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Michigan Redistricting Project

In November 2018, the citizens of Michigan passed Proposal 2, which amended the Michigan Constitution to place congressional and state legislative redistricting in the hands of a new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC)...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Pretrial diversion programs work, according to Michigan local law enforcement

Nov 20, 2024

A new MPPS policy brief presents the views of Michigan’s local chiefs of police, county sheriffs, and county prosecutors from around the state on the impacts of pretrial diversion programs and whether they would support diversion programs in their...

In the Media

Majority of U.P. local officials agree: Political partisanship is bad for communities

Nov 7, 2024 Read more

MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a fairly secluded place. It’s almost like its own world, often feeling detached from the rest of the country and even from the Lower Peninsula of the same state.However, U.P. local officials have...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Report: Michigan local government and law enforcement leaders’ initial opinions of Michigan’s new "red flag" law

Oct 30, 2024

A new MPPS report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders, county sheriffs, local chiefs of police, and county prosecutors regarding Michigan’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law, including confidence in training on proper...

MPPS in the news

Challenges in Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention in Michigan

Sep 19, 2024 Forward Pathway

Local leaders in Michigan are increasingly alarmed about the challenges of hiring and retaining law enforcement officers, as highlighted in the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey conducted by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State,...

MPPS in the news

Local leaders in Michigan sound alarms over hiring, keeping law enforcement officers

Sep 17, 2024 Michigan News

Concerns about hiring and keeping law enforcement officers have skyrocketed among local government officials in Michigan in the past decade.Local law enforcement officials themselves are even more pessimistic about recruitment and retention within...

MPPS in the news

Tough job, fewer applicants: Michigan struggles to hire police, survey finds

Sep 17, 2024 Bridge Michigan

Police agencies throughout Michigan are struggling to hire qualified officers, a new study finds, exacerbating an officer shortage that has hit forces nationwide.A University of Michigan study released Tuesday found that 72% report difficult hiring...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Michigan local government leaders’ concerns about the health of democracy edge upward, including at local level

Aug 14, 2024

A new MPPS policy brief presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders on a variety of issues across the state for their assessments of American democracy as a system of government, based on factors like free and fair elections, rule of...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Report: Michigan local governments’ planning and zoning on energy policy

Jul 17, 2024

A new MPPS report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders on a variety of energy issues, including whether energy issues are relevant to their local government, whether their jurisdiction has energy policies or renewable energy...

MPPS in the news

Michigan residents more divided than ever on wind power

Jun 18, 2024 Iron County Reporter

When I was a young child, I saw my first wind turbine in the hills of Iowa when my family was driving from Michigan to Colorado. Many people consider them an eyesore, but I thought they looked absolutely wonderful. They were like giant pinwheels...

MPPS in the news

Support for rooftop solar outpaces other energy infrastructure

Jun 4, 2024 Route Fifty

In November, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a landmark energy law that sets an ambitious goal for the state to generate 100% of its energy from renewable resources by 2040. With the law, Michigan joins its neighbors in Illinois and Minnesota,...

MPPS in the news

Brann: Retain college graduates to boost economy

Jun 4, 2024 The Detroit News

Michigan’s colleges and universities are top-notch institutions that graduate some of the best and brightest students in our country. But as tens of thousands of young people in Michigan walked at graduation ceremonies this spring, too many of them...

MPPS in the news

Biden Wants to Send Billions to Rural America, but This Must Happen First

May 26, 2024 The New York Times

President Biden regularly emphasizes how the major pieces of legislation he has signed — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — expand opportunities for Americans. This is especially...

MPPS in the news

CRYSTAL LAKE Township supervisor views property destruction as political attack

May 24, 2024 Traverse City Record-Eagle

A township official embroiled in a federal lawsuit was the victim of malicious destruction of property after someone threw rocks containing a religious message through her house entry doors shattering...

