Editorial Roundup:

The Detroit News. February 4, 2020

City Council, don’t scare off Detroit development

The Detroit City Council is looking to expand the city's Community Benefits Ordinance, which forces businesses to meet unrealistic standards — or pay large fines. As the city seeks to attract new economic investment, these kind of shakedowns will only discourage development.

Last week, City Council’s Legislative Policy Division suggested changes to the city’s Community Benefits Ordinance, a voter-approved law that requires developers to commit to hiring Detroiters and quality-of-life benefits for residents living in proposed development areas.

We've had concerns about the requirement that 51% of labor for large city projects go toward Detroit workers, when it's evident there are not enough city residents with the skills to step into these roles.

Contractors who don't meet that standard must pay significant fines. Under Mayor Mike Duggan, those fines are now directed to workforce training — a step in the right direction. Yet it still seems an unfair burden for developers.

Regardless, City Council is intent on doubling down on the ordinance.

Proposed changes include:

►Lowering the development threshold from $75 million to $50 million. That means more development projects would require community benefit commitments.

►Lowering the threshold for Tier 2 projects from $3 million to $300,000 for projects seeking a land or tax abatement valued at $300,000 or more.

►Increasing public meeting requirements from one meeting to five, which would further wrap development projects in red tape.

At first glance, the Community Benefits Ordinance may look like a good deal. It may seem like big businesses are being made to pay a toll to ensure that communities benefit from new developments.

Don't be fooled. In reality, it’s Detroit taxpayers who are paying for these benefits.

Some of the money that developers use to pay for the required benefits comes from savings they were allowed to keep from tax abatements granted by the city.

The ordinance simply uses project developers as proxies to redirect tax dollars toward community benefits.

There’s nothing wrong with investing in communities, and there’s nothing wrong with courting developers to bring business to Detroit.

But if the city wants to boost quality-of-life benefits for its communities, it should propose those expenditures directly to taxpayers. And if the city wants to boost employment, it should openly propose investing more tax dollars into workforce development.

Passing those dollars through development projects to make it seem like they came from somewhere else is a sneaky approach.

While Detroit leaders may argue they need to offer tax incentives to attract business and stimulate growth, requirements that attach strings to those incentives make the city less competitive and keep it further from the day when businesses can pay full price for development.

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Lansing State Journal. February 6, 2020

Gov. Whitmer is done waiting, and this is what fixing the damn roads looks like

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigned on a pledge to “fix the damn roads.” And after her first year in office – marked by opposition and inaction from the Legislature – she took matters into her own hands during last week’s State of the State.

Her plan to bond for $3.5 billion through bonding to fix some of Michigan’s roads will translate into real solutions starting this year. That’s welcome news for the millions of Michiganders who drive on state highways.

Is bonding a perfect solution? The only solution? Ideal? Likely not.

It is a solution that will make real progress in the short term, however, and it’s one that doesn’t require Michiganders to wait on elected officials to put politics aside so they can have safe roads to travel on.

In her 2019 budget proposal, Whitmer offered Plan A: a proposal that included an unpopular fuel tax that was attacked by legislators on both sides of the aisle, although no counter was ever made formal.

This year, Whitmer announced Plan B: an additional $3.5 billion toward the Michigan Department of Transportation’s five-year plan, committed to fixing crumbling roads and bridges along the state’s major highways.

Estimates say the bonds will pay for 49 large-scale projects, and accelerate an additional 73 statewide.

In Ingham County, around $510 million will go toward several projects along U.S. 127, I-496 and 1-96. For Eaton and Clinton counties, over $248 million is expected.

Critics of funding road fixes through Plan B point to its focus on major highways and costs to taxpayers.

There is still much work to be done on local, county and municipal roads. However, these projects will increase safety and improve conditions on the most highly used roadways sooner – presumably taking pressure off municipalities and certainly accomplishing more than was thought possible even last year.

And bonding does cost taxpayers. Interest will add more than a billion, but spending is necessary to ensure the safety of Michigan drivers. Taxpayers were always going to pay – the question was now or later.

Gov. Whitmer used the tools she had available to make what she thought was the most effective Plan B in the face of legislative inaction.

Let this be a lesson for our elected leaders in the Legislature: The governor is done waiting for you to join the conversation.

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Michiganders deserve public servants who strive to be part of this solution, and can all work together to find cooperative solutions.

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The Mining Journal. February 5, 2020

Helping free fire hydrants: Community service starts young

Who thinks about needing fire hydrants in the winter? Junior hockey players.

Marquette’s 12U A Homestead Graphics Junior Wildcat hockey team dug out fire hydrants on Jan. 28 along Fair Avenue to Lakeview Arena, specifically from Lakeshore Boulevard to the roundabout.

The good deed started when the Marquette City Fire Department made a Facebook post about people adopting fire hydrants and helping keep them clear this winter.

Coach Mark Janofski, a former lieutenant with Chocolay Fire-Rescue in Chocolay Township, got the idea for a community service project held with his players.

The team plans to adopt the fire hydrants they cleared and continue to work in the area as needed through the rest of hockey season.

Janofski posted on Facebook the evening of Jan. 28 about the kids having had that lesson in community service.

“My favorite comment of the night was … ‘Hey Coach, Community service is fun! When can we do it again?'” the post read.

He also posted that the kids were “100% on board” with adopting hydrants.

“The high fives were an added bonus,” Janofski wrote.

In fact, the fire department posted a video of these high fives on its page.

Community service isn’t always fun, and it’s not supposed to be. However, this was a great way to get kids hooked on helping the community, leading to greater intrinsic awards along the way.

It also could inspire other people to get involved. One person who posted on the fire department’s Facebook page indicated that if she lived in Marquette, should would love to adopt some fire hydrants.

By the way, the Marquette City Fire Department stopped by with a fire truck to thank the players for their good deed. It’s cool for kids to see a fire truck up close, but earning the visit through helping the community is doubly exciting.

Not only do the firefighters thank the kids, we thank them as well.

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