MPPS Spring 2014 data tables

Back to the Michigan Public Policy Survey Homepage Search all Spring 2014 data tables

Summary tables for questionnaire items from the Spring 2014 Wave of the MPPS Broken down by jurisdiction type, population size, and region of the state:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Fiscal Health

  1. Good or Bad Times in the coming year?
    1. Better or Less Able to meet jurisdiction's needs this fiscal year than last
    2. Better or Less Able to meet jurisdiction's needs next fiscal year than this

Changes from the Last Fiscal Year to the Current Fiscal Year

    1. Change in jurisdiction's revenue from property taxes
    2. Change in jurisdiction's revenue from fees for services, licenses, transfers, etc.
    3. Change in jurisdiction's amount of debt
    4. Change in jurisdiction's ability to repay its debt
    5. Change in amount of federal aid to jurisdiction
    6. Change in amount of state aid to jurisdiction
    7. Change in jurisdiction's tax delinquencies
    8. Change in jurisdiction's amount of home foreclosures
    9. Change in jurisdiction's population
    10. Change in jurisdiction's public safety needs
    11. Change in jurisdiction's infrastructure needs
    12. Change in jurisdiction's human service needs
    13. Change in jurisdiction's general government operations needs
    14. Change in jurisdiction's number of employees
    15. Change in pay rates for jurisdiction's employee wages and salaries
    16. Change in jurisdiction's cost of government's employee pensions
    17. Change in jurisdiction's cost of government's current employee health benefits
    18. Change in jurisdiction's cost of government's retired employee health benefits

Expected Changes from the Current Fiscal Year to the Next Fiscal Year

    1. Projected change in property tax rates
    2. Projected change in charges for fees, licenses, etc.
    3. Projected change in reliance on general fund balance
    4. Projected change in reliance on “rainy day” funds
    5. Projected change in amount of services provided
    6. Projected change in actual public safety spending
    7. Projected change in actual infrastructure spending
    8. Projected change in actual human services spending
    9. Projected change in actual general government operations spending
    10. Projected change in funding for economic development programs
    11. Projected change in amount of debt
    12. Projected change in sale of public assets
    13. Projected change in privatizing or contracting out services
    14. Projected change in number and/or scope of interlocal agreements or other cost-sharing plans with other governments
    15. Projected change in jurisdiction's workforce hiring
    16. Projected change in jurisdiction's workforce layoffs
    17. Projected change in jurisdiction's filling vacant positions
    18. Projected change in employee pay rates
    19. Projected change in employees' share of premiums, deductibles, and/or co-pays on health insurance
    20. Projected change in employees' share of contributions to retirement funds
    21. Projected change in retirees' share of premiums, deductibles, and/or co-pays on health insurance

Employee wages and benefits

    1. Level of jurisdiction's employee pay rate for new hires
    2. Level of jurisdiction's employee pay rate for current employees
    3. Level of jurisdiction's employee pay rate for current elected officials
    1. Jurisdiction provides fringe benefit package(s) to new hires
    2. Jurisdiction provides fringe benefit package(s) to current employees
    3. Jurisdiction provides fringe benefit package(s) to current elected officials
    1. Level of jurisdiction's employee fringe benefit package(s) for new hires
    2. Level of jurisdiction's employee fringe benefit package(s) for current employees
    3. Level of jurisdiction's employee fringe benefit package(s) for current elected officials
    1. Level of jurisdiction's contributions to employee health care benefits for new hires
    2. Level of jurisdiction's contributions to employee health care benefits for current employees
    3. Level of jurisdiction's contributions to employee health care benefits for current elected officials

