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Community Excellence Award Update
Jackson Wins the Region 2 Race for the Cup with their Jackson Armory Arts Village Project
Jackson won the peer nomination against neighboring communities for its Armory Arts Village project which transformed a 1830s state of Michigan penitentiary into a creative mixed-use neighborhood offering affordable living and workspace for area artists. (5/1/08)

Dwindling shares, cuts in state revenue sharing squeeze local services
Detroit Free Press, April 27, 2008 
As Sunday's Detroit Free Press editorial illustrates, the League's "Don't Break the Promise" campaign is building momentum and educating the public and lawmakers on the importance of revenue sharing as it relates to investing in Michigan's communities. Click here for the full article.(4/28/08) 

Community Excellence Award Update
Oak Park Wins the Region 1 Race for the Cup with their Blight-Prevention Project
The votes are in!  After many excellent presentations by officials across the region, attendees chose the city of Oak Park as the Region 1 finalist for the Community Excellence Award. (4/24/08)

Legislature Slashes Funds for Jobs, Road Congestion Relief and Mass Transit, The League Urges Granholm to Veto HB 5344 The Legislature has stripped funds from a bill headed to Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s desk that would create jobs, ease road congestion and make the state more attractive to young college graduates. (4/18/08)

Second Principal Residence Exemption Form is Here!
This week in the Legislative Link we updated members that the Governor signed HB 4215 which allows a resident to claim a second principal residence in certain circumstances. The applications from residents are due MAY 1, 2008 to the local unit of government. (4/16/08)

League Survey: Name the Most Burdensome Unfunded Mandates Established by the State
What are the most burdensome unfunded mandates the state places on local units of government? Share your thoughts by taking a quick online survey. (4/14/08)

Capital Conference highlights have been posted which include: session summaries, speaker presentations, recap videos, and photos.
Click here to view> (4/7/08)

Mayors, City Councilmembers, City Managers Urge Legislature: Don’t Break the Promise — Again
Wednesday (4/2/08), at the League's Capital Conference in Lansing, hundreds of mayors, city councilmembers and city managers from across Michigan launched the “Don’t Break the Promise" campaign to urge the Michigan Legislature to end six years of massive cuts to funding for essential local services. (4/3/08)

Neighborhood Improvement Authority Seminar Resources are Available
On Friday March 7, 2008, the League hosted a training seminar on new Neighborhood Improvement Authority legislation. That information is now available here. (3/21/08)

Register now for the Small Town and Rural Development Conference
The 4th Annual Small Town and Rural Development Conference will be rich in examples of programs and initiatives that have allowed communities across the nation to create their own niche and encourage entrepreneurs to flourish.  The conference will be April 15-17 at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Michigan. (3/20/08)

Free 3-Hour Workshops Presented by the State of Michigan
The State of Michigan Records Management Services is presenting free 3-hour workshops that will provide an introduction and overview of records management responsibilities of local governments. Click here to view detailed information about the workshops. (3/19/08)

And the Award Goes to…
The League and its partners in the Michigan Fiscal Responsibility Project (MFRP) won the prestigious 2008 Pinnacle PACE Award, presented by the Public Relations Society of America, Central Michigan Chapter. (3/14/08)

‘Pop Up’ Property Tax Changes Threaten Public Safety, Put Vital Local Services at Risk
Plans to pass legislation to delay or change the so-called “pop up” tax resulting from home sales would lead to cuts to police and fire protection and other essential local services provided by Michigan communities. (3/13/08)

New Opportunity for Communities to Improve 2010 Census Count (3/07/08)
An accurate census in Michigan will ensure local communities get their fair share of federal dollars.  Communities still have the chance to submit information through the Library of Michigan - but must do so by March 31.

Revenue Sharing: League Provides Compelling Testimony (3/03/08)
Tuesday, League Vice President and Troy Councilwoman Robin Beltramini, Flushing City Manager Dennis Bow and League staff testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government in support of the governor’s FY 2008-9 executive budget recommendations.

