The 2022 Michigan Townships Association Educational Conference will be held at the Lansing Center from April 25 through April 28. The Conference features educational programs and workshops for township officials, appointed personnel, and township employees. Our firm will host its annual hospitality reception at the Radisson Lansing Hotel at the Capitol, 111 North Grand Avenue, Lansing in the Capitol III Room on Tuesday, April 26 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Capitol 111 Room is located just past the skywalk to the Lansing Center. If you will be attending the Conference, we invite you to visit us at our hospitality reception for snacks and refreshments. We look forward to seeing you.

Determining what entities are subject to municipal utility charges is not always a straightforward analysis. Recently, the Michigan Court of Appeals reiterated that, under the Revenue Bond Act (“RBA”), municipalities are prohibited from providing free services to public corporations. The RBA defines public corporations to include counties, cities, and other entities that exist for the benefit of the public and are devoted to a public purpose. This definition includes authorities created pursuant to the Land Bank Fast Track Act.

The United States Treasury Department’s final rule implementing the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (“SLFRF”) program takes effect on April 1, 2022. The SLFRF program was established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to provide state, local, and tribal governments with resources to respond to the pandemic and its economic effects. The final rule governs the eligible and ineligible use of SLFRF funds, so it is important that government entities receiving SLFRF funds ensure that any expenditure of the funds complies with the final rule.

On August 23, 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bills 4219 and 4220 into law, broadening the number of Michiganders who may qualify for expungement. As of March 9, 2022, individuals who have received a first offense operating while intoxicated (“OWI”) conviction may apply to have the conviction expunged.

In early January, many townships across the state received a Notice of Eligibility to Incorporate as a Charter Township from the Michigan Secretary of State.