The Sterling Heights City Council is set to consider a resolution Tuesday evening opposing tax policy bills in Lansing that one councilmember contends put every municipality “at risk.”

The Michigan House voted in May to pass several bills that would slash property taxes across the state, but skipped a vote on a bill needed to replace some of the more than $5 billion in lost tax revenue.

At its Tuesday evening meeting, Sterling Heights City Council is slated to consider the adoption of a resolution opposing Michigan House Bills 5872 through 5879 due to “their potential negative impact on local government revenue, financial planning, and administrative operations,” a city document said. Sterling Heights City Manager Mark Vanderpool said the city would lose about $5 million in annual revenue from the bills. He said there’s no “guaranteed replacement” for the lost revenue, and the city would need to cut services, he said.

“So we’re deeply concerned about that,” he said.

The House’s sweeping tax cuts can’t be implemented without the passage of a separate bill levying a loosely defined 6% sales tax on services that has yet to be revealed. Republicans who control the House did not hold a vote on the sales tax hike bill, which remains in committee.

All combined, the four property tax cuts passed by the House are estimated to result in a tax revenue loss that could progress from $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion a year, according to a series of nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency analyses. 

Vanderpool, the Sterling Heights city manager, said he wants the state Legislature to work “hand in hand” with cities, townships and villages to come up with a solution for “guaranteed revenue replacement.”

“We are more than willing ― I think our reputation precedes us ― to work with our state legislators hand in hand to come up with viable solutions that … may reform property taxes without harming communities across the state,” he said.

Sterling Heights Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko said the legislation reduces the city’s revenue without a guarantee of what it will be replaced with. She said that in the future, the legislation could prevent the city from maintaining positions that it has promised residents it would maintain, including public safety roles.

Search for missing Michigan woman Lynette Hooker reopened

The search for missing Lynette Hooker has been reopened. Hooker, who is from Michigan, was with her husband in the Bahamas when he claims she fell off a boat. However, new location data from his cell phone contradicts the story he gave authorities. 

(FOX 2) – The search for a missing Michigan in the Bahamas has been reopened after authorities say her husband allegedly gave police false information.

Lynette Hooker and her husband Brian were boating in the Bahamas in early April when, according to her husband, she fell off the boat and was swept to sea. Brian told police he had to paddle to shore after Lynette fell into the water because she had the key.

Brian was taken into custody in the Bahamas after Lynette’s disappearance, but was later released and returned back to Michigan.

Recently, it was revealed that new location data from Brian’s cell phone contradicts the story he gave to authorities, and suggests he may have sent search crews to the wrong area. This new information has led to the U.S. Coast Guard reopening its search for Lynette.

Fifth Third Bank said it has finalized its list of Michigan branch closures this summer, confirming that 75 locations will shut down in September as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its retail network.

Of the branches closing, 55 are former Comerica Bank locations, and 20 are existing Fifth Third branches.

The bank said most of the affected locations have another Fifth Third branch within one mile.

After the closures, Fifth Third said it will operate 227 branches across Michigan, including 116 in the five-county Metro Detroit area.

In a statement, Fifth Third said it is “building a stronger, more efficient branch network that supports customers today and positions the Bank for long-term sustainable growth in Michigan and across our expanded footprint.

The bank said it will continue serving Michigan through 227 financial centers across 39 counties and nearly 140 communities.

It added that while it is consolidating overlapping branches, most of the affected locations have another Fifth Third financial center within one mile.

After the customer conversion later this year, Fifth Third said Michigan customers will have access to approximately 42% more branches, while former Comerica customers will have access to about 60% more branches than before.

In southeast Michigan, Fifth Third’s post-conversion network is expected to be the largest in the five-county region of Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, with 116 financial centers.

In Detroit, the bank said it will operate 19 locations, making it the largest banking network in the city following the conversion.