Working overtime to protect communities like Benton Harbor and others from the consequences of proposed changes to the federal designations of Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, U.S. Senator Gary Peters from Michigan is gaining backing from Benton Harbor leaders and others for his bipartisan plan introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad and Kinexus Group President & CEO Todd Gustafson are among those stepping up speaking in support of the legislation that would help protect Michigan communities from the possible consequences of a proposed change that would increase the population threshold for metropolitan areas from 50,000 to 100,000.
Peters, who serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, says that communities in Michigan and across the United States count on that designation for federal funding that goes towards important programs.
The proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) could threaten access to vital federal resources for nearly 150 communities across the country, including six in Michigan. In addition to the Niles-Buchanan MSA, which is all of Berrien County, the other Michigan communities that could be affected by the change include Battle Creek, Bay City, Jackson, Midland, and Monroe. Earlier this year, Peters warned OMB that the proposal should be withdrawn and studied further in order to prevent possible negative effects to communities in Michigan and across the nation.
Peters says, “Communities of all sizes in Michigan and across the country count on federal resources, especially as they continue to recover from this unprecedented pandemic and economic crisis,” and adds, “My commonsense, bipartisan legislation will help protect communities from any unintended consequences that could limit their access to federal support by ensuring that this proposed change is thoroughly studied before it goes into effect.”
Todd Gustafson, President and CEO of Kinexus, an economic development organization based in Benton Harbor, argues, “Regions across the nation depend on an equitable consideration for public resources. Eliminating the MSAs as they currently stand will put numerous communities at a disadvantage for funding, planning and economic prosperity,” and adds, “I strongly support Senator Peters’ efforts to protect Michigan communities with this legislation.”
Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad contends, “Federal MSA designations are critical for making sure communities like Benton Harbor get the information and resources we need to make the best decisions for our residents,” and adds, “I’d like to thank Senator Peters for introducing this bill and leading the fight to protect Michigan communities and make sure the federal government hears from cities like ours before making any decisions that could drastically change MSA designations.”
Stephan Currie, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Counties, notes, “This legislation is built on the simple principle that if you want to make a big change to a public program, you should have a good reason – and be able to ‘show your work.’ Suddenly resetting the population threshold for a metro area to double the historical level, thereby changing all sorts of access to federal programs for some of our communities, is big,” and adds, “Federal officials shouldn’t take such an action without explaining their reasoning and the expected effects on communities. I applaud Senator Peters’ leadership in advancing this commonsense legislation.”
Dan Gilmartin, Executive Director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League, says, “As we emerge from the pandemic we should focus our energy on policies that improve the well-being and economic opportunity for all Americans,” while adding, “Federal funds allow communities to meet critical housing needs, invest in infrastructure, and leverage private investment that creates jobs, bolsters the economy, enhancing the human experience. We support the efforts of Senator Peters and Senator Portman to protect communities from potential unintended consequences of raising the population to qualify as a Metropolitan Statistical Area.”
Mayor Robert Clark of Monroe says, “The City of Monroe serves not only as the center of commerce within the county, but also a hub for dining, culture, and recreation for both residents and people throughout the region. It is imperative that the City of Monroe retains its status as a Metropolitan Statistical Area to ensure the well-being and security of our residents and visitors,” and adds, “Senator Peters’ proposed fix in the Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act will ensure that all communities like Monroe will receive a fair process and that these decisions will be vetted properly before any major changes occur.”
Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke reports, “In Battle Creek we are concerned that the proposal to increase the minimum urban area population to qualify as a Metropolitan Statistical Area (from 50,000 to 100,000) will impact the city through a potential reduction in Federal funding opportunities and reduction in available data in the future for the county. In particular, this change would eliminate accurate in-depth data for land use, economic development, transportation, workforce development, and environmental planning,” and concludes, “Reduced data access will directly hamper our area’s planning efforts and lead to community leaders making decision based on less accurate or timely information. I am grateful to Senator Peters for leading this legislation that will help ensure Battle Creek residents will not be impacted by this proposed change.”
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is a screen capture from the Zoom meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on March 18, 2021 when they were discussing the impact of losing MSA status in the county.
