Michigan Public Policy Survey Questions and Data Tables

In the next fiscal year, how likely is it that your jurisdiction will utilize a four-day work week?

In the next fiscal year, how likely is it that your jurisdiction will utilize early retirement incentives or buyouts?

In the next fiscal year, how likely is it that your jurisdiction will utilize reduced pay rates and/or benefits packages for new hires, compared to current employee compensation rates?

In the next fiscal year, how likely is it that your jurisdiction will utilize reduced or eliminated training for local officials and/or local employees?

In your current fiscal year, did your jurisdiction completely eliminate any service(s) that is no longer provided at all?

In your current fiscal year, did your jurisdiction completely eliminate any service(s), but is now provided by another entity?

In your current fiscal year, did your jurisdiction not completely eliminate any service(s)?

Looking forward to the next fiscal year, do you expect your jurisdiction will completely eliminate any particular service(s), and it will no longer be provided at all?

Looking forward to the next fiscal year, do you expect your jurisdiction will completely eliminate any particular service(s), but it will be provided by another entity?

Looking forward to the next fiscal year, do you expect your jurisdiction to not completely eliminate any particular service?

Does your jurisdiction adopt single-year budgets or multi-year budgets?

How likely is it that your jurisdiction will adopt formal multi-year budgeting in the next 12 months? (Among those jurisdictions reporting using single-year budgets)

In your current fiscal year, has your jurisdiction had to make any significant mid-year adjustments due to an inaccurate budget forecast?

Different local jurisdictions manage their unreserved general fund balances in different ways depending on their specific circumstances. Despite these differences, we're interested in tracking overall changes in these balances over time. Approximately what was your jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance as a percentage of general fund expenditures at the end of its last fiscal year?

Thinking about your jurisdiction's fiscal needs, overall, do you consider your jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance to be too high, about right, or too low?

In your opinion, is your jurisdiction's cash flow and its ability to pay bills in a timely manner a significant fiscal problem, somewhat of a problem, not much of a problem, or not a problem at all?

Do you anticipate that your jurisdiction will have property tax charge-backs from your county government in the current fiscal year?

Do you anticipate that your jurisdiction will have property tax charge-backs from your county government in the upcoming fiscal year?

Do you not anticipate that your jurisdiction will have property tax charge-backs from your county government in the current or upcoming fiscal year?

In your opinion, are potential property tax charge-backs to your jurisdiction a significant fiscal problem, somewhat of a problem, not much of a problem, or not a problem at all? (Among those jurisdictions that reported anticipating property tax charge-backs in the current or upcoming fiscal year)

Does your jurisdiction have one or more special taxing authorities, such as a Downtown Development Authority (DDA), a Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, or another similar authority?

In your opinion, overall, have your DDA and/or other special taxing authorities been an asset, a liability, or neither to your jurisdiction's fiscal health to date? (Among those jurisdictions that reported having one or more special tax authorities)

In your opinion, how likely is it that one or more of your special taxing authorities will have serious difficulty repaying their current debt? (Among those jurisdictions that reported having one or more special tax authorities)

In your opinion, are the special taxing authorities' debt obligations a significant fiscal problem, somewhat of a problem, not much of a problem, or not a problem at all for your jurisdiction's fiscal health? (Among those jurisdictions that reported having one or more special tax authorities and did not report them having no debt)

Overall, do you consider your jurisdiction's pay rate(s) for new hires to be too high, about right, or too low?