CLOSUP publications

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders and Michigan citizens on the question of policy preferences when local governments face either budget deficits or budget surpluses. These findings are based on statewide...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the retiree health care benefits—typically referred to as other post-employment benefits (OPEB)—that their local governments provide to employees, retirees, and/or...

This report presents 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. The findings are based on responses from seven...

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 and the Michigan Legislature. These findings...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on issues related to private roads—that is, local roads owned or maintained not by public agencies, but by developers or by private entities such as homeowners' associations. The...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders regarding “Complete Streets” policies, which encourage local governments to take into account all road users—including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit passengers of all ages...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders and officials from the state’s county road agencies regarding the relationships between local governments and county road agencies, as well as local officials’ ratings of road...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on issues in their communities related to public transit services, including satisfaction with transit options as well as factors that encourage or discourage transit...

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...

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...

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),...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 five...

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...