Ford School News

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In the Media

Report: Locals Fiscally Sound During COVID, Long-Term Unclear

Apr 12, 2024 Gongwer

Local governments generally found themselves fiscally sound during the coronavirus pandemic due to one-time infusions of federal aid, but long-term fiscal health is more varied and could be tough to navigate due to constraints on fiscal policy, a...

CLOSUP Updates

New Fiscal Health Project Report: The Fiscal Health of Michigan Local Governments 2021 - 2022

Apr 8, 2024

Following local government’s unprecedented responsibilities as first responders to the COVID-19 pandemic and their subsequent infusions of aid from the federal government, a new report from CLOSUP's Fiscal Health Project checks in on the fiscal...

Michigan local governments face ARPA spending challenges with inflation and supply chain issues

News

Michigan local government leaders’ views on their employee unions: few changes in relationships or impacts as Right-to-Work comes and goes

Jul 26, 2023

Pluralities of local government leaders across Michigan say the state’s recently repealed "Right-to-Work" law had no impact on issues such as community business growth, the ability of their local government to lure or keep public sector employees,...

Challenges continue for state-local relations, according to Michigan local government leaders

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Michigan local government leaders’ views on their employee unions: few changes in relationships or impacts as Right-to-Work comes and goes

Jul 26, 2023

A new policy brief presents the views of Michigan local government leaders on a range of issues regarding public employee unions in their jurisdictions, including their governments’ relationships with their employee unions, whether their unions are...

News

Leiser and Shaefer comment on Detroit bankruptcy anniversary

Jul 18, 2023

As the city of Detroit marked the 10th anniversary of its declaration of bankruptcy, publications took stock of the progress the city has made. Bloomberg quoted the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy’s (CLOSUP) Stephanie Leiser, who leads the...

Leiser and Shaefer comment on Detroit bankruptcy anniversary

State & Hill

Quantum leap

May 3, 2023

City of Flint and CLOSUP work toward transparency in municipal financial reporting By Daniel Rivkin When City of Flint CFO Rob Widigan looks at his required annual financial reporting to the state of Michigan, he sighs. His department needs to...

A 20-year review of Flint finances shows consequences of lack of investment

News

Leiser shares expertise on government financial reporting in webinar

Jan 29, 2023

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) has been partnering with XBRL US, to work with the City of Flint to explore whether a new fiscal reporting mechanism for governmental entities can help create transparency—and prevent future...

Leiser shares expertise on government financial reporting in webinar

Publication

New law on data transparency will improve governance - Leiser

Dec 20, 2022

Increasing transparency in how local government works got a boost when the U.S. Congress passed the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) on December 15, 2022. The act requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt data standards related...

New law on data transparency will improve governance - Leiser

Publication

Local government fiscal outlook in Michigan a mixed picture: near-term improvement, long-term challenges

Dec 14, 2022

A majority of Michigan local leaders' assessments of their fiscal stress this year remain essentially unchanged compared to both 2021 and 2020, despite significant infusions of federal and state aid in recent years. The findings come from the...

MPPS in the news

Report highlights perspectives on democracy, fiscal health among Michigan administrators

Dec 14, 2022 American City and Country

Politically driven incidents over the last few years at all levels of government have fundamentally shaken public perception about the health of America’s democracy. Administrators have likewise been impacted. A new study from the University of...

CLOSUP Updates

Michigan local leaders report near-term improvements in fiscal health, especially in large jurisdictions, yet long-term concerns increase

Dec 14, 2022

A new report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they plan to take in the coming year given their financial situations. The findings are based on responses from 14...

In the Media

Leiser on building a better local government financial reporting system

Aug 23, 2022 The Bond Buyer

Through a Michigan pilot program, Stephanie Leiser and the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy are building a taxonomy for machine-readable local government financial documents. "Transparency into local government fiscal health is needed to...

Leiser on building a better local government financial reporting system

Publication

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

Jul 28, 2022

A survey of Michigan local government leaders on the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses finds the top spending priorities are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public safety. Further, the state's largest jurisdictions are...

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

News

CLOSUP in consortium launching review of Flint government financial data standards

Jun 15, 2022

Governments, standard setters, regulators and analysts encouraged to provide input A pilot project involving the University of Michigan and others is exploring whether a new fiscal reporting mechanism for governmental entities can help create...

