“In the Weeds” – a new Citizens Research Council podcast for “the wonkier, the nerdier” among us

Put on your tick spray because we are headed into the weeds! Announcing “In the Weeds,” a new occasional podcast from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan Universe. As described by our host, broadcast giant Guy Gordon, In the Weeds is for “those who are a little wonkier, a little nerdier, and who want to dive deeper” into public policy issues discussed on our regular #FactsMatter podcast.

Joining Guy in the weeds for this first podcast is Research Council infrastructure analyst is Eric Paul Dennis. Eric and Guy piggyback off their conversation in the most recent #FactsMatter podcast on why so many Michigan roads are so bad, road funding dysfunction and why Michigan hasn’t been able to solve this problem for decades. They discuss the outrageous level of complexities involved in accessing the conditions and funding of Michigan’s roads and how Michigan roads stack up, apples-to-apples, against other states. They also discuss badly needed reform of Act 51, a 74-year-old “zombie” bill that is the primary funding mechanism of Michigan road program. Guy presses Eric on whether Act 51 is fair (“no”) or needs-based (“no”).

Eric also makes the case that real reform of Act 51, which could take several years and cost millions, could guarantee that all agencies currently receiving Act 15 funding are held harmless, ensuring that their current level of funding would never decrease under any new road funding formula.