NEWS

Supplemental Budget Bills Passed

Both the House and the Senate have passed the long awaited and finally negotiated supplemental bills that will restore more than $60 million in vetoed state funding for key county services.  The bill now await the Governor’s signature, which MAC is confident will happen before the end of the year. 

Now to be restored in new spending bills are:

$27.4 million in PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) for local governments

$14.8 million in county jail reimbursements for the housing of state prisoners

$13.1 million to aid Secondary Road Patrol services by county sheriffs

$4 million in grant money for veteran services

$3.5 million in reimbursements for foster care services provided by counties

$400,000 in community corrections programs. 

The vetoes and subsequent stalemate had forced counties to begin identifying service cutbacks and layoff targets to balance their fiscal 2020 budgets, as most counties start their budget years on Jan. 1, 2020.  As part of the final deal between the legislature and the Governor is a commitment to get the budgets done by July 1 each year and to also grant the legislature a chance to veto any administrative board transfers proposed by the Governor in future years. 

For more information on MAC’s work on the state budget, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Sunset Elimination Bills Almost Done

SB 322 and SB 323 sponsored by Sen. Victory (R-Ottawa) moved one step closer to enactment this week by passing the House in the late hours on Wednesday prior to the winter legislative break.  Since 2012, counties have had the option of absorbing their appointed road commissions, or in the cases of an elected road commission, a county could put the question up to the voters.  The law has had a sunset on this authority since its’ original enactment and is set to sunset again on January 1, 2020. 

Rep. Wentworth (R-Clare) offered an amendment to require a vote of the people if a county would like to take an elected road commission and make them an appointed road commission.  This amendment was adopted in the House Ways and Means Committee before moving to the House floor.  Because this bill was amended, the Senate must concur in the changes before the bill is sent to the Governor for her signature.  Due to some timing issues, the Senate adjourned before the bills passed the House and therefore the amended bill will have to wait until the Senate’s return in early January before heading to the Governor.  For more information, please contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.

Mental health briefings set for four locations across Michigan

• Jan. 22-23, 2020, in Waterford (Registration deadline is Jan. 12)
• Feb. 17-18, 2020, in Coldwater (Registration deadline is Feb. 7)
• March 17-18, 2020, in Escanaba (Registration deadline is March 7)
• April 15-16, 2020, in Gaylord (Registration deadline of April 5)