Friday, August 5, 2011

Since the 1800s, when newspapers were the only way of disseminating news and information, there have been laws to require that postings be placed in a newspaper "of general circulation." However, with each passing year, fewer and fewer people rely on newspapers for their source of news and information. MTA and other local government groups are advocating for reform legislation being offered in the bipartisan package of bills, HB 4117, HB 4319 and HBs 4474-77. This panel discussion will review these bills that will help provide some flexibility in how legal notices are publicized in their community through the use of websites.

There seems to be an abundance of local government reform ideas swirling around the state Capitol once again. In this session, MTA will address the "hot" topic of a "Unigov" proposal, currently being debated in Kent County, that would combine the City of Grand Rapids and Kent County into one regional authority. Further, we will examine the status of local government cooperative services and its new relationship to state revenue sharing and a number of other related pieces of legislation.