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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
CLOSUP, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, is ready to bring real-world data to the classroom in a big way.
Through a recently awarded Quick Wins/Discovery grant, part of the University of Michigan's Third Century Initiative,...
ANN ARBOR—For the first time since 2012, fewer than half of Michigan's local leaders believe the state is headed in the right direction—chief culprits include road funding fumbles, state tax policies and general dysfunction in Lansing, according to...
That old trope about states serving as "laboratories of democracy" has become much more real for me this summer. I am working as a research intern in the energy program at the National Conference of State Legislatures—a national, bipartisan NGO that...
A recent CLOSUP report presenting the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on the state of roads was cited by the Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, and other media outlets.
Most of the media coverage focused on the fact that while 79...
2015 is shaping up to be a decisive year for U.S. energy and climate policy, according to a recent Christian Science Monitor article, “What are Republicans going to do about climate change.” While the 2016 presidential election is still nearly two...
Contact: Greta Guest, (734) 936-7821, [email protected]
ANN ARBOR—For the first time in six years, more Michigan communities report that they are better able to meet their fiscal needs this year than those who say they are less able to do so.
A...
Ford School Professor Barry Rabe was cited in Howard Gleckman's June 2 Forbes article "Could EPA's New Greenhouse Gas Rule Open the Door to a New State-based Gas Tax?" "The proposed EPA rules, which Brookings senior fellow Barry Rabe describes as...
The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) hosted the four declared candidates in Ann Arbor's mayoral race on Wednesday, April 16. The forum focused on the future of public transportation and prospects for economic development of Ann...
Barry Rabe on the future of CLOSUP
A six-inch bobblehead of Ron Swanson, director of a fictitious Midwestern parks department in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, dominates the meeting table in Barry Rabe's office. The bobblehead is something of...
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Professor Brian Jacob will be presented the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize in November for his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management.Jacob, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of...
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium
(Room 1120)
The Ford School will welcome Montgomery, AL, Mayor Steven Reed to Weill Hall for an event on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Women make up over 50% of the state’s population, but just 16% of Michigan’s local chief administrative officers. The Michigan Municipal League’s 16/50 Project is transforming this leadership gap – getting more women seated in the municipal top spot in Michigan communities.
Join XBRL US for a session to explore government data standards, find out how governments can create their own machine-readable financial statements, and discover what impact this legislation could have on government entities. Most importantly, discover how machine-readable data standards can benefit state and local government entities by reducing costs and increasing access to time-sensitive information for policy making.
CLOSUP Lecture Series,
Policy Talks @ the Ford School
Michigan's new approach to redistricting by an independent citizens commission has now come full circle, from signature gathering for the statewide ballot initiative in 2018, to strong statewide support in that fall's election, creation of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, their work drawing new districts with extraordinary input from Michigan citizens, and now the new districts being used for the first time in the 2022 elections. Join us for a final webinar in our redistricting series, to look back at this consequential change in state policy and to review how this new approach played out this fall, including its impacts on races and election outcomes, and how it compares to experiences in other states.
CLOSUP Lecture Series,
Policy Talks @ the Ford School
This webinar will analyze and evaluate Michigan’s new redistricting approach and new maps, and compare to approaches of other states. Will Michigan's new model inspire reform in other states?
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission will be meeting on U-M’s campus during the 45-day period for public comment before they vote to adopt final district maps in Michigan.
Michigan’s redistricting process will affect Michigan policy and politics for the next decade. We will address the process that the MICRC is using to draw district maps for the U.S. Congress and both houses of the Michigan Legislature.
Women represent just 15% of Michigan's local chief administrative officers. Although women continue to be underrepresented as municipal managers, there is a growing contingent of dedicated women serving their communities and challenging the status quo in local government.
