Historic Sites Face Another Battle: State Budget Crisis
By Karen Gould

Because the Michigan government is running out of cash, the governor has asked department heads, including Phil Porter, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks, to report on programs that would be affected if the state government closes down as early as May.

If funding is lost, "we will be devastated," Mr. Porter said, calling the situation the "most severe budget crisis this state has faced in a very, very long time."

In his address to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission Wednesday, March 28, Mr. Porter told commissioners he is preparing a contingency plan, due this week, on the impact of a state shutdown to the parks. In the meantime, state legislators and Governor Jennifer Granholm strive to find a solution to balance the state's finances.

"Our budget crisis continues," said Mr. Porter, who asked commissioners to speak with politicians.

The afternoon commission meeting in Lansing drew five members. Commissioner Frank Kelley was absent.

State support now accounts for $1.5 million of the commission's $6.3 million budget to fund park operations. That budget already is down to the "bare bones," said Mr. Porter, with a projected $14,000 cut this year.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is an agency under the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.

The budget situation in Lansing "is very fluid," Mr. Porter told Town Crier Monday, April 2, as talks continue in Lansing.

With the plan not yet finalized, Mr. Porter said, "We are trying to deal with it."

By December 31 of this year, the single business tax will lapse and, if not renewed or replaced, the state will lose an estimate $1.9 billion in revenue. For the 2008 proposed budget, the state faces more than an $800 million deficit.

The first executive order issued by the governor, which failed to earn the agreement of legislators, called for a $14,000 cut in funding to the park for this year and included a $57,000 budget cut for next year. Now, a second executive order calls for a $14,000 cut this year and none for 2008, reported Mr. Porter. That order is expected to be approved, he said.

Mr. Porter has testified before the House of Representatives and the Senate, laying out a case that the parks should continue to receive state funding support. At one time, the state had provided funds for up to 50 percent of the commission's budget, although over the last few years, funding has been reduced.

Commission Chairman Dennis Cawthorne said Senator Tom George, who chairs the History, Arts and Libraries sub-committee, has been a strong voice of support in Lansing, helping to keep proposed funding cuts to the park low.