Michigan's roads are bad. Obvious, right? But the poor condition of our roads is a symptom of a much larger, less obvious problem - that Michigan's system for funding our communities is broken. This broken system is what the Michigan…
The Michigan Municipal League is excited about today’s historic U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the ability of states to collect sales tax on internet purchases.
For too long, internet based companies have reaped the economic benefits of doing business in our state without making the investments in local services that domiciled businesses have made.
What is OPEB? Why is it such a big deal? Why is it important to local government? OPEB stands for Other Post-Employment Benefits, which are separate from pension plans. As a result of those benefits, we have had a significant increase in cost for…
At the recent Mackinac Policy Conference, SaveMICity's panel discussion - "Not Open for Business: Why Disinvestment in Michigan Cities is Hampering Economic Opportunity" - was a huge hit! A video of the session is now available so everyone can get…
The State of Michigan is being sued for Headlee violations by Taxpayers for Michigan Constitutional Government (TMCG). The complex issues involved in this lawsuit are explored on Michigan Municipal League’s SaveMICity podcast with host Anthony Minghine, COO and deputy executive…
We had a fantastic panel discussion this morning about why we need to fix Michigan's broken system for funding municipalities. The discussion took place at the state’s premiere political event of the year – the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy…
[arve url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g_osM97nQAo"/] Today, the Michigan Municipal League is taking our ongoing SaveMICity initiative to the next level. Those who support Michigan cities, villages, townships and counties, may already know that Michigan hasn’t been investing in our communities. In fact, our…
An education session involving the SaveMICity initiative at the Mackinac Policy Conference is taking place tomorrow, but it's already generating a lot of buzz. There already have been some articles written about the session, including this week’s Detroit Free Press piece,…
The OPEB-pension "underfunded status" list is final and out and about. The large number of communities on the list representing all corners of the state, further demonstrates how Michigan's system for funding municipalities is broken and needs fixing. Without meaningful…
There is an excellent article in Bridge Magazine this week about how Michigan's communities continue to struggle financially despite rising property taxes. The article effectively explains how Michigan's system for funding cities is broken and doesn't track with the economy…