Lansing, Mich. — The Michigan Municipal League, the Michigan Township Association (MTA), and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) reiterated today their opposition to House Bills 5529–5532 and 5581–5585 and the legislative effort to preempt local authority and diminish the voices of Michigan residents in shaping the development of their own communities.
They were joined by State Representatives Samantha Steckloff (D-19), Jaime Greene (R-65), and Sue Shink (D-14), along with a chorus of local leaders from municipalities large and small across Michigan.
Over 2,200 local officials and four hundred Michigan residents have written letters opposing this zoning preemption package.
“The flowery language that you heard in the Government Operations Committee today does not match what is in the bills that are before the Legislature right now,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League. “They are mandates—period, plain and simple. Local officials have not been allowed the opportunity to give testimony today. We will not be silenced.”
“Areas of color are the areas that are going to be affected the most by these bills,” said Brenda Moore, Mayor of the City of Saginaw and Chair of the Michigan Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (MBC-LEO). “We believe strongly that housing policies must be expanded to allow each individual to have a voice. One-size-fits-all doesn’t fit Saginaw.”
“We rely on our residents to guide us on how we do development in our community. We don’t take a top-down approach, and we don’t want that type of overreach from the state,” said Scott Benson, Councilmember of the City of Detroit. “Preemption harms communities. We do not need those that do not live locally to tell us how to govern locally.”
“When we fail to communicate with local official and subject matter experts, the law of unintended consequences is what results,” said Paul Gieleghem, Township Supervisor of Clinton Township. “This is not about a conflict between local and state. This is about dramatically narrowing the abilities of local communities to plan for their long-term interests and putting power in the hands of developers, private equity firms, and short-term rental investors who don’t have local interests and safety at heart.”
“Communities throughout Muskegon County are already approving housing, reforming zoning, and planning for attainable housing without state mandates,” said Jennifer Hodges, Muskegon Township Supervisor and Housing Coordinator of Muskegon County. “Overriding local zoning does not build new homes. Preemption risks slowing or undermining the progress that is already happening.”
“These bills represent a fundamental shift in Michigan’s principle of home rule,” said Gary Carey, Mayor of the City of Walker. “This is an egregious overreach of the state government. I say to our state representatives who testified in committee today: Please represent us. What you’re attempting to do does not represent the interests of the communities you serve.”
“Today in committee, I heard multiple times: ‘These bills will allow.’ These bills do not allow; these bills mandate what we can and cannot do,” said Jennifer Antel, Mayor of the City of Wayland. “When you take the zoning decisions away from us at the local level, you’re also taking them away from our citizens. And when decisions move further away from our local communities, they don’t stop caring about the outcomes; they simply lose the ability to shape them. That is not good for democracy.”
The Michigan Municipal League, MTA, and SEMCOG stand ready to work with the governor, Legislature, and stakeholders across the state to advance practical solutions that expand housing opportunities, ease financial strain on residents, and strengthen communities throughout Michigan.
