Northville, Plymouth Leaders Worried About PPT Revenue Loss

Cities expected to feel effects of personal property tax phase-out beginning in 2014.

Plymouth and Northville could feel the pinch of lost revenue from the phased-out elimination of the Personal Property Tax, leaders from both cities said Monday during a joint meeting in Northville between the municipalities' leadership and state legislators.  In Michigan, the PPT refers to a tax on commercial and industrial equipment and furniture that is captured by municipalities. Gov. Rick Snyder signed a lame-duck session bill in 2012 to repeal the PPT over 10 years, but the law will take effect for small businesses—which constitute much of Plymouth and Northville's respective business bases—in 2014. The phase-out begins in 2016 for larger manufacturers. By repealing the tax, towns such as Plymouth and Northville are left wondering how…

•  60 Comments
• Photos (4)

Northville, Plymouth City Officials to Hold Joint Meeting With Colbeck, Heise

City officials to meet 6:30 p.m. Monday at Northville City Hall.

City officials from Plymouth and Northville will get a face-to-face meeting Monday with state legislators representing the community. Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, and Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, represent both Plymouth and Northville. The meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Northville City Hall, is the second such joint meeting between the cities and their shared representatives. Plymouth hosted Colbeck and Heise in 2012, where the parties discussed the benefits of shared services between communities. 

• Photos (1)

Sen. Patrick Colbeck Offers Office Hours Feb. 14 in Plymouth

Colbeck to meet with constituents Feb. 14 colat Plymouth District Library.

Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, has invited the public to his office hours 7-8 p.m. on Feb. 14 at Plymouth District Library in Plymouth.  Colbeck will be on hand to answer questions and respond to concerns any residents of his district may have, according to a news release from Colbeck's office. No appointment is necessary, as the office hours will be an opportunity for local residents to meet with their state senator to address issues related to state government.  For more information or to contact Colbeck, visit www.senatorpatrickcolbeck.com or call 734-335-0673.

• Photos (1)

Plymouth Pastor Delivers Invocation Before State Senate Session

Brad Cannon is pastor at Solid Rock Bible Church in Plymouth.

Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, welcomes Pastor Brad Cannon, left, to the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing this week. Cannon, who delivered the invocation before a Senate session, is the pastor at Solid Rock Bible Church in Plymouth. Colbeck represents the 7th State Senate district, which includes Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Canton Township, Northville and Northville Township. — Submitted by Sen. Patrick Colbeck's office

• Photos (1)

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Sen. Patrick Colbeck Says New Bills Limit Government

Colbeck says SB 802 requires all state departments to disclose tax dollars are spent; SB 21 offers 'a valuable tool to rein in government spending.'

Dear Editor,  Ever wonder where all of your state taxpayer dollars go? I do. In fact, it was one of the questions that led me to run for office. As a concerned citizen, I had requested state spending information from our representatives. I was frustrated by the lack of useful information provided in response to my queries. Upon entering into public service myself, I understand why my previous requests met with such poor results. They didn’t have access to the information either.  Thankfully, the lack of useful spending data has now been addressed with the passage of SB 802, which I introduced to require all state departments to publicly disclose how they are spending our money. The spending plans for each department in state government …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Tony Lollio

9:33 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013

I love how your comment has nothing to do with the subject of his piece, witty though. Those civil bipartisan discussions you're joking about don't really exist, the first two comments on this thread prove it.   more ›

State Sen. Patrick Colbeck: It's Time to Come Together

State Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton) urges unity in op-ed for Patch.

In the wake of the 2012 General Election, there have been many calls for our state and our nation to come together in a renewed spirit of bi-partisanship.  For all of us who attest to the wisdom in the phrase “united we stand, divided we fall,” it is clear that we all need to come together. We have a simple question to answer before this goal can become a reality, though.  What are we to unify behind?    Shall we unify behind an individual?  How about a single political party?  As a student of history, I would recommend that we avoid either of these approaches as they tend not to end well.  In their stead, though, I would submit that the best choice would be to unify behind the core principles that all of us have unified behind since our …

•  13 Comments
• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Sen. Colbeck: State Should Lift Cap on Charter and Cyber Schools

Removing the caps on cyber and charter schools "incentivizes all schools to provide excellent education services or risk the loss of per pupil funding from the students that choose to be educated elsewhere," Colbeck writes.

- The following statement was submitted by the office of state Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton). He sponsored a bill in the state senate to lift the cap on cyber schools. Michigan is close to joining the 21st century by passing a bill to lift the cap on the number of cyber schools authorized in the state. Over 10,000 students and their parents have applied to the two existing cyber schools, yet state law limits the total number of enrollments to 2,000 students – so long as 600 of them are documented dropouts. Detractors of lifting the caps on cyber schools have resorted to a simple strategy – fear. They cite fears of lack of oversight. They cite fears that these schools are “unproven”. They cite fears that kids will not have proper …

•  36 Comments
• Photos (1)

ConcernedParent

10:34 am on Sunday, May 13, 2012

Debi, we can also look at the failures of online and charter schools! The fact is that we do not need an expansion of the cyber or charter school system in NORTHVILLE! What we need is a return of the funding that was stolen from the K-12 Fund last year. We need to be able to fund our public schools properly. We need less than 30 children in an elementary classroom. We need not to lay off our …   more ›

Michigan Senate Approves More 'Cyber Schools'

Vote also removes other limits; still needs approval from House of Representatives before going before Gov. Rick Snyder.

A package of education bills sponsored by Michigan Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, got a green light from the Senate, according to a statement released by Colbeck's office Thursday afternoon. Senate Bill 619, which lifts the cap on cyber schools for Michigan students in kindergarten through 12th grade was approved by the Senate but must also be approved by the House of Representatives before going to Gov. Rick Snyder to be signed. While Senate Bill 619 removes restrictions on cyber schools statewide But the measure could cost the state more, according to a non-partisan analysis of the bill submitted to the legislature on Oct. 6. That report indicates that online classes could attract students who never attended public schools or have …

•  10 Comments
• Photos (1)

Herb Helzer

4:28 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011

Sorry, that was a 6-3 vote, not 8-1.   more ›