Think Regional/Act Local

May 24, 2013 – The past five years have seen a steady decline in property tax revenues, which are the backbone of funding for local government operations. Most cities, villages, townships, and counties in the SEMCOG region had their Taxable Values peak in either 2007 or 2008. Since that time, Taxable Values and the related property tax revenues have been steadily dropping.

The SEMCOG region has received the biggest blow from the so called Great Recession. There are large variances across the state from the collapsed real estate market. In many ways, the biggest impact is felt in the Detroit area and it dissipates as it radiates out from there. Here are the sobering numbers:

• All seven of the SEMCOG counties are in the top ten hardest hit counties in the state between 2007 and 2012.
• Genesee County took the biggest hit in Taxable Value (TV) in the state at almost 26% and Lapeer and Ingham counties were the other counties in the top ten. All three border our region.
• Only 34 of the 83 counties in this state saw a real loss in total TV over the time period in question.
• While the SEMCOG region saw a decline of $39 billion in TV, the rest of the state saw a total decline of only $8 billion in their cumulative TV.
• Within the region, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties each saw declines in excess of 20 percent in TV; Monroe and Washtenaw Counties saw the least impact, with a loss just under 10 percent.
• While TV losses were unprecedented, the State Equalized Value losses were much worse; the region lost a third of its property value from 2007 to 2012. Property owners lost $150 billion in property equity in the five-year span. 
• 52 percent of the state’s property value was found in the seven-county SEMCOG region in 2000. In 2012, that percentage had fallen to 44 percent.

Every budget, every project, begins with revenue. Bill’s posts will focus on local government revenue issues across the SEMCOG region and state. Also look for a few insights on how legislation coming out of Lansing may impact your community.

 

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May 7, 2013 — As the State Legislature debates and reviews spending decisions in preparation for a June 1 deadline to complete the 2013-14 State Budget, SEMCOG and MAC are providing citizens with an opportunity to consider priorities and give their thoughts. 

State law requires a balanced budget. Limited resources require weighing alternatives and making difficult spending decisions in government, just as we do in our households or businesses. While SEMCOG and MAC encourage residents to talk to their local officials about priorities in their own communities, this survey will provide citizens a chance to share their collective input at the state level.

The brief survey asks four questions that provide residents with a chance to voice their opinions, including an opportunity to specify 10 areas in which it is most important for the state to invest. In addition, there is a question on whether to increase funding for transportation, enabling much-needed road and bridge maintenance and improvement, and how to generate additional revenue. There is also a question on whether to support Medicaid expansion in Michigan, which would increase the number of low-income citizens qualifying for coverage, and take advantage of federal funding under the Affordable Care Act.

The issues being debated for budget consideration will significantly impact quality of life and economic prosperity in Southeast Michigan, as well as the rest of the state. Decisions on the condition of our roads and bridges and how we fund transportation, healthcare expansion and opportunities for cost containment, and how we support education, the Great Lakes, economic development and other critical issues will impact all who live, work, and raise families here.

Please let us know what you think and we will share your thoughts with Lansing leadership.

SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC) invite Southeast Michigan residents to voice opinions on the 2013-14 State Budget – Michigan’s priorities for the upcoming year and how they should be funded – via an online survey directly, or by visiting the website of either SEMCOG or MAC. The survey will be available until May 19. Additional comments can be e-mailed to  InfoCenter@semcog.org.

Paul Tait joined SEMCOG in 1972 and has served in a variety of planning and administrative capacities – becoming Executive Director in 1998. This experience gives Paul a rich perspective on the past, present, and future of our region. Please join him as he blogs about issues of importance to the region’s local governments and residents. Paul is also president of SEMCOG’s partner organization – the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC) – a coalition of business, labor, government and education.

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May 3, 2013 – Who wouldn’t want to see a person on a skateboard rocket high above buildings in Detroit and make a perfect landing (or sometimes a perfect crash) or watch dirt bikes go through a crazy obstacle course of boulders and mud?

The truth is many of us love watching the X-Games on TV and there’s an opportunity for the games to be live in Detroit beginning in 2014. Detroit is one of four finalists (including Austin, Chicago, and Charlotte) that will be announced this summer.

Bringing in events like the X-Games isn’t just about the games itself. It’s all part of an effort to attract and retain young people in the state and region. In addition to bringing in new events to the region, we need to focus on marketing the national jewels already in place.

For example, Lake St. Clair was just named the top bass fishing lake in the country by Bassmaster Magazine. Many of our region’s lake are national assets that need to be highlighted at a national scale. 

Whether it’s the X-Games or bass fishing on Lake St. Clair, the region and the state needs to rally around these successes. SEMCOG is doing our part by working with our local communities on blue economy strategies, discussing opportunities for ecotourism in our region, and participating in statewide efforts to highlight our region’s assets. Join the conversation and together we can move the needle on Creating Success in Southeast Michigan.

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