funds allowed. The TAMC is also aware of many local road agencies that periodically collect PASER data on the paved non-federal aid system without reimbursement from the TAMC.

The TAMC would like to request submission of paved non-federal aid PASER data that agencies may have collected for their own purposes. If a local road agency is currently collecting paved non-federal aid PASER data without TAMC reimbursement; the TAMC would like to kindly request submission of that data annually. Your submission of paved non-federal aid data, with or without reimbursement, allows the TAMC to have a better indication as to the status of the State’s paved non-federal aid road system. Data submitted before December 15th of each year can be included in the TAMC Annual Report.

For more information please click the following link. TAMC – Paved Non-Federal Aid

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

Senate Passes Road Plan with $700 million in Unspecified General Fund Cuts

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Last night the Senate voted out a road funding plan that could ultimately raise $1.5 billion for roads, with two of the main pieces of legislation in the plan coming to a tie on the chamber floor.

The plan generates roughly $822 million by increasing the gas tax 15 cents and $700 million from unspecified General Fund budget cuts.

Eight bills — SB 0414, HB 4610, HB 4611, HB 4612, HB 4613, HB 4614, HB 4615 and HB 4616 — were passed through the Senate, but two of the main pieces of legislation were only moved after Lt. Gov. Brian CALLEY broke the tie.

Under HB 4615, the gas tax would go up 19 cents to 23 cents on Oct. 1, 2015; to 27 cents on Jan. 1, 2016, and 34 cents on Jan. 1, 2017, raising $475 million more for the roads in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, $733 million in FY 2017 and $822.1 million in FY 2018, according the Senate Fiscal Agency (SFA).

The also also creates a lock box directing seven cents of the 15-cent gas tax increase to a fund controlled by the Department of Treasury that could only be spent after approval is given by joint resolutions of the House and Senate.

Under SB 414, a $350 million General Fund allocation would be made toward roads in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and a $700 million special roads allocation that would take place going forward until FY 2033.

The bill also includes a mechanism that would roll back the state’s income tax if General Fund revenue exceeds the rate of inflation. Every .1 percent that is rolled back from the state’s 4.25 percent income tax would equate to an additional $230 million reduction in the the state’s General Fund.

HB 4613 would require warranties, where possible, on all road projects over one million dollars. Additionally, this bill contain 23 new reporting requirements that local units of government must provide to MDOT.

The bottom line is that this plan does not provide a long-term sustainable solution to address Michigan’s deteriorating infrastructure. Additional earmarks from the General Fund and only allowing the General Fund to grow by inflation could severely affect the ability of the state to prioritize investment in communities that desperately need it. It could result in future cuts to revenue sharing, K-12, higher education, community colleges, economic development, PILT, fire protection grants, or state police.

The League will be working hard to ensure our voice is heard on the potential long-term negative impacts this proposal could have on our communities. We will continue to update you on the advancement of this proposal and how you can engage members of the Legislature in the coming days.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

 

Senate Republican’s Release Road Funding Plan, Vote It Out of Committee

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A fire truck makes an emergency run over crumbling roads in Macomb County.

A fire truck makes an emergency run over crumbling roads in Macomb County.

Late yesterday afternoon the Senate Republican’s released their road funding plan and immediately voted it out of committee on a party line vote. The plan consists of a mix of new revenue and rededicating General Fund money for a total of approximately $1.5 billion in funding for roads and bridges when fully implemented.

Beginning October 1, 2015, this plan would increase the gas tax by 5 cents. It would increase an additional 5 cents on January 1, 2016 and January 1, 2017, for a total of a 15 cent increase. Tax rates on diesel would be adjusted so they are equal to the tax paid on gas by the end of that three year period. Beginning in 2018 gas and diesel taxes would be tied to inflation. This will generate roughly $820 million in new road dollars that will flow through the full Act 51 funding formula, providing an increase to the Comprehensive Transportation Fund which supports public transportation, rail, and ports. Beginning in 2033 the gas tax would be eliminated.

The plan earmarks $350 million of existing income tax revenue in 2016 and $700 million each year from 2017 to 2032 solely for roads and bridges. These redirected dollars would circumvent the full Act 51 formula, bypassing the Comprehensive Transportation Fund (CTF).

State General Fund spending would be capped at current spending levels and only allowed to grow by the rate of inflation. Any growth over inflation will result in a reduction to the income tax rate by the same amount. There is no identified floor on the rollback so hypothetically income taxes could be rolled all the way back to zero.

Similar to the House plan this proposal would eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit, require competitive bidding on all MDOT and local road projects over $100,000, require MDOT and local road agencies to secure warranties for projects over $1 million, and allow townships contributing greater than 50% to a road project over $50,000 to require competitive bidding. MDOT must also create a 50 Year Roads Task Force where their goal will be find a way to build roads that last at least 50 years and to be able to build them for half the cost.

The bottom line is that this plan does not provide a long-term sustainable solution to address Michigan’s deteriorating infrastructure. Additional earmarks from the General Fund and only allowing the General Fund to grow by inflation could severely affect the ability of the state to prioritize investment in communities that desperately need it. It could result in future cuts to revenue sharing, K-12, higher education, community colleges, economic development, PILT, fire protection grants, or state police.

We would encourage all of our members to reach out to their State Senator and explain that we are thankful that this proposal has new revenue included but this proposal will severely limit the flexibility of the state’s General Fund. The lack of flexibility could have a long-term negative affect on communities. Please ask that they do not pass this legislation this without significant changes that will protect the state’s ability to invest much needed resources into communities.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

 

Governor Signs Budget with $400 Million in General Fund Spending on Roads

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The governor recently signed budget that included an additional $400 million in General Fund spending for roads and bridges. Of the $400 million $160 million will be used to match all available federal funds and the remaining $240 million will be distributed to MDOT, County Road Commissions, and Cities and Villages.

This additional revenue will result in additional $56.7 million for local roads in cities and villages throughout the state. For a breakdown of what each individual community will receive please click the following link. Act 51 breakdown for cities and villages

Although this additional money will be helpful, it does not represent a long term solution. The League continues to advocate for a long-term sustainable solution that will fund all aspects of out transportation network.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

2015 Metro Act Distribution Payments

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On May 29, 2015, the Authority Council of the new Local Community Stabilization Authority (LCSA) met and approved the distribution of the 2015 annual payments to cities, villages, and townships under the Metropolitan Extension Telecommunications Rights-of-Way Oversight Act (METRO Act), 2002 PA 48. The following link lists the amounts payable to each city, village, and township this year. 2015 Metro Payments to Cities Villages

The total distribution of $18,602,739.39 for 2015 decreased by 10.8% from the $20,871,269.12 distributed in 2014. The decrease can largely be attributed to the reduction in telecommunication facilities reported by telecommunication providers, particularly AT&T Michigan, the state’s largest telecommunication provider.

In 2015, most cities and villages will receive about 9% less than in 2014. The majority of townships will also see a decrease, but the percentage varies because of the statutory formula used in determining maintenance fee payments to townships.

As you may be aware, because the functions and responsibilities of the former Metro Authority were transferred to the LCSA, municipalities will not receive METRO Act payments via State of Michigan warrants or electronic transfer. For those municipalities that did not make arrangement with the LCSA for electronic transfer, METRO Act payment checks will be processed by Comerica Bank on behalf of the LCSA with a notation that the payment is a METRO Act payment. Communities should expect to receive these payments in July.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, and energy issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.