"A view of the bay is half your pay."

For years, that was the general policy toward young professionals in Traverse City.

But now, as in many other Michigan locales, business leaders in Traverse City are listening closely to what young professionals have to say.

Here's the young professionals' agenda Up North, courtesy of Beth Milligan, communications and young professionals coordinator for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce…

1. Aggressively recruit creative/high-tech firms — cultivate knowledge economy jobs. (Examples: Google, Ann Arbor SPARK, low-cost training programs for the film industry and not just in Metro areas)

2. Make arts funding a priority — cities with vibrant arts and culture scenes and sense of "place" attract young people. (See Austin, Manhattan, etc.) Don't cut arts funding in the Michigan budget! This is a surefire way to drive young people from the state. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The governor's budget proposes to finish off several years of steep arts funding cuts by zeroing out the arts budget, which was a few million dollars this year.)

3. Develop renewable energy-related jobs.

4. Offer tax breaks to local companies that develop paid internships specifically for young professionals.

5. Reduce student loans and make affordable education a reality in Michigan to bring/keep more students here. Make high-demand degree programs less expensive. Increase availability of bachelor's and grad school programs in Northern Michigan.

6. Tax credits for first-time home buyers.

7. Tax credits for certain age demographics living within locals in need of young talent. There are 15,000 young professionals in Detroit and 226,000 in Chicago.

8. Rewrite Michigan's tax code to be favorable to small businesses.

9. More affordable housing.

10. Improve regional airports (like Traverse City) and their connections to larger hubs.

11. Preserve tourism funding in the Michigan budget!