LANSING, Michigan - Officials from throughout the state representing cities, schools, libraries, police and fire stood together Wednesday and called for guaranteed replacement of Personal Property Tax dollars that Michigan lawmakers are proposing to cut.

On Tuesday, Michigan legislators introduced a package of bills that phase out hundreds of millions of dollars currently going to local communities through the personal property tax were introduced. The bills are very similar to what the League has reported and the Governor's office has spoken about in the media. Industrial personal property taxes will be phased out beginning in 2016 for all property purchased after 2012. And old personal property will be phased out each over the next several years. Read more about the bills here in this blog post by the Michigan Municipal League's Summer Minnick.

Those speaking - all members of the Replace Don't Erase coalition - during the press conference explained that residents of local communities will pay higher property taxes and shoulder more cuts to local public schools, police and fire services under bills proposed in the state Senate. A Senate finance committee hearing on the bills took place following the press conference. The news conference was well attended with about 100 supporters and about a half dozen TV, print and online journalists covering the event. View a press release from the event here.

At the news conference in downtown Lansing at the Lansing Fire Station No. 1 today, mayors, public school officials, county commissioners, local library leaders, and police and firefighters proposed a constitutional amendment that would assure that replacement PPT funds continue to go local communities and schools.

“Under the Senate bills, the Legislature and Governor would basically take hundreds of millions of local tax revenues from local communities and schools, and give future legislatures and governors new powers to keep the money or decide if any of the funds are ever returned to local communities and schools,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. “If the PPT is going to be cut, local taxpayers deserve a legal guarantee, a constitutional amendment, that the funds are going to be replaced and returned to local services and not kept by the Legislature to spend on state programs and services.”

Speaking at the event were Lansing Mayor Virgil Bernero, League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin, Hamtramck Mayor and League President Karen Majewski, Kent County Intermediate School District Superintendent Kevin Konarska, Jon Campbell, Allegan County Commissioner, Michigan Association of Counties Director, Christine Berro, Director, Portage District Library and past president of the Michigan Library Association, Lansing and East Lansing Fire Chief Randy Talifarro, Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union, Howell Police Chief George Basar, Legislative Chairman and a Past President of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and Mitch Bean, former Director of the state House Fiscal Agency.


Michigan officials speaking during a news conference about the personal property tax from left are George Basar, Randy Talifarro, Christine Berro, Jon Campbell, Kevin Konarska, Karen Majewski, Dan Gilmartin, Virg Bernero and Mitch Bean.

League CEO Dan Gilmartin addresses the media about the personal property tax April 18, 2012, in Lansing.

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

LANSING, Michigan - About 20 Michigan mayors from throughout the state attended the annual Michigan Association of Mayors luncheon at the state Capitol in Lansing. The mayors met with their lawmakers to discuss the most pressing issues facing their communities, such as the decline of revenue sharing and the new bills introduced today that regarding the personal property tax that would cut hundreds of millions of dollars to local communities. View an Inside 208 blog post about the PPT bills here.

During the event, MAM President Jacqueline Noonan, mayor of Utica, and Dearborn Mayor John B. "Jack" O'Reilly Jr. were interviewed by Rick Pluta of Michigan Public Radio about the personal property tax issue and the dramatic impact it could have on Michigan communities. In addition, Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley stopped by and discussed the PPT with several mayors, including O'Reilly, Hastings Mayor Bob May and Hastings Mayor Pro Tem Brenda McNabb-Stange. Other mayors attending were Barb Dempsey, Mt. Clemens; LaVern Dittenber, AuGres; Deb Doyle, Durand; Gregory DeMars, Adrian; Ron Gillham, Huntington Woods; John Hoppough, Greenville; Lee Kilbourn, Auburn; Clarence Marsh, village president of Galien; Suzanne Pixley, Eastpointe; Dan Ruiter, Ferrysburg; Jim Rynberg, Fremont; Alice Sproule, Omer; DeAndre Windom, Highland Park; Juan Zamora, Leslie; and Paula Zelenko, Burton.

Other attendees included League CEO Dan Gilmartin and League Lansing staff Summer Minnick, Andy Schor, Nikki Brown, Samantha Harkins and Jason Mancini.

In response to the personal property tax bills introduced today, the League tomorrow (Wednesday, April 18, 2012) will participate in a press conference regarding the issue. The press conference is by the Replace Don't Erase coalition and is 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Go here for the press conference details. We expect dozens of League members and supporters to attend and a Senate hearing on the issue will follow at 11 a.m.

View photos from the MAM reception here in this set on flickr.

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

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (center) talks with members of the Michigan Association of Mayors Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Lansing. View additional photos in this set on flickr.

The Governor signed the changes to the Urban Cooperation Act (House Bills 4309, 4311 and 4312) in December. At that time there was not an official bill signing, so the Governor held a ceremonial signing yesterday for those who worked on the legislation.

The League appreciates the leadership of Rep. Opsommer (R-Dewitt) on this issue. We'd also like to thank the other sponsors, Rep. Kowall (R-White Lake) and Rep. Hooker (R-Byron Center) as well as Rep. Ouimet (R-Scio Twp), the Local Government Committee Chair.

Samantha Harkins works for the Michigan Municipal League handling municipal services and energy and technology issues.  She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org.

President Obama meets with NLC membrs during a reception in October. He met again with NLC officials Monday, March 12, 2012, including staff and members of the Michigan Municipal League. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Michigan Municipal League CEO Dan Gilmartin was among a national contingent of municipal leaders to meet with President Obama Monday (March 12, 2012) at the White House as part of the National League of Cities (NLC) annual legislative meeting - the Congressional City Conference. Gilmartin and other city leaders shared with the President their stories of what is happening in America's hometowns and underscored the need for the federal government to take action to help accelerate job growth in the country and the importance of federal investments in our local communities.

"We had a terrific discussion with the President focused on how local economies can help drive the national recovery and how we can work together to bring jobs to families in our communities," said NLC President Ted Ellis, mayor of Bluffton, IN, in a prepared news release.  "The President gets it. He knows cities well and has been working to strengthen the federal-local partnership since his first days in office."

Gilmartin, a member of the NLC board of directors, attended the Congressional City Conference with several other officials from Michigan including League Vice President and Linden Mayor David Lossing and League staff Arnold Weinfeld, Summer Minnick and Jason Mancini. The NLC members who met with the President - mayors and city council members from across the country - also highlighted for him the importance of federal investments in our hometowns like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the need for strong education and workforce training programs; the need to streamline regulations; and the need to fix the broken immigration system. You can follow the Congressional City Conference on Twitter at #CCCNLC. Gilmartin writes about three areas where the Federal Government can assist cities. Follow Gilmartin on Twitter at @dpgilmartin.

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

Dan Gilmartin