On Thursday, Rep. Amanda Price, chair of the House Local Government Committee, took general testimony on the problems local communities and organizations are having when attempting to deal with blighted properties in their area.  There were great discussions on many of problems being faced.  Officials from the city of Ypsilanti, city of Jackson and city of Niles were among the group to testify.

Among the many topic areas of discussion were squatters, the lengthy foreclosure process when a property is sitting vacant, the problems a second auction presents when dealing with foreclosed properties, and not knowing contact information for bank owned properties.

The committee hearing brought to light many of the hurdles local communities are facing when trying to eradicate blight from their area.  We are encouraged by the amount of interested in discussing this topic and we are thankful to Rep. Amanda Price for taking this testimony in her committee. We look forward to working the chair and the rest of the committee members as this issue develops further.

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.

This morning the House Tax Policy Committee passed Senate Bills 489 and 490, bills that are the first “fix” bills from the personal property tax (PPT) reform package that passed in December. The bills clarify the process for a businesses to claim exemptions under the legislation.

The League has been an active part of a drafting group of local government and business representatives who have been working on bills that would clarify the process for claiming PPT exemptions under the new legislation.

Beginning December 31, 2013, businesses will be eligible to claim a “small parcel” PPT exemption if the total value of their personal property in a tax collecting unit is $80,000 (true cash value) or less.  The remainder of the package does not go into effect until December 31, 2015; however, the package is contingent on the passage of a statewide vote in August 2014.

The League was neutral on the bills as they do reflect the work of the drafting group. You can view a copy of the League’s letter to the House Tax Policy Committee here: house tax policy 9_13 We also included a copy of the letter the League sent to Lt. Governor Brian Calley after the package passed in December: calley ltr final

We are expecting additional legislation this fall to fix other outstanding issues including the essential services assessment and how we deal with tax capture districts. The legislation now heads to the full House for approval.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

This morning the League hosted a media roundtable to unveil and discuss our Partnership for Place proactive legislative agenda. You can view the agenda on the our website. View photos from the event here

A number of legislators joined the event to discuss the importance of reinvesting in communities, and  those lawmakers want to be part of the changing conversation to reinvest in communities. Read our press release from the event.

The League’s Board of Trustees President and Mayor of Utica, Jacqueline Noonan, was joined by Representatives (and former mayors) Rob VerHeulen (R-Walker) and Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) to discuss the importance of reinvestment. Special thanks to these legislators and the other lawmakers who attended: Representatives Andy Schor (D-Lansing), Robert Kosowski (D-Westland), Jim Townsend (D-Royal Oak) and Terry Brown (D-Pigeon). We were also joined by former mayors Representatives Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline), John Kivela (D-Marquette) Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) and Woodrow Stanley (D-Flint). Senators Jim Ananich (D-Flint), John Pappageorge (R-Troy), and Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) rounded out the legislators in attendance.

We are excited to begin the conversation of addressing the many issues facing communities here in Michigan and focusing on the four main areas outlined in the Partnership for Place: municipal finance, transportation, talent and place and strength in structure.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

In response to Governor Snyder’s 2013 address on Energy and the Environment, the administration held public forums across the state. The administration is also soliciting comments on the draft reports. The first report on energy efficiency is open for comment until Wednesday, October 16, 2013.

If you’re interested in reviewing the report and making comments please visit http://www.michigan.gov/energy.

Samantha Harkins is the Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org

Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin will speak to the National Press Club Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, along with others in a presentation about the fiscal conditions of U.S. cities.

Gilmartin will speak at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. during an event in which the National League of Cities will release a report on the City Fiscal Conditions in 2013. This is the NLC’s annual report that discusses the state of cities’ finances, including revenue and spending trends from 2012 to 2013.

Gilmartin will address the fiscal challenges facing Michigan’s cities, including Detroit, and how new public policies are needed to repair the state’s broken municipal finance system, attract and retain talent, and end decades of disinvestment in our urban areas.

Others speaking at the event are Clarence Anthony, Executive Director, NLC; Christiana McFarland, Interim Director, City Solutions and Applied Research, NLC; Michael Pagano, Dean, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois Chicago; Jim Spiotto, Partner, Chapman and Cutler LLP; and The Honorable Ron Greene, Controller, City of Houston, Texas.

This event is a great opportunity for the Michigan Municipal League to speak on a national scale about the challenges facing Michigan communities and communities throughout the U.S. There will be a live stream of the event 9:30-10:30 a.m. available for viewing at www.NLC.org.

Matt Bach is director of media relations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.

You can put whatever you want to write in a blog post.

The Michigan Chapter of the National Brownfield Association, in partnership with several other organizations including the MEDC and the MDEQ, is sponsoring a program at the Lansing Center on November 13.