Making Michigan cities talent magnets (2/29/08)
Dan Gilmartin: "Across the nation, the road to prosperity is being rebuilt. Increasingly, strong economies are emerging in cities where talented people -- creative, highly educated and entrepreneurial people -- are choosing to live and work…"

The Next Slum? (2/25/08)
Christopher Leinberger, a real estate developer and professor of urban planning at the University of Michigan, writes a thought provoking piece in the March issue of "The Atlantic Monthly" on the impact the current housing market crisis might have on land
use and development int the future

Service Grant Opportunities Announced by Partnerships for Change (PFC) (2/22/08)
The PFC Sustainable Communities Program is seeking proposals for cooperative planning projects from partnerships composed of two or more cities, townships and villages. Service grants valued at more than $60,000 are available. Applications are due April 30, 2008. For details visit http://www.partnershipsforchange.cc/rfp.asp.

PFC is administered by the Land Information Access Association and sponsored by Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Association of Planning and Michigan State University Extension.

The League Capital office has moved to a Bigger, Better Location! (2/10/08)
Symbolic of our ever-increasing advocacy efforts, we have moved our state and federal affairs team from 320 N. Washington Square to our new Capital Office, located on the first floor of the historic Mutual Building, 208 N. Capitol Avenue, just a stone's throw from the Capitol Dome

Battling Foreclosure: What can elected officials do? (2/08/08)
To help local officials address these issues the League partnered with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments on January 30th to present a SEMCOG University workshop on Battling Foreclosure. The speakers discussed the severity of the problem; the weapons local officials have in the battle to protect neighborhoods from abandoned buildings, blight and decline; and how to reduce the hardships facing residents who are delinquent on mortgages and taxes and facing foreclosure

Is the Use of Political Tax Abatements Political or Policy Driven? (2/01/08)
On January 23, 2008 the League hosted the Public Act 198/Tax Abatement seminar to discuss the pros and cons of this legislation and the use of tax incentives for economic development. Public Act 198 of 1974 has been one of the more powerful economic development tools that government policy makers have continued to use as a means of attracting and attaining jobs and investment to their communities.

MML Capital Conference (1/29/08)
At the League we believe in the importance of having a presence in our state’s capital. This year the League’s traditional legislative conference has been reinvented to increase that presence. The new Capital Conference incorporates innovation with the best of the past.

Makers or Breakers of Communities: The Effect of PA 198 Property Tax Breaks
For more than three decades local governments have used property tax breaks to provide incentives for manufacturers to build new plants, expand existing plants, renovate aging plants or add new machinery and equipment. Yet, policy analysts continue to question the effectiveness of property tax abatements as economic development tools.

Winter Cities Show Cold Weather Can Be Cool
Too often we focus on the negative sides to winter... gray skies and cold temperatures. Read how northern cities in the U.S. and across the world are using their public spaces to draw
people 12 months a year.

Creating an Environment Attractive to Young Mobile Talent
CEO's for Cities President Carol Coletta recently spoke in Flint to a group of over 400 people. The event, "Creating an Environment Attractive to Young Mobile Talent" was the second in a series of town hall meetings sponsored by Community Challenge, a Flint improvement coalition. Building on her comments at the League's Annual Convention, Coletta told the audience why cities like Flint matter in the race to retain and attract talent and grow our state's economy. 

2007-2008 Legislative Policies (PDF) (8/7/07)

Resources for the Newly Elected/Appointed Official (7/26/07)

Governmental Cooperation Acts Sample Resolution (7/16/07)

Governmental Cooperation Acts Sample Resolution (7/16/07)

Adopt a Budget Resolution (6/18/07)

Eminent Domain Strategy Conference (6/11/07)

Insights into a Lively Downtown - Streaming Video

Wage and Salary Survey information

Eminent Domain Strategy Conference (6/11/07)

Regional Event Highlights -
A recap of the 2007 seminars, session resources and photos

Public Employment Law Seminar
9/18/07, Traverse City