Category Archives: Economic Development

Senate Passes Bills to Exempt Detroit Zoo and DIA Millages from Tax Capture

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This afternoon the senate passed a set of bills, HB 4458-4464, to prohibit a TIF district from keeping tax increment revenues from ad valorem property taxes levied under the Zoological Authorities Act and the Art Institute Authorities Act.  This language is added into the following acts:

  • Tax Increment Financing Authority Act
  • Downtown Development Authority Act
  • Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act
  • Local Development Financing Act
  • Corridor Improvement Authority Act
  • Nonprofit Street Railway Act
  • Private Investment Infrastructure Act.

In this debate we want to make sure the value these districts have on local communities throughout the state is not lost.   I would encourage you to contact your legislators and let them know the benefit of the TIFs used in your community as well as give them an idea of the investments that they have brought into the area so they can understand the importance of them for economic development purposes.  These are a few of the last tools communities have to revitalize struggling areas and to not have them or severely limit them would have a detrimental impact on not just the municipality but the entire region.

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

Does Your Community Host a Labor Day Bridge Walk?

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The Michigan Fitness Foundation offers an opportunity for all communities to start their own Labor Day tradition by hosting a Labor Day Community Walk.

Labor Day Community Walks showcase the unique parks and recreation spaces in the local community’s own backyard. The event also gives the community a chance to come together while demonstrating a commitment to keep Michigan moving. Past community walks included activities such as walks and/or runs through public trails and across local versions of the “Mighty Mac.” Host organizations will receive free promotional materials and a guide to creating and hosting a community walk. In addition, your event will be endorsed by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Health and you will have the opportunity to use our logo on all materials.

This year Labor Day Community Walks will take place on Monday, September 2, 2013. We hope that you will consider making your community a part of Michigan’s Labor Day tradition. To learn more about the walk, please visit the Michigan Fitness Foundation’s website. For more information, please visit: http://www.michiganfitness.org/labor-day-community-walks. To register your community and receive free support materials, please contact Rokeyta Roverson at rroberson@michiganfitness.org.

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

House Local Government Holds Hearing on Blight Package

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Today the House Local Government committee held testimony on SBs 35-39, a package of bills dealing with blighted properties.  These bills would:

  • Senate Bill 35 would allow cities that use administrative hearings bureau to adjudicate blight violations to establish additional civil and criminal penalties on a person who committed a blight violation and failed to pay a fine and costs of $1,000 or more. It would also lower the minimum population to be eligible to have an administrative hearings bureau from 2.0 million to 1.5 million for a county containing a city with a population of 3,300 or more. This bill also exempts financial institutions, credit unions and other governmental entities from the fines and penalties stated in the bill that other individuals would otherwise be subject to.
  • Senate Bill 36 would amend the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act to allow a city zoning ordinance to provide that a person would be ineligible for rezoning, site approval, or other zoning authorization if the person were delinquent in paying a fine or costs for a blight violation. This bill also exempts financial institutions, credit unions and other governmental entities from the fines and penalties stated in the bill that other individuals would otherwise be subject to.
  • Senate Bill 37 would amend the Single State Construction Code Act to allow a city to provide by ordinance that a person would be ineligible for a building permit, certificate of use and occupancy, or a variance if the person were delinquent in paying a fine or costs for a blight violation. This bill also exempts financial institutions, credit unions and other governmental entities from the fines and penalties stated in the bill that other individuals would otherwise be subject to.
  • Senate Bill 38 would amend the Revised Judicature Act to allow a city to file a garnishment action if a fine or costs were ordered for a blight violation.
  • Senate Bill 39 would amend the Home Rule City Act to allow a lien against property involved in a blight violation to be foreclosed in a city’s administrative hearings bureau.

The League was joined by officials from the city of Jackson (Dan Greer, Bethany Smith, Dennis Diffenderfer), in testifying in opposition to the bills because of the exemptions for financial institutions, credit unions and governmental entities.  We absolutely appreciate the intent of the bill sponsors in trying to give more tools to local communities with Administrative Hearings Bureaus to deal with blight offenders but these exemptions carve out a large chunk of the blight offenders.  We look forward to working with the bill sponsors as this goes forward to address our issues.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate with the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org of 517-908-0305.

Bills to Exempt Detroit Zoo and DIA Millages from Tax Capture Pass Senate Committee

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HB 4458-4464 passed the Senate Economic Development Committee this week.  These would prohibit a TIF district from keeping tax increment revenues from ad valorem property taxes levied under the Zoological Authorities Act and the Art Institute Authorities Act.  This language is added into the following acts:

  • Tax Increment Financing Authority Act
  • Downtown Development Authority Act
  • Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act
  • Local Development Financing Act
  • Corridor Improvement Authority Act
  • Nonprofit Street Railway Act
  • Private Investment Infrastructure Act.

