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Michigan Municipal League Agrees with Court of Appeals Ruling on Headlee Amendment

Press Release

Contact:

Matt Bach
Director of Communications
Michigan Municipal League
(734) 669-6317; C: (810) 874-1073
[email protected]; www.mml.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2019

Michigan Municipal League Agrees with Court of Appeals Ruling on Headlee Amendment

LANSING, Mich.Michigan Municipal League (MML) CEO Daniel P. Gilmartin issued the following statement after the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the state has ignored its responsibility for reimbursing communities for mandates it has issued since 1979:

“We appreciate the court recognizing what we have said for years: the state has breached its duty to fully fund mandates, forcing our communities to choose between cutting the services our residents want and deserve, or raising taxes. These choices have harmed our roads, denied emergency services and caused other valuable services to be denied to the residents who need them the most.

This ruling also holds the state accountable for complying with the public interest that the state not shift its tax burden to local communities.

While we’re still reviewing the ruling, we’re optimistic that this decision will ensure transparent and proper funding for local services that improve residents’ quality of life across the state.”

To download the Court’s ruling, click here.

For additional information, contact Matt Bach, the League’s director of communications, at (810) 874-1073 (cell); (734) 669-6317 (office) and [email protected].

About the League: Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.

 

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