The Michigan Capitol. Courtesy | Flickr
State funding for Hillsdale County roads would double under a $3.1 billion road repair package advanced last month by the Republican-led state House to the Democrat-led state Senate.
The legislation would provide $17.5 million in revenue for Hillsdale County’s roads, in a boost from the previously allotted $8.8 million. Senate Democrats have yet to take up the bill or outline an alternate proposal beyond a broad outline Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered earlier this year, according to Bridge Michigan.
“This will get a lot more money into Hillsdale County,” said state Sen. Joseph Bellino, a Republican who represents part of Hillsdale County. “It will give a lot more money for locals to do their own work in Monroe and Hillsdale counties. It will give them more projects they can do on their own and save them a lot of money.”
The funding proposal, led by Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, would eliminate tax credits in order to increase Corporate Income Tax revenue. The revenue generated would be allocated toward cities and small towns to improve road quality.
“Speaker Hall’s idea won’t raise taxes,” Bellino said. “I want to get rid of the millions we give to big businesses to draw them here. It doesn’t do a thing for us.”
Rep. Jennifer Wortz, a Republican who represents Hillsdale County, agreed with Bellino that funding should be allocated away from big corporations and toward local roads.
“The bill is a package that takes money that’s already in the budget and reappropriates it for local roads,” Wortz said. “The bill gets rid of some funding that was used for big corporations and makes them pay a fair credit like every other business in the state. Then we are able to use the funding that was not really being utilized and put it toward roads.”
Whitmer has outlined a proposal of her own, which increases taxes on corporations and marijuana sales to raise revenue for improving local roads.
“The governor’s plan will make sure that corporations pay their fair share and rebuild roads proportionally to the damage they cause,” Whitmer’s office said in a press release.
Wortz said she opposes Whitmer’s plan due to the tax increases it would entail.
“I’m not a huge fan of marijuana, but you legalize something and then turn around and tax where the margins are already very slim,” Wortz said. “She will not generate the revenue that she thinks she’s going to by doing that. You’re going to have huge amounts of closures and then you’re going to have marijuana imported from out of state.”
Wortz said she believes the governor would have a difficult time getting people on board with her plan due to the major tax increases, and that the governor and senate need to be willing to negotiate with House members on road improvement.
Bellino criticized Democrats in the Michigan government for their opposition to the bill, which he said removes local control.
“The Democrats have really hurt locals in the last couple years by taking things away from them,” Bellino said. “They will gladly take local control away because they think they know more than everybody else.”
House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, criticized the plan for not bringing new money into Michigan’s state budget.
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Puri said in a press conference. “It’s not the way to do it.”
The bill has yet to be passed by the Democrat-controlled Senate and signed by Whitmer before becoming law.
Send tips to the City News team: collegiancitynews@gmail.com