There is a larger discussion happening in the legislature on TIF tax capture in general.  I would encourage you to contact your legislators and let them know the benefit of the TIFs used in your community as well as give them an idea of the investments that they have brought into the area so they can understand the importance of them for economic development purposes.  These are a few of the last tools communities have to revitalize struggling areas and to not have them or severely limit them would have a detrimental impact on not just the municipality but the entire region.

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

Bill to Regulate Digital Billboards moves out of House Transportation Committee

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HB 4629 passed out of the House Transportation Committee this week.  This bill was created in most part to deal with issues that were presented to MDOT from a federal audit done on the Highway Advertising Act. If these issues (definition for digital billboards, definition for non-conforming billboard, etc) are not address, the state will lose a portion of their federal transportation funding.  This bill was introduced last session and because of the short time frame of lame duck, didn’t pass.  This bill would allow a local unit of government to create a more stringent policy than that at the state level if they so choose to.  We also asked that the word “operation” be added into what can be regulated by the local unit of government to ensure that digital billboards would be encompassed in that definition.  Before passing committee, an amendment was also added on to change the spacing requirements for digital billboards from 1,500 feet to 1,750 feet and to make the “dwell time” 8 seconds instead of 6 seconds.

Because of the federal funding attached to the bill and the local control piece being enhanced, we are neutral on HB 4629.

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

Detroit Zoo/DIA Millage Tax Capture Bills Pass Committee

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Bills that would prohibit TIF districts from capturing tax revenue off the Detroit Zoo and DIA millages passed out of the House Tax Policy Committee unanimously today.  HB 4458-4464 prohibit a TIF district from keeping tax increment revenues from ad valorem property taxes levied under the Zoological Authorities Act and the Art Institute Authorities Act.  This language is added into the following acts:

  • Tax Increment Financing Authority Act
  • Downtown Development Authority Act
  • Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act
  • Local Development Financing Act
  • Corridor Improvement Authority Act
  • Nonprofit Street Railway Act
  • Private Investment Infrastructure Act.

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

Alma College and City of Alma Persevere Together Through Good Times, Challenging Times

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By Mayor Mel Nyman and President Jeff Abernathy

Mayor Nyman & President Abernathy

Since its founding in 1886, Alma College has stood as a vital community partner, dramatically affecting the lives of those living in mid-Michigan and beyond. The college’s founding was made possible by Ammi Wright, a lumberman, businessman and civic leader who gave 30 acres of land and more than $300,000 to found and sustain the institution in its early years — a sum equivalent to more than $6.2 million today.

More than 125 years later, Alma College continues to value its role in the mid-Michigan community. The campus hosts the annual Alma Highland Arts Festival, which brings thousands of visitors to mid-Michigan to celebrate their Scottish heritage.

An Alma College student volunteers in the community.

As part of its mission, the college also promotes a “culture of service” in which students meet local needs through participation with numerous community agencies and organizations.

One of the key questions in the college’s most recent planning effort was how it could leverage its presence to ensure that the college can thrive together with the community. The resulting plan, while establishing important educational goals, includes an emphasis on creating a sustainable campus and community. It states directly: “We will assist our city of Alma — where we aim to create a seamless environment between the downtown and the campus— as well as communities across Mid-Michigan in order to help our region thrive in the decades to come.”

There is much to be thankful in our small community of Alma. Business is growing in the downtown. Within view of town, the largest wind farm in Michigan has risen, with 167 monuments to the new economy. The efforts by community leaders in collaboration with Alma College professors and students to address environmental challenges caused by a chemical company that left the area decades ago continue to make meaningful progress.

Downtown Alma

All this good news is especially welcome in Alma, where we have had our share of challenges. The most recent economic downtown hit mid-Michigan hard, and in October 2010, a ruinous fire all but destroyed a prominent landmark at the center of our downtown, Alma’s former Opera House. In such a close-knit community, nearly every citizen felt the impact of these and other challenges.

And yet, the values and benefits of living in a college town still appeal to many. Recent developments are evidence that collaborative college-town partnerships are making a difference. Those developments include:

The downtown Alma College bookstore.

  • In 2011, the college purchased a vacant building and moved its bookstore off campus and across the street into a location that formerly represented a geographic divide between town and gown. The college also partnered with Stucchi’s — a successful ice cream store that was destroyed in the downtown Opera House fire — and brought it in under the same roof. The new business is thriving, a welcome addition to the downtown where students and community members come together.
  • Kurt Wassenaar, an investor with local roots committed to revitalizing the downtown Alma business district, bought the burned Opera House and determined to save it from demolition. Today, the building is undergoing major renovations that will restore its historic features while providing new retail opportunities on the ground floor and, in a leasing partnership with Alma College, student apartments on the second and third floors.

