Each spring, the Michigan Public Policy Survey focuses on issues related to local government fiscal health, as well as budgetary and operations policies. The table below provides a cross-listing of the "core" questions that get repeated each year, thereby providing easy access to longitudinal data, to allow tracking of change and continuity in fundamental policy issues over time.
Clicking on the year in the title row (top row) of the table will take you to the "Table of Contents" page for the selected year's full set of data. Clicking on the year next to any question further down in the cross-listing table below will take you to the survey responses for the selected question in the selected wave, with the data broken down by jurisdiction type, population size, and region of the state.
| "Core" Fiscal Tracking Items |
| Full Tables of Contents for Individual Survey Waves: |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Fiscal Health |
Data by Year |
| Good or bad times in the coming year? |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Better or less able to meet jurisdiction's needs this fiscal year than last year |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Better or less able to meet jurisdiction's needs next fiscal year than this year |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Changes from the Last Fiscal Year to the Current Fiscal Year |
Data by Year |
| Change in jurisdiction's revenue from property taxes |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's revenue from fees for services, licenses, transfers, etc. |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in amount of jurisdiction's amount of debt |
2011 |
- |
- |
| Change in jurisdiction's ability to repay its debt |
2011 |
- |
- |
| Change in jurisdiction's revenue from local income taxes |
- |
- |
2009 |
| Change in amount of federal aid to jurisdiction |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in amount of state aid to jurisdiction |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's tax delinquincies |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Change in jurisdiction's population |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's amount of home foreclosures |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Change in jurisdiction's public safety needs |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's infrastructure needs |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's human service needs |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's number of employees |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Change in jurisdiction's pay rates for employee wages and salaries |
2011 |
- |
- |
| Change in jurisdiction's employee wages and salaries |
- |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's cost of employee pensions |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's cost of current employee health benefits |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Change in jurisdiction's cost of retired employee health benefits |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Expected Changes from the Current Fiscal Year to the Next Fiscal Year |
Data by Year |
| Projected change in property tax rates |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in charges for fees, licenses, etc. |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in reliance on general fund balance |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in reliance on "rainy day" funds |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in reliance on ending balance or reserve |
- |
- |
2009 |
| Projected change in amount of services provided |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in actual public safety spending |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in actual infrastructure spending |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in actual human services spending |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in funding for economic development programs |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in amount of debt |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in sale of public assets |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in privatizing or contracting out services |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in number and/or scope of interlocal agreements or other cost-sharing plans with other governments |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in number and/or scope of interlocal agreements |
- |
- |
2009 |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's workforce hiring |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's workforce layoffs |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's filling vacant positions |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's employee pay rates |
2011 |
- |
- |
| Projected change in amount of employee compensation |
- |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's employees' share of premiums, deductibles and/or co-pays on health insurance |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's employees' share of contributions to retirement funds |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Projected change in jurisdiction's retirees' share of premiums, deductibles and/or co-pays on health insurance |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Furloughs and Four-day Work Weeks |
Data by Year |
| Jurisdiction utilized employee furloughs this year |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction utilized a four-day work week this year |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Likelihood that jurisdiction will utilize employee furloughs next year |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Likelihood that jurisdiction will utilize a four-day work week next year |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Elimination of Services |
Data by Year |
| Jurisdiction completely eliminated service(s) this year that are now no longer provided at all |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction completely eliminated service(s) this year that are now provided by another entity |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction plans to completely eliminate service(s) in coming year and no longer provide it at all |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction plans to completely eliminate service(s) in coming year that will be provided by another entity |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Budgeting Processes |
Data by Year |
| Jurisdiction does formal single year or multi-year budgeting |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction had to make significant mid-year adjustments because expenditures were higher than expected |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction had to make significant mid-year adjustments because revenues were lower than expected |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction did not have to make any significant mid-year adjustments |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance as a percentage of general fund expenditures last year |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Post-Employment Benefit Liabilities |
Data by Year |
| Jurisdiction's retiree health care obligations as a fiscal health problem |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction in the process of or has completed an actuarial study to determine/quantify liability |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction increased cost-sharing for retirees |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction negotiated with unions to reduce benefits |
2011 |
- |
- |
| Jurisdiction negotiated with unions to changed benefits |
- |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction reduced non-union benefits |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction increased the age at which retirement benefits are available |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction increased the years of service required to receive retirement benefits |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Jurisdiction financed liability through bonds |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| The Federal Stimulus Package |
Data by Year |
| Amount the Recovery Act has helped community's economy to date |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Amount the Recovery Act will improve community's economy in long term |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Amount the Recovery Act has helped Michigan's economy to date |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Amount the Recovery Act will improve Michigan's economy in long term |
2011 |
2010 |
- |
| Stimulus Package will improve the economy |
- |
- |
2009 |
