Table of Contents
Fiscal Health
- Good or Bad Times in the coming year?
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- Better or Less Able to meet jurisdiction's needs this fiscal year than last
- Better or Less Able to meet jurisdiction’s needs next fiscal year than this
Changes from the Last Fiscal Year to the Current Fiscal Year
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- Change in jurisdiction’s revenue from property taxes
- Change in jurisdiction's revenue from fees for services, licenses, transfers, etc.
- Change in amount of jurisdiction's amount of debt
- Change in jurisdiction's ability to repay its debt
- Change in amount of federal aid to jurisdiction
- Change in amount of state aid to jurisdiction
- Change in jurisdiction's tax delinquencies
- Change in jurisdiction's population
- Change in jurisdiction's amount of home foreclosures
- Change in jurisdiction's public safety needs
- Change in jurisdiction's infrastructure needs
- Change in jurisdiction's human service needs
- Change in jurisdiction's number of employees
- Change in jurisdiction's pay rates for employee wages and salaries
- Change in jurisdiction's cost of employee pensions
- Change in jurisdiction's cost of current employee health benefits
- Change in jurisdiction's cost of retired employee health benefits
Expected Changes from the Current Fiscal Year to the Next Fiscal Year
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- Projected change in property tax rates
- Projected change in charges for fees, licenses, etc.
- Projected change in reliance on general fund balance
- Projected change in reliance on "rainy day" funds
- Projected change in amount of services provided
- Projected change in actual public safety spending
- Projected change in actual infrastructure spending
- Projected change in actual human services spending
- Projected change in funding for economic development programs
- Projected change in amount of debt
- Projected change in sale of public assets
- Projected change in privatizing or contracting out services
- Projected change in number and/or scope of interlocal agreements or other cost-sharing plans with other governments
- Projected change in jurisdiction's workforce hiring
- Projected change in jurisdiction's workforce layoffs
- Projected change in jurisdiction's filling vacant positions
- Projected change in jurisdiction's employee pay rates
- Projected change in jurisdiction's employees' share of premiums, deductibles and/or co-pays on health insurance
- Projected change in jurisdiction's employees' share of contributions to retirement funds
- Projected change in jurisdiction's retirees' share of premiums, deductibles and/or co-pays on health insurance
Employee Unions
- Jurisdiction has employees who are members of a labor union
- Number of employee unions in jurisdiction
- Approximate percentage of jurisdiction's employees represented by a union
- Jurisdiction's union(s) have been an asset or liability to fiscal health
- Jurisdiction's union(s) have been an asset or liability to overall performance
- Assessment of relationship between jurisdiction and its union(s)
Furloughs and Four-day Work Weeks
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- Jurisdiction utilized employee furloughs this year
- Jurisdiction utilized a four-day work week this year
- Jurisdiction utilized early retirement incentives or buyouts
- Jurisdiction utilized reduced pay rates and/or benefits packages for new hires
- Jurisdiction reduced or eliminated training opportunities for local officials and/or employees
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- Likelihood that jurisdiction will utilize employee furloughs next year
- Likelihood that jurisdiction will utilize a four-day work week next year
- Likelihood that jurisdiction will utilize early retirement incentives or buyouts next year
- Likelihood that jurisdiction will reduce pay rates and/or benefits packages for new hires next year
- Likelihood that jurisdiction will reduce or eliminate training opportunities for local officials and/or employees next year
Elimination of Services
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- Jurisdiction completely eliminated service(s) this year that are now no longer provided at all
- Jurisdiction completely eliminated service(s) this year that are now provided by another entity
- Jurisdiction did not completely eliminate service(s) this year
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- Jurisdiction plans to completely eliminate service(s) in coming year and no longer provide it at all
- Jurisdiction plans to completely eliminate service(s) in coming year that will be provided by another entity
- Jurisdiction does not plan to completely eliminate service(s) in coming year
Budgeting Processes
- Jurisdiction does formal single year or multi-year budgeting
- Likelihood that jurisdiction will adopt formal multi-year budgeting next year
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- Jurisdiction had to make significant mid-year adjustments because expenditures were higher than expected