MPPS in the news

Michigan Democrats embrace nuclear energy, but it’s still radioactive to some

May 23, 2024 Mlive

WYOMING, MI — Townhall panelists lauded the new Clean Energy and Jobs Act for more than an hour, emphasizing the economic gains inherent to dumping fossil fuels. They championed energy reforms passed in November which streamline permitting for wind...

MPPS in the news

Rural Prosperity Summit 2024 Recap

May 23, 2024 MI Office of Rural Prosperity

Over 275 attendees representing 91 rural Michigan communities attended the first-ever Michigan Rural Prosperity Summit on May 20, 2024. The Summit, hosted by the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity, featured 19 speakers and panelists over 10...

MPPS in the news

Big Pinwheels in the Sky

May 20, 2024 Rural Insights

In the Media

Early Public Comment Roundup Gives ICRC A Glimpse At Road Ahead

May 20, 2024 Gongwer

Members of the public have been providing public comments since the inception of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Track, but on Monday, commissioners got a peek at what those commenters were saying about the maps created between...

MPPS in the news

Local Government Officials’ Assessments of Community Poverty in the Upper Peninsula

May 15, 2024 Rural Insights

Local government leaders in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) are more likely to report significant unmet needs among their residents for anti-poverty resources compared with local leaders in the Lower Peninsula. U.P. leaders are also more likely to...

MPPS in the news

Survey: Local governments see EV charging as costly, lower-priority

May 7, 2024 Queen City News

More local governments across Michigan see EV charging as a relevant issue, but the number is still fairly low, according to a new University of Michigan survey, and those interested in EV charging see cost as a barrier. While the survey is...

MPPS in the news

Survey: Local governments see EV charging as costly, lower-priority

May 7, 2024 Green Car Reports

MPPS in the news

More local officials see relevance of electric vehicle planning

Apr 30, 2024 The University Record

Local officials across Michigan increasingly view electric vehicle infrastructure planning as relevant for their governments, though many cite too few public charging stations and costs associated with adding them as barriers to...

MPPS in the news

Birmingham pilots survey on recycling

Apr 24, 2024 Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

The city of Birmingham recently launched a new survey on Engage Birmingham that encourages residents to share their understanding of the city’s recycling program, their interest in recycling and how they think Birmingham can improve in this area....

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...

In the Media

New House map combats racial gerrymandering in Michigan Legislature

Apr 9, 2024 The Michigan Daily

Three federal judges approved new Michigan House of Representatives voting districts on March 27. The map’s passing followed a lawsuit, Agee v. Benson, filed March 23, 2022, that alleged illegal racial gerrymandering in 13 Detroit-area House and...

In the Media

Donald Trump's Enemy Is Making a Comeback

Feb 29, 2024 Newsweek

Former Representative Justin Amash, a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump, announced he is running in Michigan's Senate race, shaking up the GOP primary in an election that could determine which party controls the Senate in...

In the Media

Wind, Solar and Siting: A Look at Recent Laws and Legislative Trends in the Midwest

Feb 29, 2024 CSG Midwest

Across the Midwest, interest in new solar and wind projects is undoubtedly on the rise as the region and the country shift from fossil fuels to renewables. Less certain: Who should have the authority to approve or deny proposals to build new wind...

In the Media

Joe Biden's Chances of Losing Michigan Primary as He Faces Revolt

Feb 26, 2024 Newsweek

Michigan voters are heading to the polls to make their choice in the Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, as some progressives organized a movement to vote "uncommitted" to send a message to President Joe Biden about his support for...

MPPS in the news

A Tupperware party for solar panels: Ann Arbor bulk-buy program makes solar more affordable

Feb 14, 2024 Concentrate

In 2018, Ann Arbor resident Julie Roth vowed to take a break after two years of volunteering 20 hours a week. Then she attended an Ann Arbor District Library event about the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. Roth thought of...

MPPS in the news

Short Term Aid Doesn't Cure Fiscal Stress, Local Leaders Say in U-M Study

Feb 12, 2024 Gongwer

A recent survey of local leaders around the state found that short-term injections of "major financial aid" don't make a great difference in addressing municipal fiscal...