Metro Detroit secures hundreds of millions in grants in Michigan budget despite GOP criticism

LANSING — Grants totaling hundreds of millions of dollars are baked into the $81.7-billion budget state lawmakers approved late Wednesday, with many of those one-time grants going to the Detroit area.

Many Republican lawmakers condemned the grants as legislative "pork," while Democratic leaders defended the grants as worthwhile projects the state could afford to help pay for, using its record surplus.

It was clear Wednesday that funding of certain projects helped the budget win enough Republican votes in the House and Senate to allow Democrats to declare it a bipartisan measure, and ensure it won immediate effect.

State Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, the minority vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, praised Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township, who chairs the committee, for seeking GOP input, saying the budget isn't perfect but that it includes many Republican priorities.

Rep. Bill Schuette, R-Midland, who joined Lightner and three other House Republicans in voting "yes" for the main budget bill, was more specific.

In a news release and on social media, Schuette pointed to $40 million included in the budget to help pay for Midland's flood reduction plan, after high waters and burst dams created havoc in his district in 2020.

"I am a district-focused state representative," Schuette said on Twitter. "This investment is a crucial step forward to reduce the severity of flooding."

Rep. Andrew Fink, R-Hillsdale, the minority assistant floor leader, said he and Lightner view the budget differently.

"If the spending is for the benefit of all (residents), then at least it might be appropriate," Fink said. "But if it's spending that's designed just to make a small group of people happy in one district, or one town, or one place, at the expense of the general welfare, then it's irresponsible."

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Many of the grants listed in the budget came with little or no detail, and they go to support both public and private projects. Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Democrats took a step forward in transparency by specifying where each grant is going. Language in past budgets tended to avoid specific place names, allocating grants to "a county with a population between 23,500 and 24,000," for example.

Details on which lawmaker sponsored which project are to be released in September.

Here's a list of some of the Detroit-area grants included in the budget:

• $50 million for a downtown project in Pontiac.

• A $40 million grant for the Macomb County Jail.

• A $20 million grant to the Henry Ford Health Center.

• In Trenton, $20 million for a rail grade separation project at Van Horn and Fort.

• In Grosse Ile, $20 million for a movable bridge project.

• A $20 million grant for corridor development in Detroit's Greektown.

• $15 million for "community safety" in Bloomfield Hills.

• $12 million for the Midtown Cultural Center Planning Initiative.

• In Dearborn Heights, $10 million for the fire station.

• $10 million to design and build freeway sound walls in the city of Troy.

• A $10 million grant for site readiness for an economic development project on Five Mile Road in Wayne County.

• A $10 million grant for Detroit firefighter health care support.

• In Pontiac, $10 million for the replacement/rehabilitation of the Martin Luther King Bridge.

• In Belleville, $10 million for the Denton Road bridge.

• $10 million for "Marygrove development," an apparent reference to Marygrove College in Detroit.

• A $10 million grant for the Henry Ford College Student Success Center.

• An $8 million grant for the North American International Auto Show.

• In Canton Township, $7 million for the fire station construction project.

• In Detroit, $7 million for the Pope Francis Center housing project.

• In Westland, $7 million for the fire station and emergency response equipment.

• In Detroit, $6 million for Lee Plaza.

• In Canton Township, $5 million for reconstruction of roads and sidewalks.

• In Dearborn, $5 million for fire station upgrades.

• $5 million for COVID-19 relief and recovery support at DMC Children's Hospital.

• $5 million for an unspecified housing project in Mount Clemens.

• In Southfield, $5 million for an affordable housing project.

• $5 million for redevelopment of the Fisher Building in Detroit.

• $5 million to address flooding at the hospital in Garden City.

• $5 million for marina renovations at Lake St. Clair Metropark.

• $4 million for the Detroit Historical Society.

• A $4 million grant for the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit.

• $4 million for local road repair in Southfield.

• $4 million for roof improvements at the Henry Ford Museum.

• At the Detroit Zoo, $3 million for infrastructure.

• A $3 million grant for upgrades to the emergency system in Farmington Hills.

• In Farmington Hills, $2 million for the Zekelman Holocaust Center.

• A $2 million grant for the Redford Wellness Center.

• $2 million for the Oak Park Events Center.

• $2 million for a youth center in Canton Township.

• In Van Buren Township, $1.8 million for expansion of the Iron Belle Trail.

• For Warren Parks and Recreation, a $1.5 million grant.

• In Center Line, $1.25 million for parks and recreation infrastructure.

• For the Detroit Opera House, $1 million.

• In Clinton Township, $1 million for an inclusive playground.

• In Farmington, $1 million for the Warner Mansion.

• $1 million to address Jefferson-Chalmers flooding in Detroit.

• $1 million for Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan.

• $1 million for the Mack Avenue Corridor Improvement Plan.

• $1 million for the Commerce Township nonmotorized connectivity trail.

• A $900,000 grant for a cricket field in Troy.

The budget bills have been sent on to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is expected to sign the bills but has the power to use line-item vetoes on budget bills.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Metro Detroit projects to get massive grants in Michigan budget