The House Appropriations Committee will be taking up the general government bill (HB 5880) Wednesday morning (3/17/10). The bill will cut statutory revenue sharing by another 3.1% (1.25% to the total blended constitutional plus statutory). This will equal $10 million less in funding to local units of government, in addition to the many years of cuts by the State and another year of declining property tax revenues.
Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski will be joining me to testifying against these cuts in committee (Summer is in DC at the National League of Cities conference this week). We will again talk about how our citizens expect local services like police and fire, parks and recreation, snow plowing, code enforcement, etc. We will remind legislators that communities provide the quality of life that people want and expect if they are going to stay in Michigan (or return here from other states). Communities are seeing cuts due to declining property values for the second year in a row, and this will compound layoffs locally. To start the appropriations process with a cut will set the bar and could lead to steeper cuts. If revenue sharing is a priority, then the Legislature needs to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. The Governor held locals harmless, and so should the Legislature.
The Appropriations Committee meets at 9:30 on Wednesday, March 17th. Please call your representative, especially if he or she is on the Appropriations Committee, and let them know how another cut will affect their community and their constituents!
Andy Schor is the Assistant Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. Contact him at (517) 908-0300 or by email.
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