In parts of Michigan, a “For Sale” sign in front of a house is quickly followed by another: “Sold.” Realtors from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor to Traverse City are reporting trends notably absent in Michigan for years. Home values are rising. And marketable houses in decent shape are often snapped up in a matter […]
Midland
Posted inBusiness Watch
Dow and Midland: It's just good chemistry
Midland’s key ingredient to its long-term economic success can be summed up in one word: Dow. The Dow Chemical Co. has had an outsized impact on this handsome, prosperous mid-Michigan community of about 42,000 since Canadian immigrant Herbert Henry Dow arrived in 1890 and started manufacturing bleach. Dow Chemical’s influence can be seen throughout the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
In some cities, it's cash that's burning
In Michigan, your home address says everything about how much you spend for fire protection. In Midland, a city of 41,000, residents paid $155 per person in 2010 for their Fire Department. But in Wyoming, a West Michigan city of about 72,000, they paid less than half that, $59 per capita. Fire departments spend about $400 million […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Smaller communities buck tax loss trend
Dozens of cities, villages and townships — most of them small in population — have seen tax revenues actually rise over the past three years despite an overall revenue decline inMichigan. Those increases mainly have been a result of one or two new commercial projects that have sharply boosted property values in local taxing jurisdictions. […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Veteran regulator prefers to say 'yes'
Getting to “yes” is a mission for Jim Sygo, the deputy director of the Department of Environmental Quality. It’s an answer, he believes can help Michigan’s environment and its economy. And it is a fundamental reason why Sygo is still on the job after nearly 30 years of state service that has taken him from […]
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