Warmer weather in Michigan means pothole season.

Michigan Municipal League members communities continue to step up in support of Proposal 1 in a variety of ways.

Recently a few more communities have passed resolutions in support of the road funding plan heading to voters May 5.

There are now at least eight communities that have passed resolutions – Wakefield, Clare, Elk Rapids, Lapeer, Norton Shores, Bessemer, Whitehall and Pleasant Ridge.

More resolutions are expected to be approved in the upcoming days and weeks. You can view the resolutions here. The League continues to actively encourage all Michigan communities to pass resolutions in support of Proposal 1. You can get a sample resolution here.

In addition, the city of Kalamazoo had a special meeting to discuss Proposal 1 and the League’s John LaMacchia attended and answered questions about it. A resolution vote from the city is expected later this month.

Other Proposal 1-related news from Michigan’s communities:

– Multiple Michigan communities will host news conferences in support of Proposal 1 this month and next.

Open invitation to Proposal 1 symposium in Sterling Heights March 31.

– The Michigan Municipal League will host a Safe Roads Symposium on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Velocity Collaboration Center, 6633 18 Mile Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48314, and will be open to the public. A panel of experts will break down the details and impacts of Proposal 1. Please click the following link to view the invite. MML_Symposium_Invite. For more information please contact the Velocity Collaboration Center at 586-884-9322.

– About 100 Michigan mayors, council members and municipal managers had a conference call with Governor Snyder Friday afternoon. Governor Snyder is an active support of Proposal 1 and he answered questions from the local municipal officials about the ballot initiative. He also encouraged them to pass resolutions in support and write letters and opinion pieces to their local media.

– A letter in support of Proposal 1 by League Vice President Nathan Triplett, mayor of East Lansing, was published in the Lansing State Journal Saturday. You can read it here.

– Under the headline, “For Safety’s Sake: Vote Yes on Proposal 1,” The Detroit Free Press did an in-depth editorial Sunday about why people should support Proposal 1.

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

This week the Senate Judiciary committee passed  SB 85 (sponsored by Sen. Hildenbrand, R-Lowell), a bill to include pneumatic guns (i.e. paint ball guns) in the list of pistols or other firearms that local units of government currently cannot tax, regulate ownership of, registration of, sale/transfer/possession and transportation of (PA 319 of 1990).

The legislation does allow a local unit to regulate the possession of a pneumatic gun in someone under the age of 16 unless it is on their private property as well as allow a local unit to prohibit discharging of a pneumatic gun in heavily populated areas.

The League is opposed to this legislation.

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

The House Regulatory Reform committee passed out HB 4054 this week, a bill that makes changes to the Mobile Home Commission Act.  HB 4054 is a reintroduction from last year by Rep. Andy Schor in an effort to address a situation that occurred in his district with the Life O’Riley Mobile Home Park. This legislation requires the DEQ to outline clear roles for local units of government and enforcement (a problem that occurred with the Life O’Riley mobile home park that ended being condemned and residents forced to seek housing elsewhere). In addition, there are more reporting requirements of the DEQ to local units of government of rules promulgated or when a mobile home is found to be in violation.

The League is supportive of this legislation.

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 week, the House Local Government Committee took testimony on HB 1483, legislation that would phase out the newspaper publication requirement for public notices and transition the notices to the Internet.  This is a re-introduction from last session.

HB 4183 creates a tiered system for legal notices and phases them out over time. The legislation is vague, but the least “serious” notices would be considered Tier C. Tier A would include those notices that deal with property and finances.  Because these tiers are not defined in law, there is confusion as to what constitutes Tier A, B or C.  We are working to put together a document to explain each one and will push that out as soon as it is available.

There is a 10 year phase out of print publication notices and phases in online notices over that same period of time.  Tier A’s are posted in the newspapers the longest as they deal with property loss, taxes, etc.  Each 5 years the tiers are stepped down to the next level, removing one print publication notice, until they are all online by 2025.

The legislation allows local electors to hold a referendum to require continued publication in a newspaper. It allows local units to enter into contracts with media outlets for publication on their websites. The bill also requires archiving of public notices for five years.

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

A fire truck makes an emergency run over crumbling roads in Macomb County. Vote yes for safe roads on May 5.

(UPDATE: Free webinar on Proposal 1 is Friday for League members. Click here to sign up.)

As you may know, the Michigan Municipal League Board in January unanimously pledged support of Proposal 1 going to the voters on May 5.

Recently the League launched a web page geared toward Michigan’s cities and villages regarding Proposal 1. This web page provides community-specific information about Proposal 1 and its impact on municipalities.

The page has neutral, information-only documents regarding Proposal 1. It also has information on why the League believes you and your residents should vote yes, and documents showing projected road revenue and revenue sharing dollars should Proposal 1 pass.

The League’s page is also tied to the statewide campaign webpage that can be found at saferoadsyes.com.

