"The right to criticize government is also an obligation to know what you are talking about."

-Lent Upson, first director of Citizens Research Council

Biweekly Bonus Edition

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October 16, 2025

Citizens Research Council of Michigan today released a deep-dive analysis of the FY2026 budget, Unpacking the FY2026 State Budget: Six Things You Should Know.

IN A NUTSHELL

 -- After an arduous budget cycle, the Michigan Legislature finally completed work on the state’s FY2026 budget in the early morning hours of October 3,  avoiding a shutdown of state government operations.

 -- The budget agreement will eventually generate $2 billion in new annual road funding. It also implemented legislation to mitigate much of the anticipated $1.1 billion hit to the FY2026 budget arising from the enactment of the federal OBBBA.

 -- To their credit, lawmakers approved a structurally balanced budget free of gimmicks that would have pushed off real decision-making on needed cuts.  However, future cost pressures tied to OBBBA changes in the financing of Medicaid and food assistance leave little room for growth in the GF/GP budget over the next several years.

Other Recent Council Reports:

• Evaluating Local-Option Admission Taxes in Michigan Cities
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its Impact on Michigan's Budget
• Federal Medicaid Cuts Will Have Big Consequences in Michigan

IN A NUTSHELL

 -- Much of the revenues collected by the state are transferred from the state to other entities for the actual provision of services, including Medicaid, universities, K-12 education, highways and bridges, courts, enforcing liquor laws, and unrestricted state revenue sharing.

 -- Because this practice violates the fundamental and sound principle that responsibility for raising money should accompany the pleasure of spending of it, prudence is served with state oversight of the funding to ensure that the funds are used as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet the state objectives.

 -- Michigan citizens will benefit from intermittent legislative exercises to revisit the distribution of state resources to local governments (and others).

Other Recent Council Briefs:

• Revisiting the 1998 Seminal Bolt Decision
• Regulation of Large Livestock Farms is Not Working for Farmers or the Environment
• Upcoming Changes to the Affordable Care Act Tax Credits Will Also Disrupt Michigan's Health Care System

Lessenberry: Michigan reformers attempt to take money out of politics, Toledo Blade (October 16)

Budget experts say federal tax compliance pushes Michigan’s new budget closer to $84 billion, WZMQ 19News (October 15)

Short-staffed, untrained, many Michigan townships struggle to control finances, Bridge Michigan (October 15)

Free Press endorses Mary Sheffield for Detroit mayor in Nov. 4 election, Detroit Free Press (October 14)

Michigan’s bipartisan budget deal aims to ‘protect’ Medicaid. Here’s how, Bridge Michigan (October 14)

How Michigan aims to maintain Medicaid funding amid changing U.S. landscape, MLive (October 14)

CRC: FY ’26 budget actually $84B when factoring in boilerplate for provider, hospital taxes, Gongwer (October 10)

Report: To save CAFO farmers money on permits, lawmakers should fund EGLE better, Gongwer (October 10)

Education, health care, infrastructure: What’s in Michigan’s $81 billion budget?, The Michigan Independent (October 9)

Michigan creates additional marijuana tax to fund Whitmer’s plan to ‘fix the damn roads’, Washington Post (October 7)

Gretchen Whitmer Signs Michigan Marijuana Tax into Law: What to Know, Newsweek (October 7)

Michigan creates additional marijuana tax to fund Whitmer’s plan to ‘fix the damn roads’, WXYZ-TV7 (October 7)

Michigan lawmakers reject money for Gretchen Whitmer’s population growth office, Bridge Michigan (October 6)

Duggan defends Trump’s Medicaid work rules as critics warn cuts will strip coverage from hundreds of thousands, Metro Times (October 6)

Could a tax on concert tickets generate revenue for the city? WDET Detroit Public (October 6)

Pundit Monday: What Should We Make Of This Road Deal?, MIRS (October 6)

Proposed road funding plan may fall short for Northern Michigan counties, 9&10 News (October 2)

The Metro: Could a tax on concert tickets generate revenue for the city?, WDET 101.9 FM (Oct. 1)