Michigan Public Policy Survey Questions and Data Tables

Thinking about the next fiscal year, which action has your jurisdiction taken or is likely to take regarding employee pay rates?

Has there been a decrease, an increase, or no change from the previous fiscal year in the cost of retired government employee health benefits for your jurisdiction?

Thinking about the next fiscal year, which action has your jurisdiction taken or is likely to take regarding employees' share of contributions to retirement funds?

Thinking about the next fiscal year, which action has your jurisdiction taken or is likely to take regarding retirees' share of premiums, deductibles and/or co-pays on health insurance?

Thinking about your jurisdiction’s fiscal needs, overall, do you consider your jurisdiction’s unreserved/unassigned 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?

Thinking about the overall fiscal stress of your jurisdiction today and what you expect it to be down the road - including any future financial obligations it may have - on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is the best: perfect fiscal health and 10 is the worst: fiscal crisis, how would you rate your jurisdiction's overall fiscal stress today?

Thinking about the overall fiscal stress of your jurisdiction today and what you expect it to be down the road - including any future financial obligations it may have - on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is the best: perfect fiscal health and 10 is the worst: fiscal crisis, how would you rate your jurisdiction's overall fiscal stress as you expect it to be five years from now?

Thinking first about your jurisdiction’s current governing body (i.e., the County Commission, City Council or Commission, Village Council, or Township Board), how would you rate its effectiveness in establishing long-term goals?

Thinking first about your jurisdiction’s current governing body (i.e., the County Commission, City Council or Commission, Village Council, or Township Board), how would you rate its effectiveness in overseeing administrative performance?

Thinking first about your jurisdiction’s current governing body (i.e., the County Commission, City Council or Commission, Village Council, or Township Board), how would you rate its effectiveness in overseeing the jurisdiction’s finances?

Thinking first about your jurisdiction’s current governing body (i.e., the County Commission, City Council or Commission, Village Council, or Township Board), how would you rate its effectiveness in addressing citizens' expectations?

Thinking first about your jurisdiction’s current governing body (i.e., the County Commission, City Council or Commission, Village Council, or Township Board), how would you rate its effectiveness in performance overall?

In the past five years or so, to what extent has there been turnover among members of your jurisdiction’s Board/Council?

In your best estimate, how often is there consensus among Board/Council members regarding votes on development issues?

In your best estimate, how often is there consensus among Board/Council members regarding votes on budgeting and fiscal policy?

In your best estimate, how often is there consensus among Board/Council members regarding routine decisions facing the jurisdiction?

To what extent, if at all, would you say overall the behavior of individual elected officials (tone of communication, professionalism, ethics, etc.) helps or hurts relationships among the members of your jurisdiction's Board/Council?

To what extent, if at all, would you say overall the willingness of individual elected officials to support final decisions of the Board/Council helps or hurts relationships among the members of your jurisdiction's Board/Council?

To what extent, if at all, would you say overall turnover among members helps or hurts relationships among the members of your jurisdiction's Board/Council?

To what extent, if at all, would you say overall blocs or factions on the Board/Council help or hurt relationships among the members of your jurisdiction's Board/Council?

To what extent, if at all, would you say clarity of roles and responsibilities helps or hurts relationships among the members of your jurisdiction's Board/Council?

To what extent, if at all, would you say overall state and national partisan politics help or hurt relationships among the members of your jurisdiction's Board/Council?

Thinking more generally about the tone of discussion and communication that takes place around local policy issues, how would you describe the general state of public discourse among elected officials themselves within your jurisdiction?

Thinking more generally about the tone of discussion and communication that takes place around local policy issues, how would you describe the general state of public discourse between elected officials and residents within your jurisdiction?