MARQUETTE -- Representatives from Michigamme Township, Humboldt Township, and the Marquette County Board of Commissioners will be heading to Lansing later this month to discuss possible changes to the way Upper Peninsula mines are taxed.

Commissioners plan to meet with an aide to Governor Rick Snyder and hope to also meet with Representatives Matt Huuki and Steve Lindbergh as well as Senator Tom Casperson.
     
A proposed severance tax by Huuki had board members concerned that changes to mine taxes would result in millions of dollars of lost revenue to local government and schools.

"Some money would come back to the local units of government and the state would capture some of the money," said Marquette County Board Commissioner Michael P. Quayle. "Well, this really isn't fair to the citizens and tax payers of Marquette County, and certainly these two townships that are involved in this."
    
Commissioners said Representative Huuki's legislation is right now not going anywhere in the legislature, but hope the meeting will open up the lines of communication between the U.P. and Lansing.

"We're going to sit down and try and discuss this with cooler heads prevailing so we can get some good dialogue going between the locals and the state on this type of tax," said Marquette County Board of Commissioners Chair, Deborah Pellow.

The meeting in Lansing is scheduled for March 28.
    
The board also discussed new County Administrator Scott Erbisch's contract and possible salary.   No final decisions have been made yet, but the board hopes to reach an agreement as soon as possible.