CLOSUP in consortium launching review of Flint government financial data standards

News

A 20-year review of Flint finances shows consequences of lack of investment

Jun 8, 2022

The turmoil surrounding the City of Flint, MI – most infamously the Flint Water Crisis – has become a cautionary tale for other Rust Belt cities struggling to balance their budgets, provide services, and attract new business. A 20-year review of the...

In the Media

Leiser comments on state disinvestment in local government

May 9, 2022 Michigan Radio

Michigan Radio reports that disinvestment in Michigan's local governments has had a direct effect on the deterioration of basic infrastructure, especially water and sewage systems. Stephanie Leiser, who leads the Michigan Local Government Fiscal...

In the Media

How we should think about the government's budget - Leiser

Mar 14, 2022 WXYZ

Many Americans use the analogy of a pie to think about the government budget. But, Sarah Leiser, lecturer of public policy and leader of the Michigan Local Government Fiscal Health Project at CLOSUP, says there's another way to think about it. "It...

CLOSUP Updates

Join our team

Jan 14, 2022 careers.umich.edu

Apply by 2/14/22: CLOSUP is looking for a Research & Data Specialist to support all phases of research and outreach of two of our core activities, the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) and the Fiscal Health Project. For more details and how to...

News

Michigan local government officials report improved fiscal health after a year of COVID-19, but not to pre-pandemic levels

Dec 16, 2021

Michigan’s local governments report improvement on many fiscal health measures after a year of struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, but for much of the state the situation has stayed the same or continues to decline, according to a new Michigan...

More than half of Michigan local governments report personnel harassed, abused for doing their jobs

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local government officials report improved fiscal health after a year of COVID-19, but not yet back to pre-pandemic levels

Dec 16, 2021

News

University of Michigan and the City of Flint partner on new fiscal reporting pilot program for transparency, better governance

Dec 1, 2021

The water crisis in Flint and the bankruptcy in Detroit were separate events that had a common theme -- they had been caused in part by fiscal challenges decades in the making. Avoiding similar tragedies in the future could be tied to greater...

Publication

Michigan local government leaders report lingering impacts from COVID-19 pandemic, improvements overall from the start of the crisis

Oct 27, 2021

Local leaders from across the state have reported lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report, and worsening outlooks for how much longer some of those impacts will last. While the numbers of local communities reporting on...

In the Media

Michigan's share of stimulus resources poses a welcome challenge, according to Leiser

Apr 8, 2021 Bridge Michigan

As the state of Michigan could receive as much as $10 billion from the Biden administration stimulus package, officials are planning how to allocate the resources in the best way. “It’s hard to exaggerate how big of a deal it is,” Brideg Michigan...

News

Ford School undergraduates continue to lead during the pandemic

Mar 15, 2021

By Jack Eichner (BA '21) This week marks one year since the University of Michigan’s campus shut down. Questions swirled as students had to adjust to virtual learning while simultaneously adapting to new living situations in a rapidly evolving...

Ford School undergraduates continue to lead during the pandemic

Publication

Policy memo: Leiser and Ivacko on "State and local governments as partners in our national recovery"

Jan 25, 2021

As the Biden administration embarks on its first hundred days, experts from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy have produced a series of policy briefs on key issues. Download the PDF of this brief or read the web-formatted version...

COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource Guides for Local Governments produced by CLOSUP and partners

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: COVID-19 pandemic sparks Michigan local leaders’ concerns for fiscal health

Dec 14, 2020

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they plan to take in the coming year given their financial situations. The findings are based on responses from 12...

News

CLOSUP finds Michigan local government leaders report widespread crisis-level impacts from COVID-19 pandemic

Jun 24, 2020

Leaders across Michigan have reported problems supporting their communities in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic—with many saying they failed to get needed health or financial help in one of the hardest-hit states, according to a survey by...

News

COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource Guides for Local Governments produced by CLOSUP and partners

May 11, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis is having a dramatic impact on Michigan's local governments, and the fiscal implications — including emergency spending, revenue losses, and budget cuts — are already being felt. The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy...

News

CLOSUP helps local governments navigate fiscal challenges during global pandemic

Apr 23, 2020

New research from the Center for Local State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)’s Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) measures the impact that the COVID-19 crisis will have on local fiscal health. CLOSUP anticipates local governments will be facing a...

CLOSUP helps local governments navigate fiscal challenges during global pandemic

MPPS in the news

WOLVERINE CAUCUS: LOCAL GOVERNMENT FISCAL HEALTH

Mar 20, 2020 U-M Public Engagement

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