Sec. 16.

(1) Unless another method for adopting a budget is provided by a charter provision in effect on April 1, 1980, the legislative body of each local unit shall pass a general appropriations act for all funds except trust or agency, internal service, enterprise, debt service or capital project funds for which the legislative body may pass a special appropriation act.

(2) The general appropriations act shall set forth the total number of mills of ad valorem property taxes to be levied and the purposes for which that millage is to be levied. The amendatory act that added this subsection shall be known and may be cited as "the truth in budgeting act".

(3) The general appropriations act shall set forth the amounts appropriated by the legislative body to defray the expenditures and meet the liabilities of the local unit for the ensuing fiscal year, and shall set forth a statement of estimated revenues, by source, in each fund for the ensuing fiscal year.

(4) The general appropriations act shall be consistent with uniform charts of accounts prescribed by the state treasurer or, for local school districts and intermediate school districts, by the state board of education.

(5) This act shall not be interpreted to mandate the development or adoption by a local unit of a line-item budget or line-item general appropriations act.

(6) The legislative body shall determine the amount of money to be raised by taxation necessary to defray the expenditures and meet the liabilities of the local unit for the ensuing fiscal year, shall order that money to be raised by taxation, within statutory and charter limitations, and shall cause the money raised by taxation to be paid into the funds of the local unit.

(7) Except as otherwise permitted by section 102 of the state school aid act of 1979, 1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1702, or by other law, the legislative body shall not adopt a general appropriations act or an amendment to that act which causes estimated total expenditures, including an accrued deficit, to exceed total estimated revenues, including an available surplus and the proceeds from bonds or other obligations issued under the fiscal stabilization act, 1981 PA 80, MCL 141.1001 to 141.1011, or the balance of the principal of these bonds or other obligations.

(8) A general appropriations act, including any amendment to that general appropriations act, is presumed to fund those activities of a county mandated by law at a serviceable level.

(9) An elected official who heads a branch of county government or the chief judge of a court funded by a county has standing to bring a suit against the legislative body of that county concerning a general appropriations act, including any challenge as to serviceable levels of funding for that branch of county government or that court. If a court and the legislative body of a county are involved in mediation, before the chief judge of that court brings a suit on the court's own behalf against the legislative body of the county under this subsection, a mediator shall certify in writing that the parties are unable to resolve the issues by mediation. The court hearing a suit shall consider the financial ability of the county to pay when considering any challenge as to serviceable levels of funding.

(10) If any portion of this section or the application of this section to any circumstance is found to be invalid by a court, the invalidity shall not affect the remaining portions or application of this section that can be given effect without the invalid portion or application. The provisions of this section are severable.

History: Add. 1978, Act 621, Eff. Apr. 1, 1980 ;-- Am. 1981, Act 77, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1981 ;-- Am. 1981, Act 78, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1981 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 41, Imd. Eff. May 22, 1995 ;-- Am. 2000, Act 493, Imd. Eff. Jan. 11, 2001 ;-- Am. 2013, Act 172, Imd. Eff. Nov. 18, 2013