Report Series Type

MPPS

Showing 91 - 120 of 132 results

MPPS

Michigan local leaders see need for state and local ethics reform

March 1, 2015

This report presents Michigan local government leaders' views on a variety of issues regarding ethics at the state and local levels, including how ethical they believe Michigan's state and local government leaders are, what types of ethics policies...

MPPS

Local leaders say Michigan road funding needs major increase, but lack consensus on options that would raise the most revenue

February 1, 2015

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders on a range of issues surrounding roads and bridges in their jurisdictions, from their current condition and maintenance to state and local road funding. Findings in the report...

MPPS

Michigan local government leaders' views on employee pay and benefits

January 1, 2015

This report presents Michigan local government leaders' evaluations of their jurisdictions' employee pay and fringe benefit rates. Findings in the report are based on the statewide survey waves of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS),...

MPPS

Despite increasingly formal financial management, relatively few Michigan local governments have adopted recommended policies

December 1, 2014

This report presents findings on the presence and use of formal financial planning and management policies in Michigan local jurisdictions, based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2014 wave of the Michigan Public Policy...

MPPS

Most Michigan local officials are satisfied with their privatized services, but few seek to expand further

November 1, 2014

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of privatizing—or contracting out—public services or government operations in their jurisdictions. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the...

MPPS

Michigan local governments finally pass fiscal health tipping point overall, but one in four still report decline

October 1, 2014

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they are taking in response to ongoing and widespread fiscal challenges. The findings are based on responses from six...

MPPS

Beyond the coast, a tenuous relationship between Michigan local governments and the Great Lakes

September 1, 2014

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the bonds – economic and otherwise – between their jurisdictions and the Great Lakes, their support or opposition to policies designed to protect the health of the...

MPPS

Confidence in Michigan’s direction holds steady among state’s local leaders

August 1, 2014

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the direction in which the state is headed, as well as their evaluations of the job performance of Governor Rick Snyder, the Michigan Legislature, and 14 individual...

MPPS

Wind power as a community issue in Michigan

July 1, 2014

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on issues related to wind energy. It looks at the prevalence of wind turbines in jurisdictions across the state, opinions about the benefits and drawbacks of wind energy, sources...

MPPS

Fracking as a community issue in Michigan

June 1, 2014

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on issues in their communities related to the process of extracting natural gas through high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling of underground shale deposits,...

MPPS

The impact of tax-exempt properties on Michigan local governments

March 1, 2014

Property tax revenues are one of the most important sources of funding for local governments in Michigan, but jurisdictions’ revenues are constrained in part because most have at least some properties that are exempt from taxes. This report presents...

MPPS

Michigan's local leaders generally support Detroit bankruptcy filing despite some concerns

February 1, 2014

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ opinions regarding issues surrounding municipal bankruptcies in general, as well as the city of Detroit’s bankruptcy specifically. The findings in this report are based on a statewide survey of...

MPPS

Michigan local governments increasingly pursue placemaking for economic development

January 1, 2014

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ opinions regarding the community and economic development strategy known as placemaking, and its use by Michigan jurisdictions. By engaging in placemaking, policymakers attempt to capitalize on...

MPPS

Views on right-to-work legislation among Michigan's local government leaders

December 1, 2013

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ opinions regarding the state’s “right-to-work” legislation, enacted in December 2012 for both private sector (Public Act 348) and public sector unions (Public Act 349). The findings in this...

MPPS

Michigan local governments continue seeking, and receiving, union concessions

October 1, 2013

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments on a range of issues regarding public employee unions in their jurisdictions. The findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2011-2013 waves...

MPPS

Michigan local government fiscal health continues gradual improvement, but smallest jurisdictions lagging

September 1, 2013

MPPS

Local leaders evaluate state policymaker performance and whether Michigan is on the right track

August 1, 2013

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the direction in which the state is headed, and their evaluations of the job performance of Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Legislature. These findings are...

MPPS

Trust in government among Michigan’s local leaders and citizens

July 1, 2013

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding their trust in the federal, state, and other local governments, based on statewide surveys conducted in the Spring 2013 and Spring 2009 waves of the Michigan Public...

MPPS

Citizen engagement in the view of Michigan’s local government leaders

May 1, 2013

This is the second of several reports on the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding citizen engagement in their jurisdictions. This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding their governments’...

MPPS

Beyond trust in government: government trust in citizens?

March 1, 2013

This is the first of several reports on the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding citizen engagement in their jurisdictions. This report focuses on the levels of trust local officials feel toward their citizens as responsible...

MPPS

Local leaders support reforming Michigan’s system of funding local government

January 1, 2013

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding both the state’s system of funding local government and their jurisdictions’ ability to provide public services in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The findings are...

MPPS

Local leaders support eliminating Michigan’s Personal Property Tax if funds are replaced, but distrust state follow-through

November 1, 2012

As state lawmakers consider reform and partial elimination of Michigan’s Personal Property Tax (PPT), this report presents local government leaders’ assessments of the PPT and its impact on their jurisdictions, as well as their views on potential...

MPPS

Michigan’s local leaders satisfied with union negotiations

October 1, 2012

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ public employee unions. The findings in this report are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2012 and Spring 2011 waves of...

MPPS

Fiscal stress continues for hundreds of Michigan jurisdictions, but conditions trend in positive direction overall

September 1, 2012

Although many jurisdictions across the state continue to struggle with fiscal stress, the Spring 2012 MPPS finds local leaders' assessments of fiscal health are at their most optimistic levels overall since the MPPS began tracking these issues in...

MPPS

Michigan’s local leaders are divided over the state’s emergency manager law

September 1, 2012

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state’s emergency manager law, officially called the Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act (Public Act 4 of 2011). This law provides for...

MPPS

Michigan’s local leaders more positive about Governor Snyder’s performance, more optimistic about the state’s direction

July 1, 2012

MPPS

Data-driven decision-making in Michigan local government

June 1, 2012

The local government fiscal crisis—driven largely by state revenue sharing cuts, falling tax revenues, and rising costs to provide services—has pushed jurisdictions in Michigan to search for operational efficiencies and cost savings. Performance...

MPPS

State funding incentives increase local collaboration, but also raise concerns

March 1, 2012

In 2011, the state of Michigan implemented major policy changes in its statutory revenue sharing program, through which it distributes funding to a subset of Michigan's 1,856 local governments. The new policy replaced formula-based funding with an...

MPPS

Local officials react to state policy innovation tying revenue sharing to dashboards and incentive funding

January 1, 2012

MPPS

MPPS finds fiscal health continues to decline across the state, though some negative trends eased in 2011

October 1, 2011

Fiscal stress continues to be a widespread and significant problem for local governments across Michigan, although the number of jurisdictions reporting further declines in fiscal health now is lower than it was in 2010. Overall, nearly half (48%)...