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Stephanie Leiser

Lecturer in Public Policy
[email protected]
(734) 615-3890
Stephanie Leiser is a lecturer at the Ford School and leads the Michigan Local Government Fiscal Health Project at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). Her general area of interest is in public finance, budgeting, and financial…
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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...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

STUDY: Rural communities struggle to access grant funding

Dec 28, 2023 Interlochen Public Radio
Researchers from the University of Michigan have noticed a significant gap between rural and urban communities when it comes to getting state or federal funding. The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey asked local governments what they...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Local relations with state government decline over time

Dec 22, 2023 Michigan Association of Counties Magazine
Public service delivery is a process that often depends on multiple levels of government, especially among the state and its local governments. As threats to American democracy have increased, working relationships across levels of government in our...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

LOCAL LEADERS DECLINING FAITH IN MICHIGAN STATE GOVERNMENT

Dec 5, 2023 Barrett & Greene Management Update
Typically, people use the phrase “state and local government,” as though they are two entirely separate sets of entities. But unless the states and their cities, counties and towns work together smoothly, impediments to progress abound. Some...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Home Builders V.P.: Michigan’s in a ‘housing crisis’

Nov 22, 2023 The Livingston Post
Dawn Crandall of the Home Builders Association of Michigan describes the state’s housing crisis as ongoing, with supply being limited, demand remaining really high and individuals seeking workforce housing getting “bumped even further down the...
Ford School
In the Media

Ford School hosts talk on uplifting rural communities

Nov 16, 2023 The Michigan Daily
About 60 University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor community members gathered in Weill Hall Wednesday evening to listen to a conversation about rural communities and sustainability in the United States. Hosted by the Center for Local, State, and...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Survey finds many Michigan communities struggling with housing shortage

Oct 13, 2023 Michigan Radio
A recent survey by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan found officials in many of the state's communities feel they lack affordable housing. The Michigan Public Policy survey found 27% of respondents said they...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Housing shortage triggers alarm for towns across Michigan

Oct 13, 2023 Mlive
More local leaders, in rural, suburban and urban communities throughout Michigan, are raising alarms about housing shortages. The number of local officials reporting a lack of single-family housing has nearly doubled in the past six years – going...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

U.P. local government leaders most likely to report housing shortages

Sep 27, 2023 Iron County Reporter
Concerns among local government leaders in the Upper Peninsula about housing shortages in their communities have more than doubled since 2017. Today, 59% of officials from U.P. cities, villages, and townships say they have too little single-family...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Survey: Locals Not Concerned About Right To Work Status

Jul 27, 2023 Gongwer.com
A majority of local government leaders said in a recent survey the state's recently repealed right to work law has had no impact on relationships between the municipality and employee unions. The Michigan Public Policy Survey at the Center for...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Local Michigan governments face challenges spending ARPA funds

Jul 6, 2023 The Bond Buyer
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,...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

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...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

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,...
Ford School