The agenda will include the latest developments on brownfield redevelopment initiatives, including legislative and policy changes under Act 381, the MDEQ Grant and Loan Program, the Community Revitalization Program, and Part 201. You will hear about new Due Care developments, vapor intrusion  developments and new ASTM standards and how these changes affect redevelopment.  Experts will also describe environmental insurance products that can help brownfield redevelopment projects as well as case studies of two prominent brownfield projects in the state of Michigan.  Speakers will include representatives of the MEDC, the MDEQ, and the private sector.

The program will run from 9:00 a.m. until approximately 3:00 p.m., and lunch will be provided.

Registration information will be forthcoming within the next two weeks. Stay tuned.

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.

I had the opportunity to attend the recent national meeting of CEOs for Cities. This is one of the first organizations I came into contact with as we began exploring new and innovative strategies being used to create economic prosperity in communities across the county and the world.  Its annual meetings have always been a great way to meet people involved in economic development, non-profit work, foundations and local government among others and network, learn and steal ideas.

While the focus of the meeting was on collaboration, one of the recurring themes from speakers was that city leaders are on their own when it comes to working to make their communities better places.  Certainly, we should expect little or no help from the federal government. Even when they get their act back together, the fact is that federal resources will increasingly be directed toward mandatory spending, squeezing out discretionary program spending such as CDBG that communities have used to improve quality of life.

So let me repeat what I heard in the strongest possible terms.  First from Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution who noted that power and responsibility for getting things done is clearly being forced down to city leaders and those finding success understand that the restructured economy relies on innovation and creativity. Furthermore, they also understand that cities are made up of not just governments but networks, and successful networks build upon their unique assets. Most importantly however is the fact that metros thrive only when their cores thrive.

Anil Menon, President of Cisco Smart+Connected Communities, followed the next day by telling people that the answers to creating wealth and prosperity lies within our cities. That there is not time waste in “waiting till later” and that cities cannot continue to address issues in silos. If you look at your city and say this is not what I would build today, you need to start over. And, while its fine to act locally, you better have a global focus.

The next several years will continue to be disruptive and full of change. We need to be spending our time, energy and resources on what counts…developing our assets and getting about the business of building our economy.

SB 247 (Sen Virgil Smith – Detroit), a bill to establish a 2 am to 4 am liquor licenses in DDAs, had a testimony only hearing today in the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee.  This legislation would allow an on-premise license to apply to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for a permit to serve alcohol from 2 am to 4 am for a $10,000 fee.  The $10,000 fee is dispersed as follows: 85% to the local policy department, 5% to local municipality for administrative purposes, and 10% to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for administrative purposes.

In the introduced bill, there is no local government approval needed before a license is given.  The $10,000 fee is also a very low number and wouldn’t provide the needed financial support for a local unit of government in providing adequate policing of these establishments from 2 am to 4 am.  The League is opposed to the legislation as introduced.  However, we have had great conversations with Sen. Smith and his staff and he is working with us on both of our issues.  I would like to thank Sen. Smith and his staff for all of their work in addressing our concerns.

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.

Yesterday SB 313, legislation that could cripple local rental inspection programs, was passed out of the Senate Local Government and Elections committee around 5:20 pm.  It is now on the senate floor where the sponsor has publicly committed to working on this before asking for a vote. The League along with about 11 communities testified in opposition to the legislation.  We also had a number of communities submit written testimony to the committee members. A substitute was adopted that reinserted language that was stricken from the law in the introduced version saying municipality could inspect recurring offenders on a more frequent basis (thus continuing to allow the frequent inspections of repeat offenders).

The legislation, which affects communities over 10,000, limits both registration fees and inspection fees for rental inspections as well as changes the timeline for inspections to not less than 6 years but no longer than 10 years. The bill would also require an inspector to inform the lessee of their right to refuse an inspection and request and obtain permission from the lessee to inspect. Here is a memo with concerns the League has and which were conveyed by all the members during the hearing yesterday: SB313 Memo SenRobertson_RentalHousing_edits

In a time when we need to be focusing on creating municipalities that attract talented people who want to live, play and stay in our Michigan communities, this is a giant step backwards.  Research shows there are more and more people, spanning multiple generations, who are not looking to own their home.  They want a variety of different housing rental options.  Our local communities across this state are looking, and will continue to look, at housing options to attract people to their communities.  That being said, community leaders need to be able to ensure they have quality, safe, reputable housing options for those residents by having effective rental inspection programs if there is a need for one in the community and at a timeline that fits those needs. General fund dollars are not there to subsidize anymore of the program than they already are (if they are able to at all). Rental registration and inspection fees allow them to recoup some of the cost of providing the service to the community.

I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all of our members who came up to testify and/or submitted written testimony. Hearing directly from the local communities and how this will affect you specifically brings a whole new level of life to the

I would encourage you to contact your senator and let them know the impacts this will have on your rental inspection program if you have one. 

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.