On Tuesday the House General Government Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the revenue sharing formula.  The committee voted unanimously to request that the Citizens Research Council (CRC) do a study to review the current revenue sharing formula. The specific request from the committee is available here: EVIP Outline for attachment to CRC request

In addition to the committee request Rep. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) also suggested CRC include in its research direct discussions with local units of government as well as a comparison of how other states fund local government. You can view Rep. Singh’s request here: Rep Singh Attachment

The League will continue to work with the legislature and CRC on this project as we move forward into the Fiscal Year 2015 budget year.

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

As required in statute the Department of Treasury has released its Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP) Information Notification letter that provides guidance for communities to qualify for payments under the FY 2014 EVIP program. You can find information Treasury’s website and on the League’s EVIP resource page.

You can submit the required documents to Treasury via email at TreasRevenueSharing@michigan.gov.  The due dates for each category are October 1 (Accountability and Transparency), February 1 (Consolidation of Services) and June 1 (Unfunded Accrued Liability Plan).

If you have questions about EVIP please feel free to contact us or visit our EVIP resource page.

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

The US Department of Health and Human Services has just released a toolkit for local governments to understand and implement the Affordable Care Act.

The toolkit includes an overview of the Affordable Care Act, a sample outreach and enrollment plan that you can tailor for your community, frequently asked questions and answers, resources and information on training sessions, contacts for HHS regional offices and sample materials that can be used for newsletters, social media and public events.

You can find the toolkit by clicking here. Email the HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs at HHSIEA@hhs.gov with any questions.

Summer Minnick is the Director of Policy Initiatives and Federal Affairs. She can be reached at 517-908-0301 or sminnick@mml.org.

The following is an excerpt of a message for Michigan communities from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT):

The Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT’s) Local Agency Program (LAP) Unit is reminding local agencies of the permit requirements for local agency projects, originally outlined in a letter dated July 31, 2006. LAP staff continues to observe that some local agencies are submitting their final proposal documents either without all the required permits or have not coordinated their final plans and special provisions with the requirements of the issued permits.

… We are asking that you provide the agencies you represent with this information. If they have any questions regarding setting up a Michigan Business One Stop account, please contact Joe Rios at (517) 241-2103. For any other questions please contact me at (517) 335-2233.

Read the full MDOT letter here: MDOT letter to communities

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

“The Affordable Care Act and Your City” is a learning session being hosted by the National League of Cities and The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, August 28th at 2:00pm. Beginning October 1, 2013, a new Health Insurance Marketplace will open in every state, giving Americans a whole new way to shop for health insurance. These changes are creating a lot of confusion about what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) means for individuals and businesses. To register for the event, click here.

The hour-long learning session will include:

*   How elected officials can help their constituents and smaller businesses obtain the health insurance they need and deserve;

*   How the Health Insurance Marketplace and SHOP will work;

*   Information about subsidies for individuals who need health insurance but whose incomes are too low to afford it;

*   How a city can become a “Certified Application Counselor and

*   Basic information every American should have about the Affordable Care Act.

Summer Minnick is the Director of Policy Initiatives and Federal Affairs. She can be reached at 517-908-0301 or sminnick@mml.org.

MSHDA is accepting funding requests from CDBG non-entitlement local units of government for residential blight removal projects under the Community Development Division’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The CDBG program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

It’s open to cities, townships and villages of less than 50,000 in population, and non-urban counties that do not receive CDBG funding directly from HUD.

The program will provide financial assistance to communities to make physical improvements to residential neighborhoods through blight removal of vacant residential single-family structures that are publicly owned and/or formally designated as dangerous structures.

For additional information, see the attached memorandum from MSHDA.

mshda_cd_blight_430445_7

Summer Minnick is the Director of Policy Initiatives and Federal Affairs. She can be reached at 517-908-0301 or sminnick@mml.org.

The Governor Snyder administration has announced a new regional initiative. Dubbed “Regional Prosperity Initiative” the effort is meant to better coordinate service delivery and strengthen local economies through greater regional collaboration.

The initiative, first unveiled in the Governor’s 2014 budget request, is making $2.5 million through a competitive grant process for existing state-designated planning regions and Metropolitan Planning Organizations. The goal is to empower local and regional partners to develop a consensus vision and implementation plan for economic success.

According to a press release, all state government departments will begin serving 10 regions across the state, enhancing service delivery and encouraging communities to collaborate on a regional basis. The new regional map supports the governor’s vision that economic development must be viewed as a system that encompasses and coordinates talent and infrastructure along with traditional economic development strategies.

For more information visit www.michigan.gov/regionalprosperity

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or at aweinfeld@mml.org