We Love Where You Live

On this week's Live with the League grab bag, we’ll be covering the recently concluded CapCon 2026, a conference at the National League of Cities, some election bill updates, and—of course—everyone's favorite topic: housing. 

We're focusing on the housing bills recently introduced in the Michigan Legislature, including the MI Home Program (now House Bills 5660 and 5661). The housing discussion will continue in Lansing on March 10 during our general session at CapCon 2026. In the meantime, be sure to show your support for the MI Home Program! 

 A Michigan architect describes his life, professional career, and what made him ultimately choose to settle in Negaunee—winner of the 2025 Community Excellence Award. 

Our State & Federal Affairs team gives an update on the recently introduced housing package, plus a call to action for our members, conversations around preemption, and what all this could mean for local government. Also, a breakdown of Governor Whitmer's newly released budget recommendation and what communities should be watching as that process moves forward. 

Today we focus on what's happening at the Capitol and what it means for communities across Michigan: campground legislation and energy policy, drones, property tax reform conversations, and a quick note on an upcoming primary election. 

The League’s intern, Jack Brady, discusses how Michigan can reverse the flight of Generation Z from the state. 

League intern Jack Brady discusses why young people who grew up in Michigan are choosing to build their adult lives elsewhere. 

There's a ton to discuss this week! We preview the upcoming Capital Conference in Lansing, especially useful for first-time attendees; shine a spotlight on the Michigan Funding Hub and how it can support your community’s funding strategy; finally, a legislative update covering recent rulings, revenue updates, and a look ahead to Governor Whitmer’s final State of the State address. 

Agnes Krahn, League communications associate, reflects on the value of connected communities—places that encourage you to put that screen down and get out into the real world. 

We’re hitting the ground running in 2026 with a conversation between League Executive Director and CEO Dan Gilmartin and our new Board President, Josh Atwood, Commissioner of Lapeer. We then shift gears and talk about key legislative priorities this year, and what communities should be watching as the session in Lansing gets underway. 

Jack Brady discusses the joys, possibilities, and potential of building a life in Michigan, from the perspective of Gen Z.

We’ve got several important legislative items moving right now, and this week we’re walking through what they mean for Michigan communities. We discuss the latest movement on economic development packages, what the new transparency law sets up for next session, early signals on property tax reform, and the push to wrap up sunset extensions and brownfield incentives. Finally, a preview of what to k...

This week, the League is touching base with the beautiful Lake Michigan community of Frankfort, where we spoke with City Superintendent Joshua Mills about Frankfort’s unique housing situation, the successes of its recently implemented housing commission and land trust, and its new Attainable Housing District. From there, we heard a Lansing legislative update on the MI Home Program proposal, as wel...

This week’s chat begins with a check-in with Taylor Pine, the League’s Digital Media Developer, on our Marketing & Communications team’s recent visit to the Upper Peninsula in search of stories, successes, and sightseeing.   We then turned to our regularly scheduled legislative news, including a hot-off-the presses update on revenue projections for road funding and revenue sharing, the postmar...

This week’s chat is a whirlwind tour, guided by our State and Federal Affairs team, of all that's gone down in Lansing in recent days. We do a deep dive into the “interesting” place we’re at in the budget process, eight days out from a government shutdown. We also have a conversation about election legislation bills, the status on tipping fees to curb out-of-state waste, and the Revenue Sharing Tr...

On this very special edition of Live with the League, we talk all things related to the $76 billion state budget that finally passed on Friday. John LaMacchia breaks down its effect on road funding, revenue sharing, the MI Home Program, and more. 

Testing new ideas—especially an entire framework of thinking—isn’t without risk and discomfort. But that’s just what the League has been working on over the past year. We’ve designed and refined tools to help Michigan’s local officials break out of silos and move their conversations and communities forward toward a shared vision. Herasanna Richards shares what two pilot facilitations of the thrivi...

No one wants to live in a place without stories. One source of stories? Architecture. Beautiful, historic buildings provide communities with important connection points, both physical and emotional. These are the places that make your town or city more than just a point on a map—they make it your home. Jack Brady explores some recent examples of Michigan communities preserving, revitalizing, and h...

The League’s own Murph, Policy Research Labs program manager, reflects on the lovely treescape of Grand Rapids’ Monroe Center Street.

In the final entry in our series about the 2025 Community Excellence Award submissions, we take a look at three Michigan cities in the process of tackling one of the biggest projects of all: reviving and reimagining their downtowns. 

In our series on the 2025 Community Excellence Award applicants, we visit two Michigan communities brightening their neighborhoods—and their spirits—with creativity. The City of Hart’s resident-let “community spirit initiative” is growing its regional reputation as a destination for public art, and the City of Portage is bringing competitive holiday cheer with its annual Tricked Out and Decked Out...

In our series on the 2025 Community Excellence Award applicants, we take a look at three Michigan communities making the world just a little bit more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The Village of Roscommon and the City of Southfield created beautiful, educational spaces celebrating important wildlife, and the City of Birmingham developed an all-encompassing sustainability and public hea...

We begin this week’s show with a wide-ranging conversation with Clare City Manager Jeremy Howard and Mayor Patrick Humphrey about the city’s downtown revitalization efforts, creative placemaking projects, municipal partnerships, and more. We then turn to our legislative update to discuss our new MI Home Program proposal—a set of tools to address the state’s housing crisis.

In our series on the 2025 Community Excellence Award applicants, we visit three Michigan municipalities that strengthened community bonds through revitalized third spaces. Big Rapids and Milford breathed new life into aging downtown parks, and Mt. Pleasant turned an unpopular parking lot into a thriving new town square. 

Welcome to August with Live with the League! This week’s show begins with a conversation with Luke Forrest of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity,  discussing the new Community Growth Academy and how it can help communities navigate economic transitions.  Moving into what's happening (or not happening) in Lansing, we discussed the current state of the ever-ongoing budget proc...