I welcomed Eric Castiglia of Sterling Heights to the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday night as my guest for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2020 State of the State address. Eric is the national account management director at the Center for Computer Resources. He also serves as secretary of the Sterling Heights Zoning Board of Appeals and as chairman of the city’s Citizens Advisory Committee.

During her address, the governor covered several topics from education to health care. However, it was her new plan to have the state issue $3.5 billion in bonds to improve our highways that captured the headlines. None of the borrowed funds will go to local roads.

We must do what we can to fix our roads and infrastructure, which is why I sponsored reforms to improve our road funding efficiency and supported a nearly $400 million boost in funding for local roads without raising taxes — only to have the governor eliminate it.

Last year, we achieved historic auto insurance reforms to reduce costs for Michigan families, and we should do the same for road funding. Unfortunately, the governor seems more interested in simply spending more than in finding an effective, long-term solution.

We should be proud of how far our state has come over the last decade, but we need to address our ongoing challenges to ensure Michigan and Macomb County continue to be the best places for families to live, talent to prosper and job creators to thrive.

Education and job training are critical to our future, and I will continue to work to make sure every Michigan student and worker is prepared for a successful career. I look forward to hearing directly from the people of Macomb County about their priorities.

Next week, I will be holding a small business roundtable with local business owners and discussing issues facing Michigan and Macomb County with area residents during a tele-town hall meeting.

A tele-town hall meeting is a telephone conference call in which people can talk with me and ask questions. Last year, 1,200 residents participated in our first tele-town hall. The tele-town hall technology provides a forum to talk with families about what we’re doing to improve our state and to hear from them about their goals and concerns.

The tele-town hall starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Residents can call 855-756-7520 ext. 55185# to participate.

Our second annual small business roundtable is scheduled for 12 - 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library, 40900 Romeo Plank Road in Clinton Township. The main goal of the roundtable is to hear from our small business community so that we can help them thrive and create jobs in Macomb County. Residents can RSVP to my office at 517-373-7315.

We had another great turnout at our district coffee hours at Biggby Coffee in Sterling Heights on Jan. 17, and I will continue to hold them on the first Monday and third Friday of every month to hear directly from the people.

Our next scheduled coffee hour is Monday, Feb. 3 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Panera Bread, located at 36808 Van Dyke Ave. in Sterling Heights. The coffee hour is open to residents to express their opinions or concerns about state government or to request assistance with a state issue. No appointment is necessary.

If you are unable to attend the coffee hour, please contact my office toll-free at 1-866-303-0110 or via email at [email protected].

It’s tax time again. In addition to filling out income tax forms over the next 10 weeks, Macomb homeowners should be getting their property tax assessments soon if you haven’t already received them.

Our assessors do their best to accurately determine a home’s value with the information they have, but the process is not perfect. Assessments can be confusing, and appealing them can be frustrating.

If you believe your assessments are in error, you may appeal them to their local Board of Review and, if necessary, the Michigan Tax Tribunal. No attorney is required.

I am pleased to offer a complementary packet on my website to help guide you through the process. It features a step-by-step guide outline and a sample appeal letter.