This handy map at the New York Times shows the percentage of schoolchildren eligible for free or reduced-price lunches at school by state in 2011. In Michigan, almost half the children are eligible — 45 percent. And, sadly, that’s a good figure, by national standards. Twenty-two states have a majority of schoolchildren qualified. In parts […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Longer ballot means less power for voters
Gov. Rick Snyder signed bills today to require that local school board elections be held in the November general election of even-numbered years. This long sought change to the school election calendar will, advocates say, save cash-strapped local districts at least $8 million over a two-year election cycle. Saving money for schools = good. It […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Another hurdle for local budgets
Coverage in Bridge this week focuses on the “Shadow Tax Cut” — a $1.6 billion drop in taxes due to the huge decline in property values across the state. This tax drop has eased the bills for many taxpayers, but it, of course, has meant less money for local governments that rely heavily on property […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
$1.6 billion shaved off Michigan property tax bills
Thousands of Michigan home and business owners have been the recipients of hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax cuts in recent years — a savings that few seem to recognize. Property owners in the state as a whole have seen property taxes fall nearly $900 million between 2007 and 2010. Adjusted for inflation, […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Despite $300 million reduction, businesses seek relief
Michigan businesses, which have already won a $1.6 billion business tax cut, are pushing hard to repeal the state’s personal property tax on machinery, computers and other equipment. But they don’t talk much about, or even recognize, the $324 million tax cut they’ve received since 2007, the result of falling property values and lower tax […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
On the block: Taxes in Lansing, Troy, Wyoming
Three residential blocks in three different Michigan communities show how the massive decline in property values and the resulting “Shadow Tax Cut” rolled across the state. Bridge looked at residential blocks in two suburbs (Troy and Wyoming) and the capital city to judge how the cut played out for individual homeowners. The figures presented below […]
Posted inChildren & Families
Michigan zigs, the nation zags
Michigan is clamping down on food stamp recipients while many other states are easing requirements. A report produced by the Michigan League for Human Services circulating among Lansing policymakers reveals that a number of states have dropped asset tests for food stamp recipients in the wake of a tough economy. According to the report (no […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Value of universities exemplified by new hospitals
The other day, my wife Kathy and I went to have a look through the new, soon-to-open University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospitals. The hospitals, located on the south side of the U of M medical system’s campus, have been under construction for the last four years. (The women’s hospital […]
Posted inMichigan Government
DNR can't guess your age
The firearm hunting season is in full swing. And even though a new state law that removes a minimum age for children to hunt won’t be fully implemented until next spring, there’s reason to believe some youngsters are hunting this month who shouldn’t. That’s a conclusion drawn from a new Auditor General’s report on the […]
Posted inSuccess
Small schools dominate championships
With 171 students, Northport Public Schools has fewer kids in kindergarten through 12th grade than Okemos High School has in its marching band alone. Mackinaw City has 187 students; Alba, 174; Stanton Township, 138. All are tiny. All are poor — as judged by the percentage of students receiving federal free lunch assistance. And all […]
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