Brenda F. Moore: Michigan cities not ready to endure another long-lasting recession
Crain’s Detroit Business recently published a series of articles and columns related to how Michigan will fare when the next recession comes and unfortunately, it’s not a pretty picture.
Included in this series is a column by Michigan Municipal League Board President Brenda F. Moore, Saginaw Mayor Pro Tem. Moore writes about how Michigan’s system for funding its communities is broken and must be fixed for our communities to weather the next recession.
Here are some excerpts from her column:
Are Michigan’s cities ready for the next recession? Simply put, no. For several years now the Michigan Municipal League, through our SaveMICity initiative has been sounding the alarm that we need to take steps to fix our municipal finance system.
It is an obsolete and dysfunctional system that doesn’t track with the economy, and we need to take some major strides soon to build a system that works before the next recession hits.
… The state must reverse nearly two decades of disinvestment in our communities and begin restoring revenue sharing. The $8.6 billion diverted to state programs and away from local services is a bad investment.
… We should provide more options for communities to fund critical services, including additional special assessment authority, expansion of local taxing authority and grants for public safety.
… We need lawmakers to decouple Proposal A and Headlee to allow local governments to grow with the economy when times are good. These laws are antiquated and are our single biggest vulnerability in a recession.
… It is a problem we can solve, but only if we come together and are willing to admit the status quo is our enemy and we begin to invest in a better future for Michigan.
Check out the other articles and columns that were part of the Crain’s series about Michigan’s preparedness, or lack thereof, for the next recession:
- Feeling the pain: Whitmer’s $941 million in vetoes lay bare wide dependency on state tax dollars
- Allen: Michiganders with autism deserve state support
- Ballard: Is Michigan ready for the next recession? Not even close
- Calley: Rebuild trust with short-term deal on state budget powers
- Moore: Michigan cities not ready to endure another long-lasting recession
- Quisenberry: Vetoed charter school funding stifles K-12 education reform debate
Read Moore’s full column here: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/crains-forum/moore-michigan-cities-not-ready-endure-another-long-lasting-recession.
The series in Crain’s was coordinated by the always excellent Chad Livengood, senior editor for Crain’s with a focus on covering politics, policy and Detroit rising.