RTA to Unveil Millage
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Home is where Andy Appleby’s heart is. Sports entrepreneur launches a league of his own, Page 3 MAY 30-JUNE 5, 2016 By Bill Shea [email protected] The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan on Tuesday will unveil a proposed RTA to four-county tax that would raise billions of dollars over 20 years to pay for a bus rapid JEFF JOHNSTON/CDB transit system in the region and a commuter rail line between Detroit and Ann transit lines on the Woodward, Michigan and tion and Troy-based Kresge Foundation, is Arbor. Gratiot avenue corridors, and on Washtenaw expected to begin a month or two before the The specifi cs of the tax, Avenue between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Nov. 8 vote. The RTA itself is forbidden by unveil which is intended for the create the long-discussed commuter rail state law from advocating a yes vote but will November ballot in service, and cover annual operating costs. conduct an informational campaign through Oakland, Wayne, Once the master plan is released Tuesday, the election. Macomb and Washtenaw a four-week public comment period will If voters approve the transit tax, all counties, won’t be made begin. The RTA will process the opinions and property owners in the four counties would public until the RTA Michael Ford: suggestions it receives from a series of public pay it — there would be no opt-out provision, releases its master plan Rapid bus lines, meetings and refi ne the plan, if necessary. unlike the suburban bus tax. The RTA millage during a news conference commuter trains After that, the master plan will be presented would be atop the other transit taxes already millage at 10 a.m. Tuesday at hang in balance. to the RTA’s 10-member board for approval. in place in the Ann Arbor area and Detroit Lawrence Technological The board will vote on the plan, its budget suburbs. 20-year proposal would University in Southfi eld. and the language for the ballot proposal. To build public support for another transit raise billions to pay for bus RTA CEO Michael Ford told Crain’s recently A multimedia "vote yes" campaign, tax, Ford and other RTA offi cials have spent a that the tax likely would be about 1 to 1.2 mills, created by and fi nanced largely by the rapid transit, commuter rail which would raise money to build bus rapid pro-transit Detroit Regional Chamber Founda- SEE RTA, PAGE 16 Survey: Midsize employers adjust to reduce health care cost increases By Jay Greene “We have a younger workforce, to $75, compared with 23 percent of [email protected] “We are trying to gure out how to and looking at our numbers with companies in 2015. Tier one usually Health care costs for Southeast incorporate wellness to drive down claims, we are hoping to reduce our includes lowest-cost generic drugs Michigan midsize companies are costs,” Nessel said. The company of- and features the expected to increase by 4 percent costs for employees.” fers two PPO plans with $500 and lowest copays, this year, a slight uptick from 2015’s Brittany Nessel, NS International Ltd. $1,000 deductibles, which is similar with a second near-historic low of 3 percent, but to the fully insured plan offered the tier for brand- still below national projections of care costs by boosting deductibles tion drug management and tele- past several years with Blue Cross, name drugs and 4.3 percent, according to a new re- for PPO and HMO benefi t plans, us- medicine programs, according to she said. a third tier for port from Troy-based Marsh & Mc- ing high-deductible health insur- the 440 employers that participated NS International, an automotive nonpreferred Lennan Agency LLC. ance plans, wellness programs tied in Marsh & McLennan’s 13th annual supplier that employs 240 people, brand-name Most employers managed health to incentives, aggressive prescrip- Southeast Michigan Mid-Market mostly engineers in Michigan and drugs. General- Group Benefi ts Survey. Ohio, is owned by Nippon Seiki Co. ly, the higher the Rebecca But some employers lowered Ltd. of Japan. tier a drug is in, © Entire contents copyright 2016 McLaughlan: by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved health care costs by shifting from Rebecca McLaughlan, vice presi- the higher the Drug prices are a crainsdetroit.com Vol. 32 No 22 $2 a copy. $59 a year. fully insured plans to self-insurance. dent with Marsh & McLennan, said copayment. challenge. Troy-based NS International Ltd. drug price increases are driving Drug costs shifted to self-insurance with Blue higher employer costs and leading “are the highest Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, cut the some employers to add higher co- in years, especially for biotech number of dental and vision carri- payment tiers for specialty medica- drugs,” McLaughlan said. ers to three from 10 and reduced tions. While employers continue to of- company health benefi t costs by For example, 30 