LANSING (Mich.) – Work is underway on the budget for the 2025 fiscal year. As the governor’s first February deadline approaches, U.P. Representatives have a few items they are working to have included.
The legislature begins work on the budget in February, following Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s first draft submission. The most recent revenue estimates put the state’s returns at $32.33 billion for the next fiscal year budget.
The representative from Marquette, Jenn Hill, said her office is focusing on gathering community input durring regular coffee hours.
“We are going to have another opportunity to do significant investments with the budget.” Representative Hill said. “The revenue estimates look very positive and so I’m excited about what we’re going to be able to do with the budget, which will be a months-long conversation.”
The 110th district Representative, Greg Markkanen says he’s cautiously optimistic about the higher revenue for this year’s budget. With county road commissions across the Western U.P. still in need of help repairing damages from last spring’s floods, both Representatives Markkanen and Hill said they hope to see state funding go to assist those counties.
“We’d like to get some money out of the budget to help relief for the flooding.” Representative Markkanen explained. “Last May, we got turned down by FEMA and the road commissions in a number of different Western counties. Western UP counties need to do road repair.”
“Right now, the emergency managers are meeting.” Representative Hill said. “It’s emergency managers for each county and the road commissions deciding what their what their final ask is going to be.”
Representative Markkanen said businesses in his district are also in need of aid because of setbacks caused by this winter’s delayed snowfall, a number of which have applied for relief funding he hopes to see granted.
He says he’s staying in contact with the Lake Gogebic Chamber of Commerce and working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Small Business Association to provide relief.
Representative Dave Prestin from the 108th district said he’s worried the U.P.. could be forgotten about when it comes to splitting up some much-needed funding.
“It’s unfortunate that we’ve spent so much money so quickly, without more due diligence,” Representative Prestin said. “Especially the proportionality between the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.”
He explained that he’s worried about the legacy funds needed for long-term programs instated over the past few budgets. Programs that are meant to run indefinitely, using funds that he days have an end date.
With some major work on the way constructing the budget in subcommittees, the reps said they’re pushing to see funding increase proportionally to address work needed across the U.P.
