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MPPS in the news

Municipalities Hit Spending Struggles With Federal COVID Relief Dollars

Jul 11, 2023 MIRS

Federal funds intended to stabilize the budgets of local communities have proven a daunting task to take down for multiple reasons, a recent policy survey by the University of Michigan found. Cities, villages and townships trying to spend the $4.4...

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Bonds

Jul 10, 2023 StockTraderApp.com

Most Michigan local governments are spending their federal pandemic aid on capital projects, while facing challenges from rising project costs and uncertainty about future funding. A new survey from the University of Michigan’s Center for Local,...

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Conservative Michigan lawyer uses extremism, God to find policy wins, critics say

Jul 7, 2023 Detroit Free Press

Amid a chaotic time for Michigan Republicans, a small group of lawyers and activists are beckoning conservatives back to their roots: local control and God. Lawyers Dave Kallman, William Wagner and several colleagues think they might have a...

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Inflation Driving Concern About ARPA Spending For Local Governments

Jul 6, 2023 Gongwer

The federal government offered $1.9 trillion to help local governments stabilize their budgets in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act, but two years later, many local leaders in Michigan say inflation and supply chain challenges are making the...

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Local Michigan governments face challenges spending ARPA funds

Jul 6, 2023 The Bond Buyer

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Michigan towns and cities struggle to spend COVID-19 funding, survey finds

Jul 5, 2023 Ground News

The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act provides $4.4 billion to help local governments. The Michigan Public Policy Survey of nearly 2,000 local governments in the last two years has asked leaders about their experiences with the federal outlay. Most...

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Survey finds Michigan towns, cities struggling to spend COVID-19 funds

Jul 5, 2023 Bravo Bulletin

Often, local governments bemoan the lack of necessary funds. But in a twist, a new University of Michigan survey found Michigan areas facing unique challenges trying to spend billions of dollars in federal COVID-19...

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Michigan towns and cities struggle to spend COVID-19 funding, survey finds

Jul 5, 2023 Detroit Free Press

Often, local governments decry a lack of needed funding. But in a twist, a new University of Michigan survey found unique challenges faced by Michigan localities trying to spend some of the billions of dollars in federal COVID-19...

In the Media

Michigan Clerk Faces Recall Election After 2020 Election Controversy

May 1, 2023 NBC News Meet the Press Now

Adams Township clerk Stephanie Scott is facing a recall election and investigation over accusations of mishandling election materials during the 2020 election. “What happened here in Adams Township Michigan could happen anywhere,” said NBC News...

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Labor Voices: Public workers keep government services going

Apr 18, 2023 The Detroit News

When newly elected officials take office, people often take for granted that government services will continue to be provided seamlessly. That continuity is only possible because of the institutional knowledge and hard work of dedicated public...

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Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Apr 14, 2023 Great Lakes Echo

Local government officials in the state generally feel positive about the benefits of recycling, according to a public policy survey report from the University of Michigan. But environmental organizations say that while local officials felt upbeat,...

In the Media

Is your local government reading what you post on social media? It's possible

Apr 9, 2023 Daily Telegram

Local politics are especially charged in 2023, given two years of pandemic-fueled infighting and changes in the way candidates run for office. Social media posts from frustrated residents abound. But what if those posts were targeted by data-mining...

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Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Apr 3, 2023 Manistee News Advocate

LANSING – Local government officials in the state generally feel positive about the benefits of recycling, according to a public policy survey report from the University of Michigan. But environmental organizations say that while local officials...

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Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Mar 31, 2023 Capital News Service

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Local Leaders Largely Support Community-Wide Recycling

Mar 28, 2023 Gongwer News Service

Local leaders reported positive attitudes toward recycling, supporting the current services they have or expressing a desire to bring recycling services to their communities, a recent report from the Michigan Public Policy Survey...

In the Media

Flint, Michigan's finances stable but fragile as citizens get closer to state settlement payout

Mar 23, 2023 The Bond Buyer

Flint, Michigan's fiscal condition remains stable but fragile with some positive signs on the horizon as its citizens move closer to receiving compensation for the 2014 water contamination crisis, with a $600 million state-backed settlement clearing...

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Local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 20, 2023 The University Record

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green,” according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the...

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How some Michigan communities are using ARPA dollars

Mar 16, 2023 Rural Innovation Exchange - Secondwavemedia.com

The lens that leaders of municipalities throughout Michigan are looking through is prompting them to take a “glass half full, glass half empty” approach depending on the amount of money they received through the American Rescue Plan...

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Plan Now to Overcome Reflexive Opposition to Large-Scale Solar

Mar 6, 2023 American Planning Association

Community opposition to solar projects is becoming a common hurdle that renewable energy proponents must respect and address. It often stems from uncertainty, resulting in a tension in which perceptions of place and community character are pitted...

In the Media

Whitmer’s new budget proposal: What it means for Michigan residents

Feb 24, 2023 The Michigan Daily

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her fifth executive budget recommendation for the 2024 fiscal year on Feb. 8, setting the record for the largest budget proposal in Michigan’s history at $79...

In the Media

Machine-readable disclosure has 'revolutionized' Flint's financial reports, CFO says

Jan 25, 2023 The Bond Buyer

For Flint, Michigan, new machine-readable disclosure standards which have sparked controversy across the muni market represent a "quantum leap" for the city's finances, its CFO said. "If you're asking me, it's about time that we modernize and...

In the Media

2022 in Hindsight

Jan 5, 2023 Hour Detroit

A year is a long time in politics and life. When Hour Detroit asked an esteemed panel of experts in November 2021 to offer predictions for 2022, there was an awful lot they couldn’t have imagined. Like, say, that half the field of Republican...

In the Media

This year’s ballot measures will change how many Americans vote

Dec 15, 2022 The Center for Public Integrity

In states across the country, voters weighed in on voting, impacting voter ID, early voting and who can vote in local...

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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...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan judge drops Flint water charges against GOP ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 12, 2022 nationofchange.org

Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against GOP Ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 10, 2022 CommonDreams.org

In the Media

Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against Ex-Gov Snyder, Sparking Outrage

Dec 10, 2022 Truthout.org

In the Media

A retrospect on the new redistricting process for Michigan voters

Dec 7, 2022 The Michigan Daily

On Nov. 30th, the Ford School of Public Policy held an event to discuss Michigan’s new citizen-led redistricting process and its impacts on the midterm election, the first election since new lines were drawn in December 2021. The meeting was...

In the Media

Redistricting experts weigh in on results of first general election under new maps

Dec 1, 2022 Detroit Free Press

Results from the first general election held under new maps drawn by Michigan's independent redistricting commission seemed to demonstrate that the group achieved its aim of drawing fair maps while underscoring Black Detroiters' concerns that they...

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Report: Local Gov't Officials Still Concerned About State Of Democracy

Nov 23, 2022 Gongwer News Service

The state of local democracy is not in jeopardy in the eyes of officials across Michigan, however there is still much concern for the stability of democracy at the state and federal levels according to a report from the University of Michigan's...