CONTENT

The bill would amend Public Act 152 of 1929, which authorizes a State-owned and operated radio broadcast system for police purposes, to explicitly establish the Michigan Public Safety Communications System and assign responsibility for the construction and implementation of the system to the Director of the Department of State Police and the Director of the Department of Management and Budget. The bill would assign to the Director of the Department of State Police the responsibility of locating buildings and equipment necessary to implement the system and provides that, if local zoning regulations prohibited the placement of the system within any zoned classifications, the Director could request a special land use permit, which would have to be granted. The bill also would permit the Director of the Department of State Police to authorize any governmental public safety agency to use the Michigan Public Safety Commission and would require all subscribers of the system to be assessed reasonable access and maintenance fees, which would have to be approved by the Department of Management and Budget.

MCL 28.281-28.283

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would assist the Department of State Police to construct and operate the Michigan Public Safety Communications System by providing a procedure to resolve instances in which a proposed equipment or building location is in noncompliance with a local zoning regulation. Most local units of government in the State have regulations limiting the height of a tower to 200 feet (and other zoning restrictions) that if enforced and legally upheld, would preclude the Communications System Project from being completed within its original 181 Statewide tower configuration. Each of the 181 towers under the System's plan is 400 feet in height or more. If each local unit of government were to successfully block the siting of these towers within its jurisdiction on the basis of tower height restriction, the Department estimates that the Communications System would require an increase in the number of towers from 181 to 360-400 and an increase in overall cost from $187.3 million to $400.0 million.

The bill also would require all subscribers of the system to be assessed a reasonable access and maintenance fee. These funds would be used to partially support annual system maintenance costs. Support and maintenance appropriations include funding for technical equipment, engineers, steeplejacks, radio technicians, and other support staff.

Date Completed: 11-13-96 Fiscal Analyst: B. Baker

R. Abent

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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.