Host: Stephan Currie

Guest: Deena Bosworth of MAC

Topics: The state’s fiscal 2027 budget faces a July 1 deadline, but it’s not clear what that actually means for what will be in the document, say MAC’s Podcast 83 team members in a new episode.

“First and foremost, the budget, we've got an artificial deadline. I call it an artificial deadline. It is an actual statutory deadline of July 1, but there's really nothing that puts any teeth in it if you (miss it),” said host Stephan Currie to open the episode, “as we saw last year when the budget got done on Oct. 8.

“What are we hearing on this year's budget?”

“We are hearing making great progress. We are hearing that they are not talking at all. We are hearing, oh my goodness, we have lots of issues on the table and we'll see what happens,” said Deena Bosworth. “We hear: ‘You know, we're really going to get this done since it's an election year, we'll have the budget done by July 1.

“And then last week we heard, we could just do a few months of a budget and then come back and revisit it. So, yeah, we are hearing quite a bit,” she added.

“I will say this,” Bosworth said. “I think that they're talking better now than they have been talking in years past. Don't forget, for everyone out there, this is a discussion between the House, the Senate and the administration. Sometimes. conversations are great between two of those entities; sometimes, they are not great at all; and very rarely is it a good discussion between all three at the same time.”

See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606

Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org