Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity  
Michigan Strategic Fund  
State Historic Preservation Office  
Public Hearing  
Friday, December 10, 2021  
10:00 A.M.  
Present From the State Historic  
Preservation Office  
Ms. Martha MacFarlane-Faes  
Mr. Robbert McKay  
Mr. Nathaniel Nietering  
Present From the Office of the  
Attorney General  
Mr. Jon Stuckey  
Mr. Austin Wright  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
MR. MCKAY: This hearing is called the order. It is 10:05  
on December 10th, 2021, at the MEDC building in Lansing. My name is Robbert  
McKay. I will be facilitating hearing. With me this morning at the front table is  
Martha MacFarlane-Faes, our Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer.  
This is public hearing on the proposed administrative rules  
entitled Historic Tax Credit Certification. This hearing is being conducted pursuant to  
the provisions of the Income Tax Act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, on behalf of the  
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, The Michigan Strategic Fund and  
the State Historic Preservation Office.  
10  
11  
12  
13  
14  
15  
16  
17  
18  
We are here today to receive your comments on the  
proposed rules. If you wish to speak, please make sure that you have signed in on the  
sign in sheet by the door include your willingness to speak on that. We will call  
speakers in the order in which their names appear on the sign in sheet. When you  
come forward to speak, please identify yourself with your name, the organization you  
represent, and both your mailing and e-mail address so that this information may be  
transcribed into the hearing report. If you have additional comments to submit in  
writing, you may leave them with me or submit them electronically to our department  
no later than 5:00 p.m. today. Our email address is: preservation@michigan.gov  
19  
20  
We ask that each speaker limit their comments to no more  
than five minutes.  
21  
22  
At this point I do not believe that there is anybody here to  
speak, so we will wait.  
23  
24  
The time is currently 10:15 a.m. Seeing no individuals  
who wish to speak, we will take a short recess.  
25  
26  
27  
MR. MCKAY: The time is currently 10:19 a.m. I call the  
hearing back to order. We have a new individual who has arrived that would like to  
speak to the committee.  
28  
29  
I remind everybody that, if you have comments to submit  
in writing, you can either leave them with me today or you need to submit them  
2
1
2
electronically, no later than 5:00 PM today. You should use the  
preservation@michigan.gov email address.  
3
4
5
Reminder, you need to state your name, the organization  
that you represent, if there is one, your mailing address and your email address, so  
that it can be included in the hearing record. Jessica Flores.  
6
7
8
9
MS. FLORES: Hi. Good morning. My name is Jessica  
Flores and I'm here to represent my small historic preservation firm, Preservation  
Forward my email address is Jessica, like my first name, @preservationforward.com.  
I reside in East Lansing, Michigan.  
10  
11  
12  
Anything additional that you'd like for me to provide?  
MR MCKAY: That's good. Thank you.  
MS. FLORES: OK, perfect.  
13  
14  
15  
16  
17  
18  
19  
20  
21  
22  
23  
24  
25  
26  
27  
I am just here to thank you for your hard work. Your  
efforts and time, diligently being on top of this. We desperately need the State  
Historic Tax Credit across all of our 83 counties here in Michigan. Communities  
depend on the State Historic Tax Credit. As a consultant that's traveling the upper and  
lower peninsula of Michigan, I want you to know that this is a critical tool in our  
toolbox. I'm kind of just here to thank you today and, to tell you the importance of  
this tool and hopefully that we can show you over the course of 2 to 3 to 4 years that  
it's a successful tool in that we could have the cap lifted. I think that's the biggest  
criticism, I'm facing, in the streets and the communities across Michigan. We know  
that it's important. We want to use it. It's first come first serve and, that's I'm, that's  
how it is for right now and thankful that it's back. We have our foot in the door. But  
let's open the door the whole way. So that we can lift the cap on the status, or Tax  
Credits and use it. Because, I guess, our biggest concern in the field is that one  
medium to larger size project is going to absorb our commercial funding that's been  
allocated for commercial projects.  
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
I think that's all that I had the share. It pairs favorably, just  
in case anyone else wonders why we're so adamant preservationists, to get this tool  
back it pairs favorably as you all know with our different LIHTC and New Markets  
and Federal tax credits, CDBG funds coming out of HUD and, hopefully any of the  
ARP funds that are being appropriate to Michigan, now. So, is this a good time for  
me to ask you a question? Can't…or you can't accept question?  
7
8
MR MCKAY: We are not excepting questions at this  
time. I'm sorry.  
9
10  
11  
MS. FLORES: OK, that's OK. I'll put it on the record that,  
I'm curious that if it can be, if ARP funds can be allocated for capital improvements  
on historic buildings. Something to consider.  
12  
13  
MR. MCKAY: We will have to talk to the unit that's  
controlling that.  
14  
15  
16  
17  
18  
19  
MS FLORES: I know it's going to a lot of infrastructure  
or job creation and that sort of thing, but I would love to see a line item something  
earmarked for historic buildings and just another side note. Thank you very much for  
MDC. My Place Main Street community, putting that new program for funding for  
smaller communities. Underutilized buildings vacant parcels really excited about that  
this morning so.  
20  
At this point, I just want to say thank you.  
21  
22  
I love our SHPO and spreading the good word of  
preservation in the State of Michigan.  
23  
24  
MR. MCKAY: Thank you.  
MS. FLORES: Thank you.  
25  
26  
MR. MCKAY: All right, the time is 10:24. Seeing no  
additional individuals who wish to speak. We will take a short recess.  
4
1
2
3
4
MR. MCKAY: I call the meeting back to order at 12:01.  
Seeing that there are no additional people who want to address the committee or  
provide comments. I declare the hearing closed any additional comments regarding  
the proposed rules can be submitted in writing up to 5:00 p.m. today.  
5
6
7
I did want to verify for the record that the notice of the  
hearing was published in 3 Newspapers of general circulation, including 1 in the UP,  
as well as the Michigan Register, Issued 20, published on November 15th 2021.  
8
The record will remain open until 5:00 p.m. today.  
9
The current time is 12:02. I declare their hearing closed.  
Thanks everybody for coming.  
10  
5
;