Livingston Today

State Representative Ann Bollin, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, has voiced concerns regarding supplemental budget bills recently presented by the Senate. In her statement issued on Tuesday, Rep. Bollin expressed skepticism over the Senate's allocation of more than a billion dollars in new spending while simultaneously advocating for increased taxes to fund road repairs.

Bollin criticized the Senate's approach, stating, “I find it interesting that the Senate found more than a billion dollars to load up their supplemental budgets with new spending while they continue to claim we need to raise taxes on Michigan families to pay for roads.” She also highlighted what she perceives as a lack of attention to urgent needs in Northern Michigan communities affected by a recent ice storm. “It’s also troubling that their plan completely ignores the urgent needs of communities in Northern Michigan still reeling from the devastating ice storm this spring," she said.

The representative further pointed out an issue with how unspent funds are being managed, suggesting that these funds are being converted into work projects rather than addressing immediate priorities such as road repairs and public safety improvements. Bollin described this as "a sneaky maneuver" and emphasized that taxpayer dollars should be used efficiently and effectively.

“That’s not going to cut it in the House," Bollin asserted. "I’m working on reining in the overuse of work projects." She stressed that unspent money should return to the general fund instead of being allocated into inaccessible accounts for years.

The budget proposals include SB 184, which outlines $446.6 million in spending for this fiscal year, and SB 163, which proposes placeholders for an additional $1.2 billion.