Fall 2016

To what extent would you support or oppose changing the Emergency Manager Law by requiring Emergency Managers to consider local elected official input before making decisions?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that some of your best engagement with citizens happens informally around the community (such as at the grocery store or in a restaurant, etc.)?

Thinking about the relationship between the State government and local jurisdictions, overall, to what extent do you agree or disagree that the State unfairly treats some jurisdictions (or types of jurisdictions) better than others?

In terms of their engagement in your jurisdiction’s policymaking and/or operations, how much of the time do you think you can trust the citizens in your community to be responsible participants?

How much of the time do you think you can trust the state government in Lansing to do what is right?

How do you generally think authority should be divided between the state and local levels of government in environment and natural resources (e.g., water, solid waste, agriculture, forestry)

While any particular jurisdiction in fiscal distress faces unique challenges, in general, how important—if at all—do you think population loss is as a factor in contributing to local government fiscal distress in Michigan?

To what extent do you support or oppose allowing an Emergency Manager to reject, modify, or terminate collective bargaining agreements?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the Emergency Manager Law is racially discriminatory (by design, or as implemented)?

To what extent would you support or oppose changing the Emergency Manager Law by making other changes?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that most citizens aren't willing to take the time to become well-informed on issues facing the jurisdiction?

To what extent, if any, would you say the behavior of state officials (professionalism, ethics, etc.) has had a positive or negative impact on the relationship between the State and local governments in Michigan?

Now thinking about particularly controversial issues, who do you think should have the final say on the most controversial issues in your jurisdiction?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that state officials should frequently reach out to local officials to get feedback on pending policy changes?

How do you generally think authority should be divided between the state and local levels of government in anti-discrimination policies (e.g., LGBTQ, equal opportunity)?

While any particular jurisdiction in fiscal distress faces unique challenges, in general, how important—if at all—do you think citizen opposition to millage or other revenue increases is as a factor in contributing to local government fiscal distress in Michigan?

To what extent do you support or oppose allowing a State-appointed advisory board to have ongoing oversight powers after the Emergency Manager leaves?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the Emergency Manager Law leads to an overemphasis on cost-cutting at the expense of service quality, public health and safety, or other important considerations?

To what extent would you support or oppose changing the Emergency Manager Law by including provisions for possible new (time limited) local or state revenue options for jurisdictions with Emergency Managers?

To what extent do you feel your jurisdiction offers opportunities to citizens for engagement with your jurisdiction in its policymaking and/or operations?

Thinking about the relationship between the State government and local jurisdictions, overall, to what extent do you agree or disagree that the State holds local governments to a higher standard than it holds itself to?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that your jurisdiction’s decision-making is transparent to your citizens?

How much of the time do you think Michigan’s state officials trust local governments to do what is right?

How do you generally think authority should be divided between the state and local levels of government in economic development?

Now, how would you describe the overall relationship between the State government and your jurisdiction in particular?

While any particular jurisdiction in fiscal distress faces unique challenges, in general, how important—if at all—do you think local government decisions to provide generous retiree pensions/benefits and/or decisions to underfund retiree obligations are as a factor in contributing to local government fiscal distress in Michigan?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the Emergency Manager Law is undemocratic?

To what extent would you support or oppose changing the Emergency Manager Law by requiring Emergency Managers to consider citizen input before making decisions?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that most citizens you hear from are more interested in complaining than in finding solutions?

To what extent, if any, would you say communication between state and local officials has had a positive or negative impact on the relationship between the State and local governments in Michigan?