Center for Local State and Urban Policy

Showing 121 - 150 of 190 results

News

Coronavirus response suffers when local government is starved

Mar 20, 2020

Local governments are on the front lines of the response to the coronavirus crisis. Their actions will ultimately shape how well the U.S. can survive COVID-19 and its economic aftermath, according to an opinion contribution in The Hill written by...

Ivacko on federal infrastructure dollars in Michigan

News

Farmers harvesting the benefits of wind energy

Mar 5, 2020

With U.S. farm bankruptcy rates rising, farmers have been turning to the wind energy to make ends meet. Sarah Mills, senior project manager at the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) was featured in a USA Today article...

News

U-M survey finds sharp increase in energy efficiency steps among Michigan local governments

Jan 15, 2020

Half of Michigan’s local governments have taken steps to improve energy efficiency in their facilities—more than double the 22% who reported similar efforts a decade ago, according to a survey by the University of Michigan Ford School of Public...

News

Fiscal health: Mixed signals for Michigan’s local governments

Dec 11, 2019

ANN ARBOR—More than two-thirds of Michigan’s local government leaders rate their jurisdictions’ current fiscal stress as relatively low, according to a new survey by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. On the...

News

Michigan leaders worried about possible effects of next recession

Oct 30, 2019

ANN ARBOR—More than half of Michigan’s local government leaders are concerned about the potential impact of the next recession on their jurisdictions’ ability to deliver public services and maintain government operations. Although local leaders...

Michigan leaders worried about possible effects of next recession

News

Ivacko makes sense of the recreational marijuana ‘haze’

Jun 18, 2019

As Michigan goes through the transition after voters said “yes” to legalizing recreational marijuana last November, there’s a bit of a “haze,” as the Ford School’s Tom Ivacko puts it, on policy in "‘Haze’ abounds as Michigan struggles to regulate...

Ivacko discusses opioid interventions on Michigan Radio

State & Hill

Stephanie Leiser and Sarah Mills on perception versus reality in local government budgets

Apr 10, 2019

Local government officials’ assessments of their own fiscal health is often at odds with—and worse than—what their financial statements indicate, according to work done by Stephanie Leiser and Sarah Mills. The researchers note that this could be...

Stephanie Leiser and Sarah Mills on perception versus reality in local government budgets

News

Poverty Solutions & CLOSUP new report find local officials believe many Michigan residents struggle to make ends meet

Mar 7, 2019

AMany local governments in Michigan report poverty and economic hardships among their residents, according to a survey from University of Michigan researchers. Almost half (44 percent) of local officials say more than one in five of their residents...

CLOSUP: Local civic discourse heats up in Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula

News

CLOSUP Report: Civil discourse predominantly constructive in Michigan local governments

Dec 19, 2018

Ann Arbor—Michigan’s local governments report mostly positive civil discourse among their jurisdiction’s elected officials but less so among residents, according to a University of Michigan survey.Among local elected leaders, 71 percent report...

CLOSUP Report: Civil discourse predominantly constructive in Michigan local governments

News

CLOSUP report: Mixed signals in local government fiscal health across Michigan

Nov 15, 2018

By Mandira Banerjee | Originally published by Michigan News, November 14, 2018ANN ARBOR— Michigan’s local governments report improvement and decline in fiscal health over the last year, according to a University of Michigan survey.The biggest...

CLOSUP report: Mixed signals in local government fiscal health across Michigan

News

Northern Michigan housing struggle corroborated in CLOSUP survey findings

Nov 2, 2018

The tourism industry is butting heads with affordable housing efforts in Northern Michigan. In an October 29, 2018 piece for The Petoskey News-Review titled “Resort industry poses unique issues in housing shortage,” William T. Perkins cites data...

News

Researcher shows red states embrace wind energy for the sake of bottom line

Oct 25, 2018

While renewable energy through wind mills is often seen as a coastal undertaking, Sarah Mills, senior project manager at the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), details how research reveals that red states are pursuing...

Wheels Keep Turning: Researcher Sarah Mills continues to educate on wind turbine impact in MI

News

Local leaders offer advice, experience

Oct 24, 2018

An event at the Ford School, “Women Leading Local Government,” spotlighted women around the state of Michigan who are leading communities and developing policies. The interactive seminar allowed graduate and professional students a chance to...

News

CLOSUP survey reveals that local officials are perplexed on Prop 1

Oct 12, 2018

On November 6, Michigan voters will have the option to either affirm or oppose Proposal 1, an amendment to the Michigan state constitution that will legalize the use of recreational marijuana. While public opinion polls convey support for the...

News

John Chamberlin responds to criticisms of Michigan’s Proposal 2

Oct 11, 2018

With Michigan’s upcoming election, commentary around the ballot’s Proposal 2, which would establish a citizen’s commission responsible for creating voting district lines, has run the gamut. In the October 10, 2018, piece for Bridge titled “5...

John Chamberlin responds to criticisms of Michigan’s Proposal 2

News

Coverage of CLOSUP medical marijuana policy poll grows like weed

Sep 21, 2018

On September 13, 2018, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy released a survey that found almost 75 percent of Michigan cities, townships, and villages report that they have chosen to prohibit medical...

