Michigan State Sen. Bruce Caswell announced Tuesday that Hillsdale will receive $36,000 for costs accrued from the harsh winter.
Because many Michigan municipalities overspent their winter budgets, state lawmakers decided to give money to cities like Hillsdale to help with the extra costs.
Caswell told the Hillsdale City Council at its March 3 meeting that Hillsdale may receive some of these funds, but the bill was not passed yet.
Tuesday morning, Caswell posted on his Facebook page that the Michigan State Legislature passed the bill to give $100 million to municipalities for winter road repairs due to harsh weather. He added that another $115 million will be distributed later in the year
Caswell also posted the amounts given to all counties and municipalities in the 16th Senate District.
Hillsdale County received $275,915 while the city got $36,373.
Although Hillsdale is appreciative of the extra help, City Manager Linda Brown said it is, “just a drop in the bucket.”
Also she was disappointed with the state’s restrictions, under Public Act 51, on the ways the money can be used. For example, it cannot be used for reconstruction projects.
“Don’t keep the strings attached,” Brown said. “Send the money, and let us deal with the distribution of it.”
