State Rep. Cotter to address Mount Pleasant City Commission


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Monica Bradburn | Staff Photographer Michigan's State Capitol Building is 267 feet from the ground to the tip of the finial above the dome. The perimeter of the building is 1,520 feet. on Feb. 17, at the State Capitol Building in Lansing.

House Speaker Kevin Cotter will ask Mount Pleasant city commissioners to support a May 5 ballot proposal that would help fix Michigan roads.

Cotter is scheduled to speak at the beginning of the March 23 city commission meeting.

Proposal 15-1, also known as Proposal 1 for Safer Roads, will appear on the May 5 special election ballot. The proposal will increase the state's sales tax from 6 to 7 percent.

The measure will eliminate the existing sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuels, and implement a one-cent increase in taxes on gasoline. Additionally, the proposal will increase vehicle registration fees to increase revenue for fixing roads.

Cotter is urging commissioners to sign a resolution that will show support for Proposal 15-1. The resolution has been drafted and is awaiting commissioner approval. Commissioners passed a resolution in December 2014 imploring the Michigan state legislature to not support any road funding mechanism that took money away from schools and local governments. 

Proposal 15-1 will set aside a portion of the new use tax revenue to increase the School Aid Fund (SAF). The new SAF money allocated by the proposal will be used to increase funding to community colleges and vocational schools. If passed, 15-1 will prohibit use of the SAF for four-year colleges and universities, like Central Michigan University. 

Proposal 15-1 makes no mention of increased or decreased funding to K-12 schools.

City commission meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in City Hall.

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About Ben Solis

Ben Solis is the Managing Editor of Central Michigan Life. He has served as a city and university ...

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