Coverage of CLOSUP medical marijuana policy poll grows like weed

News

Making an Impact: Researcher Sarah Mills gives Michigan communities the straight story on wind turbines

Aug 24, 2018

By Terry Kosdrosky, Public Engagement & Impact A company wants to build wind turbines in your township and is offering landowners, many of them farmers, a sweet deal to lease property. Meanwhile, your board meeting is packed with strongly opposed...

Sarah Mills' latest article signals a crucial relationship between homeowner attitudes and the fate of wind energy projects in Michigan

News

New report from CLOSUP: Rising confidence in Michigan’s direction but partisan differences remain

Jul 27, 2018

An annual survey by University of Michigan researchers has tracked two straight years of improving evaluations for the Michigan legislature and the governor by the local government leaders of the state. About 56 percent of Michigan’s local leaders...

New report from CLOSUP: Rising confidence in Michigan’s direction but partisan differences remain

News

CLOSUP report: Michigan officials report housing shortages

Jun 22, 2018

Many local governments in Michigan feel they have a shortage of housing in their counties and cities, according to a survey from University of Michigan researchers. About 40 percent of local officials say they have too little single family housing...

Housing shortages across Michigan alarming local leaders - Michigan survey

News

Most local jurisdictions follow master plan, but struggle with too few planners

May 7, 2018

Nearly half of Michigan’s largest local governments feel they have little staff capacity for land use planning and zoning, according to a survey from University of Michigan researchers. This survey is the first statewide attempt to explore which...

News

CLOSUP publishes report, hosts webinar on local government workforce issues and challenges

Feb 7, 2018

In January, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) published a report and hosted a webinar on the views of Michigan local government officials regarding workforce issues and challenges. The results come from the Spring 2017 edition...

State & Hill

Low voter turnout? Introducing Turn Up Turnout and the Big Ten Voting Challenge

Dec 21, 2017

Voter turnout is abysmally poor," says Joe Schwarz, a Ford School lecturer and former U.S. Congressional representative (R-MI-7). "In general elections, you're lucky to get 50 to 60 percent of eligible voters—that just shows an embarrassing level of...

Low voter turnout? Introducing Turn Up Turnout and the Big Ten Voting Challenge

News

Michigan News release: Local leaders say recovery is mixed, but slightly positive overall

Oct 12, 2017

Overall, the fiscal health of Michigan's local governments appears to have improved slightly since last year, according to a new survey by University of Michigan researchers. Across the state, 35 percent of the local government leaders surveyed say...

News

Michigan local leaders assess drinking water issues in latest Michigan Public Policy Survey

Nov 29, 2016

Over a quarter of local officials from Michigan jurisdictions that provide shared water infrastructure believe funding levels are not sufficient to maintain those systems, according to the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), "Local...

Leiser and Mills contribute to resources for new Michigan Lead and Copper Rule

News

CLOSUP survey: Local leaders concerned about property tax appeals, "dark stores" assessing

Oct 26, 2016

Findings from the most recent Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), published by the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), reveal broad concern by local leaders and administrators over property tax appeals. The survey...

News

Michigan Radio's "Stateside" highlights CLOSUP's latest, and troubling, fiscal health findings

Aug 24, 2016

Michigan Radio’s Cynthia Canty interviews Tom Ivacko (MPP ’93), CLOSUP program administrator, for the segment “Declining fiscal health “an early warning sign” for local governments, report says.” The program focuses on CLOSUP's latest Michigan...

News

Michigan Radio interviews Brian Jacob about latest research on MI high school curriculum reforms

Mar 9, 2016

Last week, Brian Jacob, Susan Dynarski and two colleagues from Michigan State released a new paper, "Are expectations alone enough? Estimating the effect of a mandatory college-prep curriculum in Michigan." The paper examines the effect of the 2006...

Michigan Radio interviews Brian Jacob about latest research on MI high school curriculum reforms

News

CLOSUP Survey: Attitudes about Clean Power Plan implementation shaded by partisan affiliation

Dec 17, 2015

A majority of Americans (54 percent) want their state to submit an implementation plan to comply with the Clean Power Plan, according to CLOSUP’s latest survey. Another 22 percent would prefer their state not submit a plan and instead allow the...

CLOSUP Survey: Attitudes about Clean Power Plan implementation shaded by partisan affiliation

News

Local leaders worry about retiree health care benefits, says latest CLOSUP MPPS report

Oct 29, 2015

ANN ARBOR—Health care benefits for retirees of Michigan's local governmental units are presenting significant fiscal challenges, and more than half of local officials surveyed indicate they are concerned they won't be able to fulfill their...

Local leaders worry about retiree health care benefits, says latest CLOSUP MPPS report

News

In latest CLOSUP survey, local leaders say fiscal stress is low, but see red flags

Sep 22, 2015

ANN ARBOR—About two-thirds of local governments in Michigan rate the levels of fiscal stress as relatively low in their jurisdictions today, while just 7 percent rate the stress as high. While the latter percentage is low, the figure represents...