Senate spending panel backs 10 percent boost to revenue sharing
Michigan counties would see a 10 percent increase in revenue sharing in the fiscal 2026 state budget under a version approved this week by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government.
The allocation would follow a distribution formula adopted last year that ties payments to the taxable value of each county, awarding more aid to lower-value counties to promote equity across the state. This would move the statewide total for counties up by $29.1 million to $320.2 million.
And in a significant new initiative, the subcommittee, chaired by Sen. John Cherry (D-Genesee and a 2025 MAC County Advocate Award winner), recommends the creation of a Community Infrastructure Fund, seeded with $372 million, including a $200 million one-time deposit to kickstart the program. The fund is designed to support local infrastructure investments in transportation, water systems and public safety. The fund is flexible, allowing local governments to address their most pressing needs with state support.
The budget bill also proposes $60 million for community crime reduction initiatives, aimed at assisting counties to combat local crime. The details of how this funding will be distributed are expected to be refined as the budget process continues.
These recommendations, all supported by MAC, still have a long way to go before a final version is decided upon and the governor signs the bills.
For more information on this issue, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.
Bill filed to add $3.7M to veteran service grant funds
A supplemental appropriation for $3.67 million to address shortfalls in county veteran services grant was introduced this week in the House.
House Bill 4423, by Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo County and a former MAC County Advocate Award winner) would allocate $3.67 million to the County Veteran Service Grant Fund. This is meant to restore full support for county veteran services.
The County Veteran Service Grant Fund typically provides funding projections a year in advance, enabling counties to plan their budgets accordingly. However, the Michigan Department of Veterans Affairs Agency recently informed counties that the promised funding would not be available, prompting across-the-board cuts — some as steep as 70 percent.
This sparked bipartisan concern in the Legislature. MAC commends Rep. Rogers for her leadership in addressing the problem.
The bill has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee. MAC will continue to advocate for this critical funding.
For more information on this issue, contact Jimmy Johnson at johnson@micounties.org.
Podcast 83: What are prospects for energy siting repeal?
The progress of legislation to peel back controversial energy siting rules and boost public safety dollars took center stage in this week’s episode of Podcast 83.
“Let’s talk a little bit about some legislation that was introduced last week … that has to do with zoning and siting of renewable energy facilities on and who does that,” said Executive Director Stephan Currie to open the episode.
“House Bills 4027 and 4028, introduced by Rep. Greg Alexander from Sanilac County, would repeal those sections that were enacted a couple of years ago that deal with the siting of large-scale wind and solar facilities,” explained Deena Bosworth, MAC’s governmental affairs director.
“Everybody probably remembers, if you’re part of this, you have to have a compatible renewable energy ordinance, or the solar developers can just skip right over you and go to the Michigan Public Service Commission to site, their large-scale projects. So, these two bills were up in committee for testimony and voted out of last week, and they would just repeal all those sections,” Bosworth continued.
Check out the podcast for Bosworth’s assessment of the legislation’s ultimate prospects.
“The Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund, something we’ve talked about few times now in the podcast and in some of our legislative updates, was passed out of the House,” said Currie. “Now it sits in the Senate, but there were some changes. Tell us about what those changes were.”
“Great news … House Bills 4260 and 4261 have new substitutes that passed out of the House with $115 million for (the fund), but it’s broken out a little bit differently,” Bosworth reported. “So, they’ve got 2 percent of the first $75 million going to the Crime Victim’s Rights Fund. They’ve got 2% going to the Department of Health and Human Services for community-based violence prevention efforts, then $72 million for cities, villages and townships based on their crime rate and a whopping $40 million just for county sheriff’s departments.”
To listen to the full episode, recorded on April 29, click the image above or here.
Photo gallery now available from 2025 Legislative Conference
MAC continues to post materials from the 2025 Legislative Conference in Lansing, with the newest addition being a photo gallery from the three-day event. Click here to check out whether you made the gallery!
Links to conference presentations and other documents can be found on the conference page at micounties.org.
In coming weeks, MAC will be adding video from the various conference sessions, so stay tuned for updates.
Webinar details new benefit available on student loan repayment
Savi is the leading social impact company helping student loan borrowers manage repayment and apply for federal programs. Programs like income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness are available to county employees. These programs can lower monthly payments and lead to substantial forgiveness, but the paperwork is complicated.
Click here to watch a webinar held on April 22 to explain the program to county commissioners and administrators.
Or for more details, just visit Savi’s page on the MAC website.
Treasury webinar on May 8 will give sick time rules update
The Michigan Department of Treasury is pleased to announce our next Chart Chat webinar at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The webinar series provides local governments with critical information related to accounting and auditing topics, measuring local government fiscal health, and other important updates.
Topics covered will include:
- Earned Sick Time Act Update
- Reading Financial Statements
- Data, Statistics, Ratios
Participants can register and submit questions prior to the webinar by clicking here.
Presentations and recordings from this webinar, along with previous webinars, can be found at TREASURY – BLGSS Learning Center. For support related to Treasury’s local government services, visit TREASURY – Contact Information.
MAC offers virtual ‘office hours’ for opioid settlement issues
As part of its ongoing efforts to assist counties with deploying opioid settlement dollars, MAC is beginning a weekly “office hour” via Microsoft Teams for questions and discussions.
The new service began on April 29.
“Opioid Settlement Office Hours is a virtual platform for local governments to connect to support, resources and other local governments,” explained Amy Dolinky, MAC’s opioid settlement technical adviser. “These weekly sessions are intended to offer an informal opportunity to ask questions and gain insights on opioid settlement planning, spending, monitoring and transparency.”
Details, including the MS Teams link, can be found in this flier.
Staff picks
- Whitmer subsidy record: Companies get $1 billion; jobs fall short of promises (Bridge Michigan)
- States are trying to get rural health workers to stick around (Governing)
- Dams owned by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (map) (State Budget Office)
- A beloved pet tortoise is reunited with its family weeks after disappearing in a Mississippi tornado (Associated Press)