- Jurisdiction had to make significant mid-year adjustments because revenues were lower than expected
- Jurisdiction did not have to make any significant mid-year adjustments
General Fund Balances
- Jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance as a percentage of general fund expenditures last year
- Assessment of level of jurisdiction's unreserved general fund balance
- Jurisdiction's cash flow as a fiscal health problem
Property Tax "Charge-backs"
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- Jurisdiction will have property tax charge-backs from county government this year
- Jurisdiction will have property tax charge-backs from county government next year
- Jurisdiction will not have property tax charge-backs from county government
- Jurisdiction's charge-backs as a fiscal health problem
Special Taxing Authorities
- Jurisdiction has one or more special taxing authorities
- Special taxing authorit(ies) have been an asset or liability to jurisdiction's fiscal health
- Likelihood that jurisdiction's special taxing authorit(ies) will have difficulty repaying current debt
- Special taxing authoritites' debt obligations as a fiscal health problem to jurisdiction
Employee Wages and Benefits
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- Level of jurisdiction's employee pay rate for new hires
- Level of jurisdiction's employee pay rate for current employees
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- Jurisdiction provides fringe benefit package(s) to new hires
- Jurisdiction provides fringe benefit package(s) to current employees
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- Level of jurisdiction's employee fringe benefit package(s) for new hires
- Level of jurisdiction's employee fringe benefit package(s) for current employees
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- Level of jurisdiction's contributions to employee health care benefits for new hires
- Level of jurisdiction's contributions to employee health care benefits for current employees
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- Jurisdiction offers retirement income benefits to new hires
- Jurisdiction offers retirement income benefits to current employees
- Jurisdiction offers retirement income benefits to retirees
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- Jurisdiction offers defined benefit plan only
- Jurisdiction offers defined contribution plan only
- Jurisdiction offers defined benefit plan for some employees, defined contribution plan for others
- Jurisdiction offers hybrid benefit plan
- Likelihood jurisdiction will introduce a defined contribution or hybrid plan in the next 12 months
- Jurisdiction has pension obligations
- Jurisdiction's pension obligations as a fiscal health problem
Other Post-Employment Benefit Liabilities (GASB 45)
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- Jurisdiction offers health care or other retirement benefits to new hires
- Jurisdiction offers health care or other retirement benefits to current employees
- Jurisdiction offers health care or other retirement benefits to retirees
- Jurisdiction has retiree health care obligations
- Jurisdiction's retiree health care obligations as a fiscal health problem
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- Jurisdiction in the process of or has completed an actuarial study to determine/quantify liability
- Jurisdiction increased cost-sharing for retirees
- Jurisdiction negotiated with unions to reduce benefits
- Jurisdiction reduced non-union benefits
- Jurisdiction increased the age at which retirement benefits are available
- Jurisdiction increased the years of service required to receive retirement benefits
- Jurisdiction financed liability through bonds
Evaluating Current Events and Political Issues
- State of Michigan going in right direction or on wrong track
- Jurisdiction going in right direction or on wrong track
- Governor Snyder's job performance
- Michigan Legislature's job performance
- Jurisdiction's board or council's job performance
- Familiarity with Emergency Managers legislation
- Likelihood Emergency Manager will be appointed for jurisdiction within next 12 months
- Effectiveness of Emergency Managers legislation for protecting respondent's jurisdiction's fiscal health
- Effectiveness of Emergency Managers legislation for protecting other jurisdictions' fiscal health
- Jurisdiction engages in formal performance management activities
- Familiarity with state government "dashboard"
- Likelihood jurisdiction will produce own dashboard within next 12 months
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- Effectiveness of a local government dashboard for jurisdictions' accountability and transparency
- Effectiveness of a local government dashboard for jurisdictions' performance
The Federal Stimulus Package
- Amount the Recovery Act has helped community's economy to date
- Amount the Recovery Act will improve community's economy in long term
- Amount the Recovery Act has helped Michigan's economy to date
- Amount the Recovery Act will improve Michigan's economy in long term