    Alma Fall Festival helps bring the city and college together.

  • Alma College has set an aggressive goal to place a large number of interns across mid-Michigan in an effort to help non-profits and governmental entities that lost so many resources in the recent downturn. Such work is hugely beneficial to Alma students even as it will help to sustain the communities across our region. Alma College students can learn how to leave positive footprints in Alma and wherever they go in the future.
  • Alma College’s Center for Responsible Leadership and the Gratiot Area Chamber of Commerce sponsor an annual Fall Festival in October in downtown Alma. The purpose of the event is to strengthen the connection between the college and community and to encourage community members, merchants and students to meet and interact in a positive and education atmosphere. Activities include merchant specials and giveaways, raffle drawings, face and pumpkin painting, kids activities and more.

Reaching out to the community is a part of Alma College’s mission to “prepare graduates who think critically, serve generously, lead purposefully and live responsively.” We remain committed to the exciting work of building and nurturing community partnerships that will be key to the college’s future as well as that of our town and region.

Mel Nyman is the Mayor of Alma and Jeff Abernathy is the President of Alma College.

Big Rapids, Ferris State University Joined at the Hip

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Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan

By Mayor Mark J. Warba and President David Eisler

Mayor Warba and President Eisler

On September 1, 1884 – over 128 years ago – Woodbridge Ferris opened the Big Rapids Industrial School on S. Michigan Avenue.

For an institution that started in rented rooms on the third floor of a business building in downtown Big Rapids, Ferris State University has grown into an educational enterprise. It now has 119 buildings on the 880-acre Big Rapids campus and also in downtown Grand Rapids, as well as partner sites at 17 community colleges around the state.

The university has an operating budget of over $270 million and it employs more than 1,400 full-time employees with an annual payroll of over $120 million. Ferris has an annual net economic impact of over $90 million, with two-thirds of the spending occurring in Mecosta County, where more than 65 percent of students attend classes on the main campus, and 88 percent of Ferris faculty and staff work in Big Rapids.

Big Rapids is the seat of government for Mecosta County, with a vibrant downtown and an industrial base that continues to thrive and transform itself while creating numerous employment opportunities. The Mecosta County Medical Center consistently ranks in the Top 100 hospitals in the United States in quality performance measures, and the Roben-Hood airport continues to grow and expand.

The university and the city recognize the continuing importance of communicating and cooperating with one another, and with their partners in the community. Examples include:

1. Monthly meetings during the academic year between representatives of the university, city and Mecosta County to discuss topics such as infrastructure improvements, training opportunities with members of public safety, utilities and recycling.

2. Quarterly town-gown meetings that bring together representatives from education, local government and the community, including the university president, superintendent of public schools and mayor.

Ferris State University campus

3. The “Big Event,” where Ferris State University students come together and give back to the community by performing household chores for area residents. The chores include washing windows, raking leaves, trimming bushes, small paint jobs, and more. Labor and supplies are provided completely free of charge, and last year tmore than 1,800 students volunteered at over 200 homes in the Big Rapids community.

4. The Festival of the Arts that is held throughout the month of February, where the university, in association with the Big Rapids community, brings together numerous individuals, volunteers, artists and event sponsors for a celebration of the arts, ranging from photography, to writing and music.

5. Members of the University’s administration participate in meetings with local manufacturers to say thank you for doing business in the Big Rapids community, and to look for ways to help the manufacturers, the university and the community grow.

6. Support for the United Way campaign in Mecosta and Osceola counties, helping to make the area’s United Way one of the very few in Michigan that continues to grow and meet its goal, albeit in a region that includes two of the poorest counties in the Lower Peninsula.

Big Rapids business district

7. Providing assistance in other ways as needed. For example, during a period of upcoming renovation for the public library, the university library will provide services for local residents.

The city and the university have also maintained a commitment to campus and community growth and improvement, with some of the highlights including:

A. In 2001, the Ferris Library for Information, Technology and Education “FLITE” was completed, and in 2012, the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia opened in the lower level of the library.

B. In 2004, the Granger Center for Construction and HVACR opened, with various elements of its construction and its heating and cooling systems open to view in order to facilitate learning.

C. In 2007, the city had the number 1 project in the state as part of the Vibrant Small City Initiative Program, allowing it to invest nearly $3 million to improve its downtown, including streetscape, facade improvements, way-finding signage and cultural center enhancement.

D. In 2008, the city embarked on improvements to its wastewater treatment plant, which services the university and two surrounding townships, totaling more than $7 million.

