More good news out today for Michigan's Cities of Promise. Here's the follow-up story to a post we wrote last month from the LSJ:
Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced plans to continue cleaning up blight in eight cities: Benton Harbor, Detroit, Flint, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Muskegon Heights, Pontiac and Saginaw, each chosen based on their poverty rate.
The blight elimination program is a piece of her $25 million, four-year Cities of Promise initiative that would create jobs to improve up to 1,511 blighted sites. If all the sites are cleaned up, it will cost the state $4.78 million this year.
Each property is allotted up to $4,000 in repair costs.
"By providing resources to eliminate blight, we will help make neighborhoods safer for citizens and more inviting for businesses and economic investments," Granholm said. "Establishing thriving and healthy communities is a critical part of our plan to transform Michigan's economy and create jobs for our workers."
Cosponsors include Reps. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, and Paul Opsommer, R-DeWitt.
Other supporters of the bill are the Detroit City Council, Detroit Department of Buildings and Safety Engineering and the Detroit Department of Administrative Hearings.
The bill has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting action by the governor.
It's always encouraging to see that legislation like this had bipartisan support. Economic development efforts like this are in everyone's best interest, so hopefully the new funds will help the Cities of Promise fight blight and stimulate economic growth.