Mqt. Co. Board upset about unfunded mandates

The Marquette County Board of Commissioners is upset with the State of Michigan about revenue sharing, and unfunded mandates.

Unfunded mandates are requirements that force local governments to provide certain services without any funding included so that the local agency can pay for the services.

A 2010 report from a Michigan legislative commission found that unfunded mandates cost local governments more than $2 billion dollars each year.

“Our chairperson has been fighting this battle for over twenty years, and we haven’t gotten anywhere,” Vice-Chair of the Marquette County Board of Commissioners Debbie Pellow said.  “And we’re still getting hit with more and more unfunded mandates and they’re not living up to their promises on revenue sharing and if we don’t finally say enough is enough, we’re never going to get anywhere.”

The board is expected to take up a resolution at its June 18 meeting, demanding increased revenue sharing money from the state to pay for at least some of the unfunded mandates it has to cover.