Fiscal Health Project

Turning research into action to promote government fiscal health

Launched in 2019, and working in partnership with the Michigan Department of Treasury and others, CLOSUP’s Fiscal Health Project aims to develop a deeper understanding of the fiscal health and fiscal challenges of local governments in Michigan, and beyond. This deeper understanding will contribute toward a proactive approach to local fiscal health in Michigan, and promote greater transparency and earlier detection of signs of fiscal stress.

The project combines insights from local officials, reported through the Michigan Public Policy Survey, with insights from various sources of local government financial and economic data to explore research questions such as:

How do local officials assess their fiscal health, and how are their assessments related to various aspects of fiscal health, including budget balancing, service delivery, infrastructure, and retiree pensions/healthcare?
How do local officials’ assessments compare to measures of fiscal health derived from financial and economic data? To the extent that they disagree, what accounts for the difference?
Are there systematic differences between governments that report higher levels of stress versus lower levels of stress?

New Reports

Fiscal health in rural communities

Two case studies examines the fiscal health of Ogemaw County, and Pine River Township, two mostly rural communities, using data from the local governments' audited financial reports.

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XBRL

Modernizing Michigan Local Government Fiscal Transparency

CLOSUP, along with its nonprofit partner XBRL US, has launched a project to modernize and digitize Michigan local government financial reporting, with the City of Flint as the first local government partner and pilot site.

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Project summary

Helping Local Goverments in Michigan Become Healthier and More Resilient

Sep 7, 2021| 03:32

Stephanie Leiser, lecturer in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, discusses the Local Fiscal Health Project, an initiative of the Center for...

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Featured video from Helping Local Goverments in Michigan Become Healthier and More Resilient

MPPS

Learning from local government leaders

The Fiscal Health Project was born out of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), which has been tracking important aspects of Michigan local fiscal health since 2009, including revenues, expenses, employee and retiree policies, debt, economic conditions, and more. This research led CLOSUP to commit to address the wide variety of significant fiscal health challenges faced by Michigan local governments, through the Fiscal Health Project.

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People sharing a public space with greenery, tables, umbrellas, and open space

During the COVID-19 crisis, CLOSUP partnered with public finance experts from universities, consulting firms, and research institutions from around the state to produce fiscal strategy guides and memos for Michigan's local governments.

The Michigan Public Policy Survey produces annual reports on 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.

Case studies conducted by student policy analysts at CLOSUP, comparing fiscal conditions and experiences of Michigan communities.

The fiscal health of local governments is critically important to the functioning of our democracy, economy, and quality of life. In turn, high-quality easily-accessible financial data are essential to promote fiscal health, as well as transparency and data-driven policymaking.