Lawsuit filed against state for alleged violation of Headlee Amendment

MACOMB COUNTY– Plaintiffs in a recently-filed civil suit allege that the way the state is calculating aid paid to local governments is in violation of the Headlee Amendment to the state’s constitution.

Non-profit group Taxpayers for Michigan Constitutional Government joined forces with residents of three downstate municipalities to file the suit against the State and two state departments on Wednesday. According to the brief filed with the Michigan Court of Appeals, the plaintiffs accuse the state of improperly counting items like spending on charter schools and major trunk line roads as part of the aid that is paid to local governments.

The Headlee Amendment, adopted in 1978, prohibits the state from requiring any new or expanded activities by local governments without full state financing.

Details of the case, including court documents, can be found at the Taxpayers for Michigan Constitutional Government’s website by clicking here.