Hard choices now for Michigan budget

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - Michigan's budget is again consuming lawmakers time and efforts in Lansing, as revenues are estimated to be at least $1.8 billion short of proposed spending.

Governor Jennifer Granholm said that hard choices will have to be made when it comes to spending. Some in the legislature are advocating cuts of more than $1 billion. Still others say that taxes need to be raised. Whatever the answer, it is not likely to come soon.

Legislators who spoke with 24 Hour News 8 are trying to avoid making this year's budget battle a repeat of 2007, when the government came to a quasi-shut down and left many Michigan residents with a very bad taste for the Lansing process.

In the Michigan Senate, the Majority Leader said raising taxes is not an option and one Democratic house member said that while he believes revenues are far below where they should be, any action on a general increase will likely have to wait until after the 2010 election.

State Representative Doug Bennett (D-Muskegon) does think that some type of additional funding for road projects will have to be found to keep from falling further behind neighboring states and to help make Michigan more attractive as a place to locate business and industry.