April 28, 2008

State Affairs Report

Senate Committee Hearing on Revenue Sharing Tomorrow – Tomorrow, the Senate General Government Appropriations Committee will hear testimony from the League and League members on revenue sharing. The League will be pushing the Senate to concur with the governor's proposed 4-percent increase to statutory revenue sharing which was passed by the House. Contact: Summer Minnick

Listen Up! The League Asks House Republican Leader about Revenue Sharing – Streaming Audio: Listen as minority leader Rep. Craig DeRoche (38-Novi) explains where his caucus stands on revenue sharing, why House Republicans voted against the 2008-9 budget and more!

Tomorrow, Senate Committee to Vote on Bills to Reimburse Locals for Lost TIF Capture – The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to vote on HBs 5539-42 tomorrow. The bills provide a process for locals to capture revenue that they lost when the Michigan Business Tax exempted personal property taxes. Several amendments are expected on the bills which will help clarify the process. Contact: Summer Minnick

Annexation Bill Defeated – SB 1078 (Patterson, R-Canton), was considered and defeated in the Senate last week. This bill, which the League opposed in its committee-passed version, was not amended on the floor. So, the League remained opposed and indicated communities could support the bill if amendments were adopted to match HB 5779 (Corriveau, D-Northville) and HB 5859 (Meadows, D-East Lansing) which prohibit annexation and detachment between cities/villages and charter townships of 20,000 or more). These amendments were not adopted but the bill was reconsidered. We will continue to work with senators and interested parties on this legislation. Contact: Andy Schor

29 Training Programs for New Planning Enabling Act and Updated Zoning Enabling Acts – Twenty-nine training programs to update local officials on two new state planning and zoning laws are scheduled in locations throughout the state May 27 through June 26. The trainings, conducted by the Planning and Zoning Center (PZC) at Michigan State University (MSU) in cooperation with MSU Extension, will assist those involved in local planning and zoning to help their communities remain in conformance with the new statutory requirements. Immediate registration is encouraged as space is limited at each training location. There are discounts for early registration and for group registrations. Download the registration flyer or register online today!

MAM Capitol Reception Luncheon, May 22 – Members of the Michigan Association of Mayors (MAM), the Annual MAM Capitol Reception Luncheon will be May 22, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the State Capitol Building. Come talk with your legislators and enjoy the company of fellow MAM members. To RSVP or to become a member of MAM contact Nikole Brown, nbrown@mml.org.

Water Compact in Holding Pattern – Sen. Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck) and Rep. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) continue to negotiate the details of the various versions of the Great Lakes Compact and Water Assessment Tool (SBs 212, 858-60; HBs 4343, 5065-73). League staff will continue monitoring the bills which remain on the floors of their respective chambers. Hopes are they will move to the governor's desk before the start of the summer recess. Contact: David Worthams

Community Excellence Awards—Call for Entries – Will your community be among this year's regional winners? Attend your Regional Education Seminar and present a local success story to the attendees in your region. Your peers will vote; there will be one winner from each of the seven MML regions. Each regional winner will then compete at the League's fall Annual Convention for the Community Excellence Award Cup. One community will take home the cup for a year. Make it you!

Seeking Cultural Economic Development Case Studies – The Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries and Michigan State University researchers are conducting cultural economic development case studies as part of the CEDOT program Cultural Economic Development Online Tool. Communities with programs or facilities that have utilized arts and culture to support economic development in Michigan can apply to become a case study. Facility examples include: performing arts centers, educational institutions, libraries, theaters, gardens, bookstores, museums, design studios, art galleries, ect. Program examples include: festivals, cultural heritage celebrations, historic preservation projects, arts and crafts fairs, special exhibitions, ect. Case studies will be researched and developed from those nominated. Click here for more information. Contact: Arnold Weinfeld

Federal Update

NLC Federal Relations Update – The latest National League of Cities Federal Relations Update describes the president's nomination for a new Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary as well as housing legislation moving through the Congress.

Save the Date

MML Region 4 Seminar
May 2, AuGres

MML Regional 3 Seminar
May 9, Cedar Springs

Sustainable Strategies for Southeast MI: THE PLATINUM STANDARD II
May 9, FREE! RSVP by May 2

MML Region 5 Seminar
May 16, Algonac

Michigan Transportation Asset Management Conference
May 21, Marquette

MAM Capitol Reception Luncheon
May 22, State Capitol Bldg.

Sustainable Energy Project Development Workshop
May 22, Rochester

29 Workshops Statewide: New Planning Enabling Act & Updated Zoning Enabling Acts
May 27 - June 26

MAM Summer Workshop
August 6-8, Sterling Heights
Register by July 9 to Save!

What's New

This Week's Guest Blog: Rep. Tim Moore on "Making Our Communities “The Place to Live"
How fitting it is that I have the opportunity today to blog on the Michigan Municipal League website, because today…

Fire Chiefs Deliver "Keep the Promise: Stop Laying off Firefighters" Advocacy Card to Lawmakers this week!

League Survey: Name the Most Burdensome Unfunded Mandates Established by the State Submit May 5

Oak Park Blight-Prevention Project Wins Region 1 Race for the Cup

Sample Resolutions: Governmental Cooperation Act

NLC Federal Relations Update

Sample Resolution: Great Lakes Compact and Water Withdrawal Tool

Sample Resolution: Transportation Funding

Contact State and Federal Affairs Division - 517.908.0305
Arnold Weinfeld, aweinfeld@mml.org
Summer Minnick, sminnick@mml.org
David Worthams, dworthams@mml.org
Andy Schor, aschor@mml.org
Samantha Jones, sjones@mml.org
Andrea Messinger, amessinger@mml.org
Nikole Brown, nbrown@mml.org