Name: Sen. Veronica Klinefelt
District/Counties: District 11/Macomb
Committees: Local Government (chair); Veterans and Emergency Services (chair); Appropriations; Health Policy; Transportation and Infrastructure (vice chair); Appropriations Subcommittees on DHHS, General Government, Prek-12, MDE (vice chair), Military/Veterans/State Police (vice chair) and MiLEAP (vice chair)
Previous public service: East Detroit School Board, Eastpointe City Council, Macomb County Board of Commissioners, 8 ½ Mile Drain Board
What is the most pressing issue facing Michigan?
Financially trying to cover cuts from the federal government to continue services. Individuals serving at the federal level don’t always have a deep understanding of where the money goes and what the ramifications are when longstanding programs are cut.
Based on your experience, how important are counties to the effective delivery of public services?
Counties are the backbone of delivering public services to the residents. Health services, veteran services, public safety services, road maintenance and more, the list goes on and on. Counties do an incredible amount of work with little attention.
How do you feel your experience as a county commissioner impacts your policy decisions in the legislature?
I have a deep understanding of the ramifications of loss in county funding and the direct effect on residents. Because of that, I am always trying to safeguard funds that the counties use to provide vital services.
What are you hoping to accomplish throughout the remainder of this term?
What I would like to accomplish is to continue building relationships with people on the other side of the aisle so that through compromise, we can pass good legislation that benefits everyone.
Given that the dark store theory has allowed large national retailers to significantly reduce their property tax obligations by comparing fully operating stores to vacant or deed-restricted properties, and considering the substantial fiscal impact this has had on counties, libraries, schools and public safety budgets across Michigan, what is the best strategy to ensure large commercial properties are assessed based on their true “highest and best use,” rather than on artificially depressed comparables?
The traditional thinking on this was to pass legislation regarding how tax tribunals use dark stores as comparables for the purpose of setting the value of occupied stores. My legislation comes at the dark store issue from a different perspective. We are looking at passing legislation that allows local municipalities to seek the removal of deed restrictions if a building has been vacant for over two years and has become a blight issue on the community. So rather than focusing on the taxes paid, we are focusing on the impact of vacant properties on the community.