RAVENNA TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Republican State Representative Luke Meerman of Coopersville is one of the lawmakers who voted last week to advance the state budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year.
Meerman told WOOD Radio News it includes special funding he advocated for to repair five-and-a-half miles of Blackmer Road in Ravenna Township, between Mortimer Street and Wilson Road. The funds will go to the Muskegon County Road Commission to do the work.
"Fixing a road like this is really outside of their capacity," Meerman said. "It's been a problem for the road commission, as well. Roads are the purview of the road commission. But the Muskegon County Road Commission is stretched thin, as well."
The state Legislature passed an 84-billion-dollar spending plan just before the Fourth of July. Governor Whitmer may sign it this week.
The budget is worth about 75-billion dollars before factoring Medicaid provider tax revenue that was placed in a contingency fund.
Here are more details from a news release from Michigan House Republicans:
State Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville) has helped reign in Michigan government’s out-of-control spending by voting to advance the budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. The budget is notably smaller than last year, marking another year of successful, targeted cuts to waste and abuse within state government.
“The people are sick of seeing higher prices and bigger expenses everywhere they look,” Meerman said. “That’s why we dug in our heels when it comes to tax increases.”
While the state budget approved by Meerman and his House Republican colleagues is smaller than the budget agreement from last year, it still delivers historic investments in the things he said really matter to the people of West Michigan, including education, public safety, and infrastructure. Meerman said he was pleased to see special funding included that he advocated for to repair the 5.5 miles of Blackmer Road between Mortimer and Wilson within Michigan’s 2026-2027 fiscal year budget.
“My funding request would simply reinvest state tax dollars back into the Ravenna community by repairing this road that is so heavily relied on by residents and local agriculture,” Meerman said. “Regardless of politics, we can all agree that the provision, maintenance, and safety of public transportation and infrastructure are a core function of our tax dollars. This is a big win for our community.”
The budget agreement Meerman helped advance today also includes cuts to 250 ghost employees – state positions that departments receive funding for but never fill. These dollars often get funneled to department slush funds. Cutting ghost employees ensures that departments must be transparent about how they spend their resources.
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