SPECIAL ASSESSMENT FEES; DNR H.B. 5889 (H-1):
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 5889 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Scott VanSingel
House Committee: Natural Resources
Senate Committee: Natural Resources
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to require the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to pay a county board for special assessments on certain property under the control and supervision of the DNR.
The Act specifies that a county board may determine by resolution that the whole or a part of the cost of a project to establish and maintain a normal level for an inland lake must be defrayed by special assessments against all of the following that are benefited by the project:
-- Privately owned parcels of land.
-- Political subdivisions of the State.
-- State-owned lands under the jurisdiction and control of the DNR.
Under the bill, if any of the lands subject to a special assessment described above were lands described in Section 2150 (i.e., tax reverted, recreation, forest, or other lands under the control and supervision of the DNR), and money was appropriated for purposes of paying the special assessments, the DNR would have to pay the county board for the special assessments with the appropriated money.
The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
MCL 324.30711 Legislative Analyst: Stephen Jackson
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would require the Department to pay a special assessment levied against certain land for the purpose of defraying the cost of a project to maintain a normal level for an inland lake if both of the following criteria were met: a parcel was subject to a lake level assessment levied under Part 307 of NREPA, and the Legislature appropriated money to pay that assessment.
The bill is unlikely to have a significant fiscal impact on the either the State or local units of government due to its narrow scope. The Department of Natural Resources paid $12,300 for these types of special assessments in fiscal year (FY) 2016-17, and the FY 2018-19 DNR budget contains an earmark of $35,000 for this purpose. Any future payments would require a similar appropriation or earmark of an appropriation.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.