State Budget Town Hall Meeting

Upper Michigan lawmakers are making trips to their home turf to talk about the state budget.

State Senator Tom Casperson and State Representative Ed McBroom scheduled a town hall meeting in Munising today.

McBroom was unable to attend, but Casperson did meet with Alger County residents.

The Alger Correctional Facility is one of the Munising area’s major employers.

And residents’ concerns over the Michigan corrections budget was the focus of the town hall meeting.

Casperson says with Governor Rick Snyder’s proposal to close a state prison this year but not say which one, there’s a lot of worry.

He says he wanted to have the meeting to hear from residents what they think the state should do.

Residents said the Department of Corrections is top–heavy, with too many managers and not enough C.O.’s.

They feel if corrections money is used more effectively, a prison closure wouldn’t be needed.

Plenty of people were also on hand to discuss issues other than corrections.

Casperson says he wants to hear from them, too.

So he may schedule another meeting in Munising as soon as next week.