LANSING – Wayne County officials say they are hoping the Michigan Senate will act soon on legislation designed to create big tax incentives to lure development near some of the state’s major assets, bills they want to help launch the so-called aerotropolis around Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The bills (SB 1079 , SB 1080 , SB 1081 , SB 1082 , SB 1083 , SB 1084 ) are pending in the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee. New drafts of the bills were recently completed.

Assistant Wayne County Executive Alan Helmkamp said Monday that officials in his county would like to see action soon before the budget takes up the Legislature’s entire focus.

“We have some momentum, and we’d like to keep that going,” he said. “At some point, they’re going to fall into the budget debate in earnest. And we think this would be a good news package for the entire state and Southeast Michigan in particular.”

The bills would allow up to five Next Michigan Development Corporations, which could receive Renaissance Zone status, creating an abatement from many major taxes in the local governments where the tax status would exist. Wayne County wants to use that status to attract logistics companies around Metro Airport.

Ken Osborne, legislative director for Sen. Jason Allen (R-Alanson), chair of the Commerce and Tourism Committee, said officials are waiting to hear back from interested parties like Oakland County and Senate leadership before proceeding.

Matt Marsden, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester), said Bishop wants to make sure the other local governments are on board.

“Mike’s been pretty clear that all the parties, including Oakland and Macomb, have to have buy-in,” he said. “We’re still in discussions on how we’re going to proceed with this. I don’t think a decision has been made as to how we’re going to work this out. We’ve been clear that the Senate majority leader is interested in moving this along, but we need to make sure that all the parties involved are on board with this in principle.”

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