CLOSUP publications

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...

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...

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’...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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%)...

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 information about the presence of local government employee unions in Michigan, as well as the views of Michigan's local government leaders regarding the impact of those unions. The findings are based on statewide surveys of...

The Fall 2010 MPPS asked Michigan's local government leaders about their views on global warming and environmental sustainability, and the role of local government in these areas. While Michigan's local leaders are divided in their views about the...

The Michigan Public Policy Survey asked Michigan's local government leaders an extensive battery of questions regarding intergovernmental cooperation, service sharing, consolidation, and more, during the Fall 2010 survey. Responses show that...

To help inform the growing policy debate in Michigan on public sector pay and benefits, the MPPS asked Michigan's local government leaders what they think about their jurisdictions' employee compensation levels and policies. Only 6% of Michigan's...