Privatization

  1. Jurisdiction has current or past privatization of public services or operations
    1. Privatized utilities/water/sewer
    2. Privatized waste/recycling
    3. Privatized 911 emergency services
    4. Privatized health and human services
    5. Privatized parks and recreation
    6. Privatized streetlights
    7. Privatized street repair/road maintenance
    8. Privatized snow plowing and salting
    9. Privatized parking structures/parking meters
    10. Privatized vehicle towing and storage
    11. Privatized land use planning
    12. Privatized engineering
    13. Privatized surveying
    14. Privatized inspections
    15. Privatized property assessing
    16. Privatized tax collection
    17. Privatized fleet management/vehicle maintenance
    18. Privatized groundskeeping/custodial/general facility maintenance
    19. Privatized economic development services
    20. Privatized attorney/legal services
    21. Privatized printing and document services
    22. Privatized information technology
    23. Privatized other administrative functions
    1. Satisfaction with privatization efforts' cost savings
    2. Satisfaction with privatization efforts' quality of service delivery
    3. Satisfaction with privatization efforts' timeliness of service delivery
    4. Satisfaction with privatization efforts' responsiveness of contractor(s)
    5. Satisfaction with privatization efforts overall
  4. Jurisdiction systematically evaluates its privatization efforts
    1. Evaluate citizen satisfaction with privatization efforts
    2. Evaluate cost of privatization efforts
    3. Evaluate compliance with delivery standards specified in privatization efforts
  6. Jurisdiction brought privatized services or operations back in-house
    1. Service quality was not satisfactory under privatization
    2. Relationship with the contractor(s) was not satisfactory under privatization
    3. Cost savings were insufficient under privatization
    4. Problems monitoring the contract(s) under privatization
    5. Local government efficiency improved compared with privatization
    6. Political support to bring privatized services back in-house
    1. Board or Council thinks there is currently too much or not enough privatization
    2. Local official thinks there is currently too much or not enough privatization
    1. Availability of private firms or providers encouraging privatization
    2. Desire to improve quality of services or operations encouraging privatization
    3. Desire to decrease costs encouraging privatization
    4. Desire for more flexibility in service delivery encouraging privatization
    5. Desire for more flexibility in staffing encouraging privatization
    6. Prior positive experience encouraging privatization
    7. Fiscal pressures encouraging privatization
    8. Political climate emphasizing a decreased role for government encouraging privatization
    9. The influence of citizens encouraging privatization
    10. The influence of businesses or business groups encouraging privatization
    11. The influence of elected officials encouraging privatization
    12. The influence of employees encouraging privatization
    13. Labor contracts encouraging privatization
    14. Lack of in-house expertise or resources encouraging privatization
    1. Lack of availability of private firms or providers discouraging privatization
    2. Higher costs than expected discouraging privatization
    3. Prior negative experience discouraging privatization
    4. Political climate emphasizing public control over service delivery discouraging privatization
    5. The influence of citizens discouraging privatization
    6. The influence of businesses or business groups discouraging privatization
    7. The influence of elected officials discouraging privatization
    8. The influence of employees discouraging privatization
    9. Labor contracts discouraging privatization
    10. Sufficient in-house expertise or resources discouraging privatization
    11. Lack of in-house ability to oversee contracts discouraging privatization
    12. Lack of precedent discouraging privatization
  11. Jurisdiction currently studying or planning new or expanded privatization

Budgeting Process

  1. Jurisdiction uses multi-year financial projections
  2. Jurisdiction does formal single year or multi-year budgeting
  3. Likelihood that jurisdiction will adopt formal multi-year budgeting next year

General Fund Balances

  1. Jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance as a percentage of general fund expenditures last year
  2. Assessment of level of jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance
  3. Jurisdiction's cash flow as a fiscal health problem
    1. Jurisdiction's overall fiscal health today
    2. Jurisdiction's overall fiscal health five years from now

Financial Management Policies

    1. Does jurisdiction have policy for long-range planning for operating budgets
    2. Does jurisdiction have policy for long-range planning for capital budgets
    3. Does jurisdiction have policy for asset inventory
    4. Does jurisdiction have policy for fees and charges
    5. Does jurisdiction have policy for one-time revenues
    6. Does jurisdiction have policy for unpredictable revenues
    7. Does jurisdiction have policy for general fund balance
    8. Does jurisdiction have policy for reserve or stabilization accounts or other fund reserves
    9. Does jurisdiction have policy for debt level and capacity
    10. Does jurisdiction have policy for balanced budget
  2. Jurisdiction policies have become more or less formalized

Evaluating current events and political issues

  1. State of Michigan going in right direction or on wrong track
  2. Jurisdiction going in right direction or on wrong track
  3. Governor Snyder's job performance
  4. Michigan Legislature's job performance
  5. Jurisdiction's board or council's job performance
    1. Rating of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's job performance
    2. Rating of the Department of Community Health (DCH)'s job performance
    3. Rating of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)'s job performance
    4. Rating of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)'s job performance
    5. Rating of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)'s job performance
    6. Rating of the Department of Human Services' job performance
    7. Rating of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)'s job performance
    8. Rating of the Secretary of State's job performance
    9. Rating of the Department of Transportation (MDOT)'s job performance
    10. Rating of the Department of Treasury's job performance
    11. Rating of the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB)'s job performance
    12. Rating of the Department of Corrections' job performance
    13. Rating of the State Police's job performance
    14. Rating of the Attorney General's job performance