Downtown Big Rapids

E. In 2012, the Michigan College of Optometry opened its state-of-the-art facility on the university campus. As the only College of Optometry in the state and one of just 20 in the country, the new building provides the resources the college needs to produce graduates to meet a growing need.

F. This year, the city will begin moving forward in making improvements to one of the two bridges that span the Muskegon River, increasing access to the industrial park, the riverwalk system, and local streets, at a cost of nearly $6 million.

At the Michigan Municipal League’s 2012 Convention, one of the core legislative principles that was adopted recognized how educational institutions play a central role in growing and supporting a knowledge-based economy. The legislative principal also recognized how local government must effectively collaborate with such key community stakeholders and participate as a partner in decisions that impact the community.

Big Rapids and Ferris State University are truly joined at the hip as we both realize our mutual success depends on cooperation. Together we both grow and prosper. As such, we fully support the League’s emphasis on effective town-gown initiatives. This is something we both have recognized and appreciated for more than 128 years.

Mark J. Warba is the mayor of Big Rapids and David Eisler is the president of Ferris State University.

Final Introductory Meeting of Michigan Vacant Property Campaign Set in Flint

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The Michigan Vacant Property Campaign, in partnership with the League, will be hosting its final regional roundtable on Tuesday December 4, in Flint. The roundtable provides an opportunity for community members, stakeholders, and local leaders across sectors to learn about the MVPC and the technical assistance services the campaign offers to support and enhance local efforts to address issues posed by vacant properties.  For info on the Flint meeting, visit: http://michiganvacantproperty.org/wp-content/uploads/Roundtable-promotion-flint1.pdf

If you have not been able to attend prior meetings and are interested in the campaign, contact Sean Mann: smann@mml.org

Benefits of City and University Partnerships

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By Mayor Dayne Walling & Chancellor Ruth Person

Dayne Walling

Dayne Walling

Ruth Person

Ruth Person

Michigan’s colleges and universities are essential to who we are as a state. We think of ourselves as a diverse family of Wolverines, Spartans, and many others. We are known around the country and across the globe as a place with extraordinary institutions of higher education. In our local communities, Michigan State University has become synonymous with East Lansing, Wayne State University with Detroit, and the list goes on.

Looking ahead into our future, however, this international status and these important relationships can not be taken for granted.

In fact, at a time when talent, economic development, and thriving places are intertwined, it is necessary to nurture city-university partnerships so they grow and expand in innovative and remarkable ways. We believe this will require an unprecedented cooperative effort among public officials and higher education leaders. Our hope is that the dialogue started here about the exciting partnerships already underway will spark greater enthusiasm for this essential effort.

A classroom at University of Michigan-Flint.

One of Flint’s anchor institutions is the University of Michigan-Flint. The campus is literally at the heart of community, where the main street and the river cross. In the past decade, the university has been a catalyst for transforming downtown into a vibrant and diverse space with new residents, facilities, restaurants and events. With more than 8,000 students and 1,000 faculty and staff, the University of Michigan-Flint fills the downtown up every day with hard-working and creative people who have made this the metro region’s fastest growing “neighborhood”.

Joining together as part of the Flint River Corridor Alliance, the City, Mott Community College, Hurley Medical Center, Kettering University and the University of Michigan-Flint are working on a broader vision of redevelopment for the greater river corridor. The corridor is redefining the region as a place of opportunity for growing businesses, eager students, and talented faculty.

A UM-Flint bus picks up and drops off students in downtown Flint.

Strong city-university partnerships created through service-learning, research projects and academic programs are also in place. These include important K-12 alliances such as the Genesee Early College and the Beecher Community Schools project.  The “Vehicle City Voices Database” project aims to create a linguistic and oral history database that contains interviews of residents of Flint. This project will serve as a digital resource for researchers and students on the UM-Flint campus and beyond who are interested in variations in grammar, pronunciations, word use, and speaking styles of English speakers in Flint, MI.  The University supported the City’s grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and agreed to provide in-kind support of $245,000 to the City’s effort. Currently, the University has nearly a dozen faculty and staff involved in various committees that make up the Master Planning process, serving either as residents or technical advisors to the subcommittees.

University of Michigan-Flint students meet at a downtown Flint cafe.

Together, we see tremendous opportunities ahead of us as the City rebounds and the university continues to grow.  As we continue to seek partnerships for mutual benefit, we’ll continue using our annual “Town-Gown” gathering to facilitate the dialogue and generate new and exciting ideas.

We hope that other colleges and universities and the cities they serve will join us in this effort to build a successful future for our State.  We applaud the Michigan Municipal League’s commitment to building strong Town-Gown relationships.

Dayne Walling is the Mayor of Flint, Michigan, and Ruth Person is the chancellor of University of Michigan-Flint.