Protecting local PILT: HB 6105 advances
The House Government Operations Committee unanimously approved HB 6105 this week, legislation sponsored by Rep. Tom Kunse (R-Clare) to ensure counties and townships do not lose PILT revenue to pay lake level assessments that are the State of Michigan’s responsibility.
MAC Director of Governmental Affairs Deena Bosworth testified alongside Rep. Kunse in support of the bill before the committee this week.
HB 6105 addresses an unintended consequence of changes made to the law in 2022. Those changes were intended to ensure the state paid its share of lake level assessments before distributing PILT dollars. Instead, the assessments have been deducted from the PILT payments counties and townships would otherwise receive.
HB 6105 would restore the previous system, allowing assessing units to collect lake level assessments directly from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources rather than having those costs come out of local PILT payments. The bill also makes clear that PILT payments are not a substitute for the state’s obligation to pay inland lake level assessments, including assessments already levied.
Counties, townships and property owners in lake level districts should not be required to subsidize the State of Michigan’s share of these assessments. HB 6105 would protect local PILT dollars while providing a mechanism to collect both outstanding and future assessments owed by the state.
HB 6105 is not the only MAC-supported effort to address state-owned property not paying its share. HB 4118, sponsored by Rep. Bill Schuette (R-Midland), passed the House in May 2025 but has not moved in the Senate. The bill would require DNR-owned lands to pay their share of special assessments for drain projects. Currently, townships, road agencies, the Michigan Department of Transportation and private property owners pay their apportioned share of drain construction and/or maintenance costs, while DNR lands are exempt. HB 4118 would remove that exemption and require DNR to pay its share rather than leaving other property owners and governmental entities to subsidize the state’s portion. The bill remains before the Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee.
Following the unanimous committee vote on HB 6105, the bill now heads to the full House for consideration. MAC strongly supports the bill and will continue advocating for its passage.
For more information, please contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org
House committee considers a statewide battery waste management program
This week, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism took testimony on House Bills 6159 and 6160, sponsored by Reps David Martin (R-Genesee) and Tyrone Carter (D-Wayne), which would establish a statewide framework for the collection, recycling, and end-of-life management of certain batteries in Michigan.
The bills would place primary responsibility for battery end-of-life management on producers. Beginning July 1, 2028, covered batteries and battery-containing products generally could not be sold in Michigan unless the producer participates in an approved stewardship plan or operates as an independent producer with an approved plan.
The proposed program would require convenient, statewide collection, including at least two collection sites per county and one site per 10,000 county residents. Stewardship organizations would also be required to reimburse local governments for actual, reasonable costs incurred when a local government facility serves as a collection site.
Beyond the environmental concerns, improperly discarded batteries can create significant fire and safety risks. Lithium-ion batteries can ignite when damaged or improperly handled, creating hazards for landfills, waste and recycling facilities, and trash and recycling trucks.
Theo Eggermont, Director of the Washtenaw County Public Works Department, highlighted the scale of the issue, quoting a statewide analysis that said, “Michiganders throw away an estimated 11,000 tons of batteries each year and around 29 million lithium batteries.” Eggermont was joined by other stakeholders who discussed the frequent fires their counties have experienced when improperly discarded batteries enter the waste stream, creating dangerous conditions for landfills, recycling facilities, and waste haulers.
MAC supports a statewide electric battery waste management program, including manufacturer responsibility for end-of-life management.
For more information on this issue, contact Davis Grimm at grimm@micounties.org.
Senate committee votes out standardized indigency determination bills
On Tuesday of this week, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety heard testimony on and passed Senate Bills 1089, 1090, and 1091, sponsored by Senators Chang (D-Wayne), Damoose (R-Charlevoix), and Cavanagh (D-Wayne), respectively.
SB 1089-1091 would establish a new statewide process for determining indigency. Under the bills, an individual would be presumed indigent if they are enrolled in certain public assistance programs, fall below specified income thresholds, or otherwise demonstrate financial hardship. The bills would also prohibit courts from imposing certain costs, fees, and assessments on indigent defendants, except for restitution and crime victim assessments.
The legislation does not identify a replacement funding source or include a mechanism to ensure that local trial courts will not experience revenue losses if collections decline. As a result, the total fiscal impact on local court operations remains unclear.
Deena Bosworth, MAC Legislative Director, and Maci Main, MAC Governmental Affairs Specialist, testified before the committee on Tuesday morning in opposition to the bills as currently drafted. Bosworth and Main urged committee members to further evaluate the potential impact of the legislation on trial court funding and local government finances.
SB 1089, 1090, and 1091 were passed out of committee on Tuesday, September 22, by a vote of 4-0. To view testimony on these bills, please click here.
For more information on this issue, contact Maci Main at mmain@micounties.org.
Application deadline fast approaching for the MI Political Leadership Program
The deadline to apply to Michigan State University’s Michigan Political Leadership Program is October 2, 2026, for its next fellowship class of 2027.
MPLP is a diverse group of 24 individuals that engage in a 10-month program that incorporates practical politics, public policy analysis and process, personal leadership development, and effective governance. The program prepares these emerging leaders for entry into public life as candidates for office, government officials, and citizen activists in the affairs of their communities and the State of Michigan.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about MPLP, please click here.
‘Legislator Spotlight’ falls on Kalamazoo County’s Rogers in new Podcast 83 episode
State Rep. Julie Rogers of Kalamazoo County discussed her county service and legislative efforts on courts, state support for counties and more in the newest “Legislator Spotlight” episode of MAC’s Podcast 83.
“My very first dipping into county world was serving on our Kalamazoo County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Board and served for over 10 years in a volunteer capacity,” the Democrat from Kalamazoo County told episode co-hosts Stephan Currie and Deena Bosworth. “I do want to give a shout out and a plug, because counties have oodles of these different advisory boards and they often do not get enough applicants.
“Often people think that the bar is really high, and that, it’s very competitive, and sometimes you may be the only person applying for it. So, shout out for county advisory boards. It’s a great way to give back … So, that was my first foray into county government.”
In reviewing her work in the Legislature, Rogers touched on:
The FY27 state budget: “I think most listeners are probably aware that the federal government keeps kind of cost-shifting a lot of things down to states. … So, we had a lot of difficult decisions to make; much of it was involved around shoring up Medicaid. … We were really doing all we could to not make cuts to Medicaid, and, unfortunately, there were a lot of other important programs, like local revenue sharing, that did not see increases.”
The creation of judgeships: “Judges don’t just magically happen. You need to pass legislation to get additional judges. … When I looked at (the State Court Administrative Office’s) most recent report, it showed Kalamazoo County could use one more circuit court and one more district court judge. So, we got to work on some legislation. We had many meetings with our local county commissioners to see what their interest was, our local county administrator and the judges themselves. … We shall see how that goes.”
To watch the full episode, recorded on Aug. 25, click here or on the image above.
Staff picks
- All U.S. workers should do this immediately, IRS urges (MLive)
- How the unity of 9/11 sowed the seeds of America’s deep political division (Wall Street Journal)
- With no time to spare, Michigan hatches a Great Lakes whitefish rescue plan (Bridge Michigan)
- Corgis run, bark and sniff their way to glory at a growing international race (Associated Press)