(The Center Square) – The Growing Michigan Together Council’s report suggests improving Michigan’s infrastructure to stop population loss.
The report suggested fixing the roads, using alternative road funding sources such as vehicle miles travel fees and tolling as more drivers switch to electric vehicles, which weigh and tear up roads more but don’t pay gas taxes to repair them.
One report estimates 270,000 people will leave the state by 2050.
“These recommendations highlight just how far we need to go to get our core infrastructure, the roads and bridges that millions of Michiganders rely on, back on track for generations to come,” Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association Executive Vice President Rob Coppersmith said in a statement. “If we are going to succeed in being a thriving, growing state that attracts and retains population, Michigan must make the needed investments to fund and fix our roads and end the decades of disinvestment that have set Michigan backwards.”
A previous Citizens Research Council of Michigan report said efforts to attract residents from other states are “stymied in part by poorly maintained infrastructure, which is generally worse than national averages and surrounding states.”
The infrastructure problems range from road pavement quality to unreliable electricity causing frequent, long power outages, to outdated water infrastructure such as sanitary sewers, stormwater and flood control.
Also, the Wolverine State ranked in the bottom third of national rankings, including 34th in household income and 36th in K-12 education outcomes.
The 21st Century Infrastructure Report found in 2016 found that Michigan faced an annual road finding deficit of $2.1 billion. Eight years later, the 2023 Michigan Infrastructure Report Card gave overall infrastructure a grade of C- and roads a D.
The 2023 report commissioned by MITA estimated the infrastructure funding gap of $3.9 billion.
“Michigan’s need is clear, it’s time we enact a long-term, equitable, and sustainable infrastructure investment plan that will finally dedicate the resources to improve our roads and bridges that our friends and families rely on to get to school, work, and their homes,” Coppersmith said in a statement. “We can’t address the many challenges Michigan faces with housing, education, and transit without quality infrastructure in place. Michigan’s time is running out, we must act now to fund and fix our roads.”
Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., said tax hikes will only worsen outbound migration.
“We can’t spend our way out of our problems, and raising taxes will only further increase the cost of living in our state and make it harder for people to put down roots in Michigan,” Hall said in a statement. “Democrats are already raising the income tax on Jan. 1. If they want to hike our taxes even more, our population will keep shrinking, and the only thing that will grow is Gov. Whitmer’s record of failure.”
