(1) A bureau which has its principal place of business in a county having a population of more than 1,500,000 may file a marketing program notice with the director. The notice shall state that the bureau proposes to create a marketing program under this act and cause an assessment to be collected from owners of transient facilities within the assessment district to pay the costs of the program.
  (2) The marketing program notice shall describe the structure, history, membership, and activities of the bureau in sufficient detail to enable the director to determine if the bureau satisfies all of the requirements of section 2(d).

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 141.883

  • Assessment: means the amount levied against an owner of a transient facility within an assessment district computed by application of the applicable percentage against aggregate room charges with respect to that transient facility during the applicable assessment period. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Assessment district: means a county having a population of more than 1,500,000 and, if so designated by the bureau in the marketing program notice, any county or counties contiguous with it. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Assessment revenues: means the money derived from the assessment, including any interest and penalties on the assessment, imposed by this act. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Bureau: means a nonprofit corporation incorporated under the laws of this state existing solely to promote convention business and tourism within this state or a portion of this state, and which complies with all of the following:
  (i) Has not less than 400 dues paying members, of which not less than 50 are owners of transient facilities. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Director: means the president of the Michigan strategic fund or his or her designee. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Marketing program: means a program established by a bureau to develop, encourage, solicit, and promote convention business and tourism within this state or a portion of this state within which the bureau operates. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Marketing program notice: means the notice described in section 3. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j
  • Owner: means the owner of a transient facility located within the assessment district or, if the transient facility is operated or managed by a person other than the owner, then the operator or manager of that transient facility. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • Room: means a room or other space provided for sleeping, including the furnishings and other accessories in the room. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • Transient facility: means a building which contains 35 or more rooms used in the business of providing dwelling, lodging, or sleeping to transient guests, whether or not membership is required for the use of the rooms. See Michigan Laws 141.882
  •   (3) The marketing program notice shall describe the marketing program to be implemented by the bureau with the assessment revenues, specify the amount of the assessment proposed to be levied which shall not exceed 2% of the room charges in the applicable payment period, and the county or counties comprising the assessment district. A county shall not be included in the marketing program notice and the assessment district specified in the notice if on the date the notice is mailed the county is collecting a tax pursuant to Act No. 263 of the Public Acts of 1974, being section 141.861 to 141.867 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.
      (4) Simultaneously with the filing of the marketing program notice with the director, the bureau shall cause a copy of the notice to be mailed by registered or certified mail to each owner of a transient facility located in the assessment district specified in the notice in care of the respective transient facility. In assembling the list of owners to whom the notices shall be mailed, the bureau shall use any data which is reasonably available to the bureau.
      (5) The form of the marketing program notice, in addition to the information required by subsections (1), (2), and (3), shall set forth the right of referendum prescribed in subsection (6).
      (6) The assessment set forth in the notice shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of 40 days after the date the notice is mailed, unless the director, within the 40-day period, receives written requests for a referendum by owners of transient facilities located within the assessment district representing not less than 40% of the total number of owners or not less than 40% of the total number of rooms in all the transient facilities.
      (7) If the director receives referendum requests in the time and number set forth in subsection (6), the director shall cause a written referendum to be held by mail or in person, as the director chooses, among all owners of transient facilities in the assessment district within 20 days after the expiration of the 40-day period. For the purposes of the referendum, each owner of a transient facility shall have 1 vote for each room in each of the owner’s transient facilities within the assessment district. If a majority of votes actually cast at the referendum approve the assessment, as proposed by the bureau in its marketing program notice, the assessment shall become effective as to all owners of transient facilities located in the assessment district on the first day of the month following expiration of 30 days after certification of the results of the referendum by the director. If a majority of votes actually cast at the referendum are opposed to the assessment, the assessment shall not become effective. If the assessment is defeated by the referendum, the bureau may file and serve a new notice of intention if at least 60 days have elapsed from the date of certification of the results of the earlier referendum. Not more than 2 referenda or notices may be held pursuant to this subsection or filed pursuant to this section in any 1 calendar year. Only 1 assessment may be in existence in an assessment district, or any part of an assessment district, at any 1 time.