WEEKLY UPDATE
May 3, 2013
Phone: 517-321-6467
Website: www.michigantownships.org
Please route to all interested parties in your township.
MTA HOLDS SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY DAY
Township officials from across the state descended on the State Capitol Thursday for MTA’s
Township Legislative Advocacy Day to meet with their state senator and state representative. The
event included an update on personal property tax implementation issues, road funding and a
variety of other key issues impacting township officials. One of the highlights of the day included a
transportation panel discussing the status and prospects for additional road funding. The panel
included Sen. Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Chtr. Twp.), Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City), Mike
Nystrom, Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, and Ed Noyola, County Road
Association of Michigan. During questioning, both legislators expressed confidence the Legislature
would come together to address the road funding issue and potentially place an issue before voters
this November to increase the state sales tax as part of the solution. Following lunch, attendees
attended meetings prearranged by MTA with their state representatives and senators, or staff, to
lobby on several issues affecting townships. Many discussed the need for partnership between
township officials and legislators to work to meet the needs of their citizens. In many cases,
discussions not only took place on state issues but also on efforts to work collectively to promote
local economic development. MTA wishes to thank all who participated in the event, including
panelists and township officials, and looks forward to scheduling next year’s event.
PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE EXEMPTION APPEALS BILL PASSES SENATE
Legislation that would allow an owner to appeal a principal residence exemption (PRE) for any year
it was erroneously not included on the tax roll passed the Senate this week. SB 25, sponsored by
Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell), was introduced to address a situation where a homeowner filed
the PRE, the local unit of government did not list the exemption on the tax roll and the error was not
discovered until after the appeal time period had passed. Under current law, an owner of a
principal residence may file the affidavit to claim the PRE or file an appeal with the local board of
review if the exemption does not appear 1) on the tax roll in the year it was claimed or 2) in the
following three years. The language was successfully amended to allow the corrections of “qualified
errors” beyond the current years to also rescind a PRE, rather than solely providing the PRE. In the
case of a rescinded PRE, the taxpayer would not be subject to interest until 60 days after the
correct bill is issued. The bill now goes to the House for consideration
HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARS TESTIMONY ON OPEN MEETINGS ACT CHANGES
The House Oversight Committee heard testimony this week on legislation that would prohibit a
person from casting a vote via teleconferencing for any public body meetings. The legislation would
also require that a quorum of the board members be physically present in order to comply with the
Open Meetings Act. MTA testified against HB 4363, introduced by Rep. Amanda Price (R-Park
Twp.), by referencing numerous court and legal opinions that have determined the procedure is
acceptable as long as certain conditions are met. Those conditions include having the person
calling in to the meeting be audible to all in the meeting room and the ability of the public to attend
all locations involved in teleconferencing. Additionally, MTA provided an example of a township
trustee who is also a member of the Army National Guard serving his country through deployment
to Afghanistan. The official continues to serve his township by attending monthly board meetings
via Skype. In an era of advancing technology, MTA feels the legislation as introduced is too
extreme. MTA expressed a willingness to work with the bill’s sponsor and others to clarify the law
and provide reasonable standards for when it is appropriate to utilize today’s technology. The
committee is expected to consider the legislation again next week.
HOUSE PASSES BILLS TO FULLY RESTORE ZOO/ARTS MILLAGE
The full House passed a package of bills to prohibit tax increment finance authorities (TIFAs) from
capturing tax revenues under the Zoological Authorities Act or the Art Institute Authorities Act. HBs
4458-4464, introduced by Reps. Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake Chtr. Twp.), Jim Townsend (D-Royal
Oak), Phil Cavanagh (D-Redford Chtr. Twp.), Harold Haugh (D-Roseville), Jeff Farrington (R-Utica),
John Walsh (R-Livonia) and Gail Haines (R-Waterford Chtr. Twp.), aim to stop some TIFAs from
capturing revenues derived from voter-approved regional taxes passed for the Detroit Zoo and
Detroit Institute of Arts (passed in 2008 and 2010). The bills would ensure all revenues collected go
to the operations of the Detroit Zoo and Detroit Institute of Arts. The package now moves to the
Senate for consideration.
HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE HEARS NEED FOR CARDIAC TRAINING AT LOCAL LEVEL
Legislation to bring greater awareness and training to respond to cardiac emergencies among youth
at school and local sporting events was taken up this week by the House Education Committee. HB
4273, introduced by Rep. Gail Haines (R-Waterford Chtr. Twp.), would amend the Public Health
Code to require the Department of Community Health to develop protocols, educational materials,
and a training program for organizations (including local units of government) that sponsor youth
athletic events. As part of the legislation’s requirements, local units of government or parks and
recreation departments that sponsor youth sporting activities would be required to provide
educational materials to youth participants and parents. Further, they would be required to maintain
signed statements acknowledging receipt of the educational materials until the youth was no longer
participating in the sporting activity or reached 18 years of age. Regulations would also apply to
coaches or volunteers to remove from physical activity a youth who is suspected of having a
cardiac arrest or is exhibiting such symptoms.
SENATE BUDGET BILLS PASSED
The Senate passed the remaining Senate-sponsored budget bills for FY 2013-14. These include
budgets for transportation, general government, corrections, licensing and regulatory affairs,
insurance and financial services, judiciary, and human services. The budgets passed by each
chamber will now be reviewed by the opposite chamber with items of difference to be resolved after
the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC). The CREC is set for May 15 to review
and reach agreement on updated projected revenues for the balance of the current fiscal year and
projected revenues for FY 2013-14.
**END**