A school bus travels over bumpy roads. Vote yes for safe roads on May 5.

Your support is essential in getting Proposal 1 passed. There are multiple ways you can help and here are some steps we hope you will take:

– Pass a resolution in support of Proposal 1. We have prepared a sample resolution for you here.

– Send an op-ed or letter to the editor to your local media. There are multiple letter samples to pick from here.

– Sign up at the official campaign website here.

If you have about Proposal 1 please contact the League’s John LaMacchia at 517-908-0303, jlamacchia@mml.org.

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

Governor Snyder today unveiled his plans for handling the current year budget shortfall and the state’s 2016 fiscal year (FY16) budget.  Recognizing the difficulty that the State is experiencing given the current revenue forecasts, the Michigan Municipal League appreciates that funding for local governments was not targeted for additional reductions, but does note that there were other areas of the budget that received additional funding or where investment in new programs were proposed.

The announced plan maintains statutory revenue sharing at currently budgeted levels throughout the remainder of this fiscal year.  Constitutional payments, which automatically rise or fall based on sales tax receipts and only go to cities, villages and townships, are estimated to rise by 3% to $788 million for FY16. This growth represents a $23.8 million increase in the coming year. In addition, the Governor’s proposal continues the current year statutory revenue sharing scheme for cities, villages and townships into FY16 with a recommended $243 million.

The League continues to maintain that the state’s system of funding support for municipalities is broken and in need of reform and this budget proposal does not address that issue. However, considering the state predicts having $532.1 million in less revenue due to cashed-in business tax credits the League is encouraged that statutory revenue sharing remains whole and constitutional revenue sharing continues to increase.

For specific details on the budget proposal, please visit www.michigan.gov/budget. View the League media statement on the budget.

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

The Senate has announced the committee assignments for the 2015/2016 session.  Here is a list of the committees we work with on a more regular basis (D’s in italics).

• Commerce – Schmidt (chair), Kowall (vice chair), MacGregor, Nofs, Hertel
• Economic Development & International Investment – Horn (chair), Schmidt (vice chair), Brandenburg, Stamas, Emmons, Smith, Bieda
• Elections and Government Reform – Robertson (chair), Colbeck (vice chair) Emmons, Shirkey, Hood
• Energy and Technology – Nofs (chair), Proos (vice chair), Horn, Schuitmaker, Hune, Shirkey, Zorn, Hopgood, Knezek, Smith
• Local Government – Zorn (chair), Proos (vice chair), Brandenburg, Rocca, Young
• Regulatory Reform – Rocca (chair), Jones (vice chair), Knollenberg, Kowall, Marleau, Hune, Warren, Hertel, Johnson
• Transportation – Casperson (chair), Horn (vice chair), Pavlov, Marleau, Hopgood
• Appropriations: General Government – Stamas (chair), Nofs (vice chair), Booher, Young
• Appropriations: Transportation – Hansen (chair), Knollenberg (vice chair), Young

For a full list of the committees and their membership, click here.

The House is expected to announce their committee assignments later this week.

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

The League’s 2015 Convention will be held in beautiful downtown Traverse City, Sept. 16-18. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for an exciting event!

Please plan to join us for this year’s enlightening Capital Conference, March 24-25, at the Lansing Center in Lansing.

You’ll get insight on a variety of federal and state issues that impact local communities. For instance, how does Michigan’s new crowdfunding law work and how can your community benefit? Or, what are the pros and cons of using TIF to boost a city’s economy? Attendees will also have a chance to interact with Michigan legislators, network with colleagues, and explore a wide variety of exhibits at the annual Expo.

Browse through this site for details on housing, pre-conference workshops, conference sessions, and more. And when you’re ready, click the “Register” button near the top of the page and we’ll reserve a spot for you at this thought-provoking event. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Lansing!

The League supports a transportation funding solution that covers all forms of transportation, not just roads.

Governor Snyder announced today (Dec. 18, 2014) that he and legislative leaders have come to an agreement on transportation funding. All votes from the House and Senate are expected today.

The plan calls for several statutory changes and is heavily reliant on a 1% increase in sales tax that will be put on the ballot May 2015. If all is approved, it will raise about $1.3 billion annually for roads and transit. The package also includes additional funding for local governments outside of the road funding formula.

The League and its partners are still combing through the details of the plan and we will have a full analysis to the members as soon as possible.

Here are some of the details that have emerged: This is a comprehensive proposal to address the dramatic shortfall that exists in Michigan’s transportation system. The announced plan is contingent upon voter approval, but provides significant new money do address our deteriorating transportation system.  Some key funding components of the plan include:

• $1.2 billion annually of new money for roads
• $94 million of new money for local government
• $112 million for transit
• $300 million for schools

Click here for a decent breakdown of the transportation funding plan, with additional details, by the Associated Press.

League members with additional questions about the plan can contact the League’s John LaMacchia II a jlamacchia@mml.org and 517-908-0303.

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