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
House Considers Legislation Decreasing Interest on County Chargebacks
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
House Considers Bill to Tweak PRE for Seniors in Assisted Living
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
House Considers Legislation to Prohibit Interest During PRE Appeal
This week the House Tax Policy Committee reported House Bill 4406, a bill that would amend the General Property Tax Act to provide that interest could not be charged when the Hearings Division of the Department of Treasury is considering an appeal for a denial of a principal residence exemption claim.
The Department of Treasury has the authority to conduct audits and deny a principal residence exemption claim if it deems it appropriate after the audit. Currently, during an appeal, interest accrues at a rate of 1.25 percent per month. This bill would prohibit that interest from being charged.
The bill now goes 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
Senate Committee Advances Bill to Transition Land Lines to Internet-Based Service
The legislation is now on the Senate Floor awaiting approval by the full chamber.
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
House Considers Legislation Eliminating Printed Copies of Tax Rolls
The bill now goes 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
House Considers Legislation Decreasing Interest on County Chargebacks
Report Shows More Biking, Public Transit Use In Three Michigan Cities
A first-of-its-kind report by PIRGIM Education Fund shows reduced rates of car commuting in Michigan’s urbanized areas—including Grand Rapids, Detroit and Flint—and greater use of public transit and biking, especially in Grand Rapids.
The report, “Transportation in Transition: A Look at Changing Travel Patterns in America’s Biggest Cities,” is based on the most current available government data. It is the first ever national study to compare transportation trends for America’s largest cities. Among its findings:
· The proportion of workers commuting by private vehicle—either alone or in a carpool—declined in 99 out of 100 of America’s most populous urbanized areas between 2000 and the 2007-2011 period.
· The percent of workers commuting by private vehicle in the Grand Rapids urbanized area fell almost 2 percent between 2000 and the 2007 to 2011 period—the 39th largest reduction out of the 100 largest urbanized areas in the U.S.
· Detroit saw a 0.1% increase in workers who biked to work during the same period of time, ranking 59th out of the 100 urbanized areas studied in the report.
· The number of passenger miles travelled on transit per capita increased 12.5 percent in Detroit between 2005 and 2010. In Grand Rapids, transit passenger miles per person increased by over 50%—the 7th largest percentage increase among the 100 largest urban areas in that category. Measured in terms of the number of trips taken on public transit per-capita, Grand Rapids witnessed a 51.2 percent increase from 2005 to 2010. Flint ranked 10th in increased passenger trips per-capita out of the 100 areas studied, with a 31.1 percent increase between 2005 and 2010.
· The proportion of commuters travelling by bicycle grew in Flint, Detroit, and Grand Rapids between 2000 and 2010, as it did in 82 of the other 100 most populous urbanized areas.
· The proportion of households without a car increased 2.9 percent in the Grand Rapids urbanized area between 2006 and 2011. This proportion fell in 84 of the largest 100 urbanized areas. Likewise, the proportion of households with two or more vehicles fell in 86 out the 100 most populous urbanized areas during this period, including Flint, where it fell 3.8 percent.
· The proportion of residents working out of their home increased in all 100 of America’s most populous urbanized areas between 2000 and 2010, including in Grand Rapids, which had the 35th steepest increase among that group.
The study found that cities with the largest decreases in driving were not those hit hardest by the recession. On the contrary, the economies of urbanized areas with the largest declines in driving appear to have been less affected by the recession according to unemployment, income and poverty indicators.
Across the nation, young people have shown the steepest reductions in driving. Americans 16 to 34 years of age reduced their average driving miles by 23 percent between 2001 and 2009.
John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League Handling Transportation and Infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.
League President Jacqueline Noonan Issues Media Statement on Detroit Bankruptcy Court Ruling
The Michigan Municipal League issued the following media statement regarding a U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruling Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in the city of Detroit bankruptcy case. The statement was by Utica Mayor and Michigan Municipal League President Jacqueline Noonan:
“The ruling is a stark reminder and affirmation of the critical need for the Legislature, Gov. Snyder, and local elected officials to work together to develop a policy plan and vision for the future of Michigan’s cities, where the vast majority of jobs and economic, cultural and educational activity occurs in our state. It is a reminder of the need to fix the state’s broken municipal finance system, under which the Legislature and governor have taken about $6 billion in funds that, by state law, were supposed to go to local governments as statutory revenue sharing, including to the city of Detroit. The Legislature, instead, kept the money to pay for state programs and services, according to a report by the highly respected, nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.
“It’s worth noting that during the last decade state spending increased 26 percent, while local governments throughout Michigan struggled to pay bills and meet other financial obligations, and had to shed nearly 17 percent of all local government workers. Instead of balancing the state budget on the backs of local governments for the last 10-plus years, we need state government to embrace and advance policies that enable local communities to better manage our programs and services and become the types of places that can prosper once again, where educated, entrepreneurial people want to live, work and raise families.
“To move Michigan forward, the League, along with numerous partners, have developed a policy vision and plan for Michigan’s cities called the Partnership for Place: An Agenda for a Competitive 21st Century Michigan. You can view this policy agenda here: www.mml.org/advocacy/partnership-for-place.html.”
This statement was picked up by the Associated Press and posted in news sites throughout the nation, including Anchorage Alaska, Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Detroit media outlets.
Matt Bach is director of media relations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.
Michigan Downtown Association to hold Workshop February 27
The Michigan Downtown Association’s (MDA) first workshop of 2014, “DDA’s – One of the Original Placemakers – Controlling Our Own Destiny,” is on Feb. 27 at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing. MDA members may begin reserving rooms at the Radisson Hotel Lansing at the Capitol for a special rate of $118.95. Overnight parking is only $5. Visit http://www.radisson.com/lansing-hotel-mi-48933/lansing or call 517.482.0188 and mention group code 1402MIDOAS.
For questions or more information, contact the MDA at info@michigandowntowns.com or call 248-838-9711.
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.