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 […]
University of Michigan
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 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
Coming to your hometown: Fewer services
While there has been much talk in Lansing in recent weeks about reducing revenue — again — for local governments, the folks actually in charge of running public service on the city/township/village level are dealing with the consequences of previous reductions, caused either by a bad economy or state funding choices. Tom Ivacko and the […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Report: Michigan is high on price of college degrees
College graduates in Michigan and elsewhere are rightly anxious about their future job prospects — an anxiety only heightened by the piles of debt so many have accumulated while on campus. Erin Dillon, senior policy analyst for Education Sector and co-author of a new report highlighting the relationship between obtaining a college degree and acquiring […]
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 […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Man behind the law: Bruce Timmons
When it comes to the state’s judiciary and laws against crime, perhaps no one alive has had a greater role in drafting them than Bruce Timmons. Timmons is not a member of the Legislature. But he has been a key staff member for the House Judiciary Committee going all the way back to an internship […]
Posted inMichigan Government
SE Michigan is hotbed for government collaboration talks
Michigan is well-populated with organizations and people studying how to develop better public policies and better governments. One such group is the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan. A key part of their work is to survey government leaders to discern what’s going on in the trenches of delivering […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Expert: Just stop getting fatter
In anticipation of Gov. Rick Snyder’s special message on health and wellness in September, Bridge Magazine spoke with Dee Edington, one of the nation’s top experts on designing workplace wellness plans.
Posted inMichigan Government
MSU dominates U-M in Legislature
The Michigan Legislature has voted over the years to designate a state rock (Petosky stone), a state tree (white pine) and even a state fossil (mastodon). If lawmakers decide to name a state university, Wolverine fans should be worried. There are almost twice as many Michigan State University alumni in the House and Senate than […]