The Governor signed a whole host of bills Tuesday that the League helped shepherd through the legislative process.

The Governor signed the brownfield/sewer bond package.  The two bills dealing with allocating Great Lakes Water Quality Bond money for wastewater project loan application assistance grants, additional funding for State Revolving Fund/municipal wastewater projects, additional money for the municipal brownfield grant and loan program, and the creation of the SRF reform advisory council (SB 1443 and HB 6416) were part of that signing and are now Public Acts 231 and 232 of 2010, effective immediately.   I will be talking with the DNRE/DEQ staff before the end of the year to find out what their timeline is for rolling out the $40 million of S-2 grants and I will share that information as soon as it is available.  You can read more about these bills here.

The changes that the League requested to Public Act 51 to allow municipalities to use their state transportation payments for necessary capital outlay projects was signed.  SB 1180 is now Public Act 261 of 2010, effective immediately.  You can read more about this bill here.

The Private Investment Infrastructure Financing act (PIIF) was approved.  This is the local-level public-private partnership tool that allows for a tax capture to repay a private investor for funding a project.  HB 5461 is now Public Act 250 of 2010, effective immediately.  You can read more about this bill here.

The Transit-Oriented Development package was also signed yesterday.  The bills make amendments to the Planning and Zoning Enabling Acts, Tax Increment Financing and Corridor Improvement Authority laws, along with a host of other local economic development tools.  The Governor sided with us on the one issue in the brownfield TOD bill (SB 1233) that Treasury had opposed…she signed the bill over their opposition.  The League's Andy Schor details this package here.

Overall, a pretty good day!  Please let me know if you have any questions about these bills, or any other legislation.  

Chris Hackbarth handles transportation and environmental issues for the Michigan Municipal League.  Chris can be reached at 517-908-0303, or by email at chackbarth@mml.org.

The Michigan Department of Transportation sent out the following press release last week asking for feedback on their upcoming five-year (2011-2015) statewide transportation plan.  Municipalities are strongly encouraged to provide their input into this process as this is the bext way to ensure that a community's physical design and planning desires are taken into account as early in the state's process as possible. 

December 6, 2010 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is seeking public comment on its draft 2011-2015 Five-Year Transportation Program. The document includes a list of specific transportation projects planned for the next five years in each of MDOT's seven regions.

The draft 2011-2015 Five-Year Transportation Program is available on the MDOT Web site at: www.michigan.gov/mdot5yearplan. Comments will be accepted until Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, and should be e-mailed to MDOT-Five-Year-Program@michigan.gov. To request alternative formats, such as large print, please contact Bob Parsons, Public Involvement and Hearings Officer, Bureau of Transportation Planning, Michigan Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 30050, Lansing, MI 48909; fax: (517) 373-9255: or e-mail: parsonsb@michigan.gov. 

The Five-Year Transportation Program, a continuous, interactive dialogue with the department's customers and stakeholders, has become the anchor of MDOT's project development and delivery systems. Each year, a new fifth year is added and program/project adjustments are made to the previous four years.

Chris Hackbarth handles transportation issues for the Michigan Municipal League.  Chris can be reached at 517-908-0303, or by email at chackbarth@mml.org.

The DNRE has received numerous questions and concerns as they have entered the public comments period on their proposed rules changes for inert substances and compost facilities under Part 115.  As a result of this feedback, they have extended the public comment period on the rules proposal until Monday, February 28^th, 2011.  Please take a moment to review or pass along the following link… http://www.state.mi.us/orr/emi/rules.asp?type=dept&id=NE&subId=2008%2D028+NE&subCat=Revision+Text for the text of the proposed rules change.  A couple of points that have been raised regarding the potential impact of these rules on municipalities surrounds municipal use of foundry sand in landfills or as road construction base material.  A question has also been raised about the impact that these rules might have on a community's ability to regulate the stockpiling of road concrete or asphalt millings.  Please let me know if you share these concerns or have other questions on this proposal.

Chris Hackbarth handles environmental issues for the Michigan Municipal League.  Chris can be reached at 517-908-0303, or by email at chackbarth@mml.org.

One of the key provisions of the state's new Complete Streets law was the formation of an 18-member advisory council to be housed within the Michigan Department of Transportation and charged with helping provide guidance to MDOT and local road agencies on the implementation of Complete Streets policies and practices.  The appointments to this group were finalized this week and made public, along with the schedule for the advisory council's first public meeting.  The Municipal League secured a position on this advisory council within the legislation and Suzanne Schulz, Planning Director for the City of Grand Rapids, has agreed to serve as the League's representative on this group.  More information on the Complete Streets Advisory Council and its membership can be found on the MDOT website here - http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9623_31969_57564---,00.html.

The first meeting of the council is scheduled for Monday, December 13, 2010 in Lansing at the Michigan Historical Center building, from 1 to 3 PM.  The agenda for the meeting can be found here.  If you would like more information on the meeting or if you plan on attending and need directions, please give our office a call.  ****Due to Sunday's winter storm, this first meeting has been cancelled and will be reschedueld for early in the new year.****

As an additional resource for communities interested in exploring the concept of Complete Streets, League staff have developed a web page that includes examples of council resolutions and ordinances promoting Complete Streets.  The web page also provides additional background and resource documents, PowerPoint presentations, a summary of the new law, and contact information for assistance with answering questions or establishing your own policy or ordinance.  This web page can be found at http://www.mml.org/resources/information/complete_streets.html.  If you have additional questions or need further information please feel free to give me a call.

Chris Hackbarth handles transportation issues for the Michigan Municipal League. Chris can be reached at 517-908-0303, or by email at chackbarth@mml.org.