percent of com- fer high-deductible health plans (47 14.6 percent, said Brittany Nessel, panies now offer a fourth tier of HR business partner. drug copays, which range from $60 SEE SURVEY, PAGE 17 2 CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS // MAY 30, 2016 seas by reducing accidents and dan- to be completed by November. MICHIGAN gerous combat situations for sol- n Manistique-based Mackinac Fi- INSIDE diers, especially in places where nancial Corp. will extend its footprint THIS ISSUE .........................................13 bombs and improvised explosive in Wisconsin with a planned acqui- CALENDAR CLASSIFIED ADS ...............................15 devices could be hidden, officials sition of Niagara Bancorp. The two DEALS & DETAILS .............................13 said. The I-69 stretch was chosen for banks expect the $7.3 million deal to KEITH CRAIN.......................................6 testing because of its proximity to an close in the third quarter or early MARY KRAMER ..................................6 international border crossing and to fourth quarter of this year, MiBiz re- OPINION ..............................................6 BRIEFS the R&D center’s headquarters at the ported. Mackinac Financial, with RUMBLINGS .......................................19 Snyder halts Flint probes plan to address underground infra- U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal in Warren. assets of $732.9 million as of March WEEK ON THE WEB ..........................19 aer prosecutors object structure needs statewide. The Re- 31, is the parent company of mBank, publican governor and GOP legisla- MICH-CELLANEOUS which has 13 offices in the Upper Gov. Rick Snyder last week tempo- tive leaders still have to sign the n Coopersville-based Admiral Pe- Peninsula and three in the northern COMPANY INDEX: rarily halted civil and administrative accord, but unsettled details were troleum Co. — a long-standing price Lower Peninsula, including one in SEE PAGE 18 investigations into how the state De- described as small. leader at Michigan gas pumps — Birmingham, plus three in Wiscon- partment of Environmental Quality has been sold to Sun Capital Partners sin. Niagara Bancorp., the holding and filed suit. Caribou Coffee said it contributed to Flint’s lead-tainted Army to test driverless Inc., a Boca Raton, Fla.-based pri- company of First National Bank of has contributed to a GoFundMe drinking water crisis, after being vate equity firm. The acquisition in- Niagara, has four offices in Wiscon- fundraising page to help with the warned they are hampering state vehicles on I-69 in June cludes 130 Admiral-branded gas sin with assets of about $70 million. Chorleys’ rebranding efforts. and federal criminal investigations, A convoy of U.S. Army vehicles will and convenience stores and nine n A cafe in the northern Lower n Long a favorite of Lansing The Associated Press reported. cruise along I-69 in Lapeer and St. Lemmen Oil Co. stores across Michi- Peninsula has to change its name sports fans, Tripper’s Sports Bar & Snyder’s office released letters Clair counties in late June as part of gan and northern Indiana, MLive. after a couple was accused by coffee Grill closed last week after 27 years in from state Attorney General Bill an initial testing of driverless military com reported. Terms of the sale store chain Caribou Coee of trade- business. Owner Steve Tripp told Schuette and U.S. Attorney Barbara vehicle equipment on public road- were not announced. mark infringement. Eric and Kelly the Lansing State Journal that more McQuade raising concerns about ways, officials from the U.S. Army n Six volleyball courts or four Chorley have to change the name of and more people are staying home an already-concluded state police Tank Automotive Research, Develop- full-sized basketball courts will re- the Blue Caribou Cafe in Beulah., the to watch games on their big-screen investigation of the DEQ’s role in the ment and Engineering Center and the place the roller skating rink at the Grand Rapids Press reported. The TVs, and that with new state regula- lead contamination of the city’s tap Michigan Department of Transporta- Woodland Skating Center in Grand Minneapolis-based chain claimed tions, its business for charity poker water. Schuette also complained tion said. Rapids, DV5 Properties LLC, a sports the name and logos were too similar tournaments had diminished. about an ongoing inquiry targeting The vehicles will test a piece of academy owned by Amway Corp. the state Department of Health and technology critical in the develop- heir Cheri DeVos, announced. MSA Corrections Human Services that is being con- ment and testing of driverless and Woodland, the new 105,000-square- ducted by the state auditor general connected vehicles, the Times Her- foot facility, will offer indoor turf for n The headline on the May 23 article about Bank of America Merrill and the department’s inspector ald of Port Huron reported.