mayor virg bernero

In this morning's news: possible cap on FOIA fees, Lansing's budget showdown, education for inmates

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:52:30 +0000

Legislation in Michigan House could cap FOIA fees

There is new legislation up for initial hearing this week in Lansing. It is a response to local governments and state agencies charging hefty fees for people to see government records.

"One of the bills would limit most charges for requests filed under the state’s Freedom of Information Act to no more than 10 cents a page. Another would create a Michigan Open Government Commission to hear challenges to government denials of information requests," Michigan Radio's Rick Pluta reports.

Lansing City Council vs. Mayor Virg Bernero

The Lansing city council will vote tonight on a budget for next year. Michigan Radio's Steve Carmody reports that "the vote will likely put the council at odds with Mayor Virg Bernero."

The mayor wants to add annual fees for city water and electricity customers. Conversely, the council wants to make several spending cuts including eliminating several new positions the mayor wants to add to the city's payroll. Mayor Virg Bernero will have until Thursday to veto parts of the city budget he doesn’t like. The Lansing city council has until early June to try to override the mayor’s expected vetoes.

Higher education opportunities piloted in Michigan prisons

"After years without funding for prisoners to access higher education, the Michigan Department of Corrections is immersed in several efforts to teach community college courses and vocational training in-house to a small number of inmates who are near parole. Michigan will join a pilot project that hopes to gather enough evidence to possibly resurrect publicly supported postsecondary education in prisons nationally," reports The Detroit News.

Lansing mayor announces $11 million deficit for next fiscal year

Michigan Radio Newsroom and Sarah Hulett — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 20:35:33 +0000

The city of Lansing faces an $11 million budget deficit in the coming fiscal year.

Lansing city budget review entering final weeks

Steve Carmody — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:06:49 +0000

The Lansing city council may soon face a critical test to see if it might be able to override the mayor’s plans for how to spend property tax money earmarked for public safety.

The Lansing city council is expected to vote in two weeks on the city’s budget for next year. But one major point of contention between the council and mayor Virg Bernero remains.

Voters last year approved a special public safety property tax. The mayor wants to spend part of the revenue next year on hiring back more than a half dozen laid off police officers and renovate a city owned building for police operations.

But Council President Brian Jeffries and other council members would rather all the money be spent on hiring laid off police officers. But in the end, he says it’s a question of numbers.

"It takes five votes to amend the budget on the floor," says Jeffries, "and once its passed it takes six votes to override a veto."

Jeffries says he hasn’t polled his fellow council members on how they will vote on the mayor’s public safety budget.

The council has until the middle of this month to act on the mayor’s budget plan.

Lansing casino gets a boost (and leads to a resignation)

Steve Carmody — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:49:25 +0000

The proposed Lansing casino project has picked up a key endorsement. But there is some controversy of about the decision by a city economic development agency.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians wants to build a new $245 million casino in downtown Lansing. One small parcel of land critical to the project is owned by the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. The LEDC has given its approval to the deal, which will see the group’s parcel turned into a temporary casino while construction on the main casino proceeds.

Lansing mayor touts changes, warns of budget 'pain' in 'State of the City' address

Steve Carmody — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:12:44 +0000

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero painted a generally optimistic picture in his ‘State of the City’ speech last night. But the mayor also raised the specter of an emergency manager as well.

“Unlike Flint…Pontiac…Benton Harbor and others who ignored the warning signs…we will not falter…we will act," Bernero told a capacity crowd inside the Accident Fund insurance company building last evening.

The mayor veered away from the positive tone that dominated his ‘State of the City’ address when he referenced Michigan cities that have fallen under the power of emergency managers.

No one’s talking about an emergency manager for the capitol city. But after the speech, Bernero said planning for next year’s city budget will be 'ugly' and 'painful', when it comes to closing a projected $7,000,000 budget deficit.

"The point is tough decisions must be made," Bernero says, "If we don’t, the state will be there…to swoop in and do it for us.”

Bernero’s ‘State of the City’ address mainly touched upon common themes the mayor has spoken about in the past, including the need for regional cooperation with other local governments and aggressive economic development.

Lansing voters will decide next week if they want to increase their property taxes

Steve Carmody — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:39:38 +0000

Lansing voters will decide on election day whether they want to increase their property taxes.

It’s the second time they’ve been asked this year. The first time they said ‘no’.

Sitting at his dining room table, as three of his sons watch cartoons on a TV in the next room, Paul Johns recalled a time when he thought he smelled smoke in his south Lansing home.

Davenport University drops bid for Lansing's Oliver Towers

Steve Carmody — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:05:52 +0000

Davenport University says the process of acquiring an empty apartment complex in Lansing has gotten too ‘political’. So Davenport is dropping its bid for the ‘Oliver Towers’.

Davenport offered to swap its current downtown campus for the property just north of the state capital building, where it planned to build a new college campus. But the Lansing City Council stalled the deal, to consider a competing offer from Lansing Community College.

Mayor says Oliver Towers saga is turning into a 'debacle'

Steve Carmody — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:01:10 +0000

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero calls it a ‘debacle’.

The battle between two local colleges over an empty apartment building is in a holding pattern.

Lansing eyes land swap deal with private college

Steve Carmody — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:18:00 +0000

Lansing officials hope a proposed deal with a private college will help the city replace a long empty public housing complex with a new campus. The Oliver Towers have sat largely unused since a fire a decade ago. Numerous attempts to find a new use for the site, a few blocks from the state capitol, have failed to pan out.

Lansing voters will decide future of eastside parkland

Steve Carmody — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:38:21 +0000

Lansing voters will decide in November if the city can sell 12 acres of city parkland for future private development. A divided city council last night agreed to put the question on the ballot. There's no developer or actual plan on the table yet for the Red Cedar golf course land.

Bob Trezise is the president of the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. He says the making the land available will help the city market it to potential developers.

“It strikes us as a great area to try to develop."

Several city council members questioned whether the city should focus on getting previous economic development plans working before starting new ones. Councilman Eric Hewitt voted against moving the parkland sale before the voters. He says the city's track record in similar projects is not good.

"We’ve had all these other ‘visions’…we’ve had lots of ‘gateways’…but none of them have seemed to come about.”

Mayor Virg Bernero says the proceeds of the sale of the Red Cedar land could be channeled into improving Lansing's other city parks.

Lansing city council may consider sending golf course question to voters tonight

Steve Carmody — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:01:01 +0000

The Lansing city council may agree tonight to ask voters to decide if part of a closed city golf course can be sold. The land is being eyed for future business development.

The proposal to sell part of the closed Red Cedar golf course has been stuck in a Lansing city council subcommittee since last spring. Some council members said they wanted more information.

City Council President A’Lynne Robinson is optimistic the council can get it unstuck this week.