State Rep. Chuck Moss to Address Kiwanis Meeting, Field Questions on State Budget

Members of the public are invited to hear State Rep. Chuck Moss will discuss Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget at the at 12:15 p.m. Thursday at .

Moss, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, will update the Kiwanis on activity in Lansing as well and take questions on the Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed 2011-12 budget. Moss's district includes the communities of Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake Village, Franklin, Bingham Farms, Beverly Hills and Sylvan Lake.

Doug Koschik, director of and a member of the Kiwanis board of directors, said the club routinely invites public and political figures to speak at the its bi-monthly meetings. Past speakers include U.S. Rep. Gary Peters and Birmingham’s assistant city manager Joe Valentine.

Koschik said he expects many questions on Gov. Snyder's budget, on everything from city funding to the elimination of tax breaks on pensions. Released Feb. 17, while also financing $1.8 billion in tax cuts.

However, the contentious item on the agenda, Koschik said, is school funding. Snyder is proposing to cut funding for public schools by 4 percent. For Birmingham Public Schools that means a or a cut of $470 per student.

Earlier this year, Moss told Patch he admits everyone is going to have to do more with less going forward. “We have got to start getting some of these costs down,” he said. “And that’s an unfortunately fact for getting the state turned around.”

will be hosting their own April 25 at . Area legislators, including Moss, have been invited to speak on the budget and school funding and answer questions from the public.

The local Kiwanis is a group of 25 community members who raise funds for charitable organizations. Tickets include a complete lunch and can be purchased at the door for $13.25.