Finance Budget and Operations

Working Papers

Local Government Fiscal Health: Comparing Self-Assessments to Conventional Measures

October 1, 2019

Stephanie Leiser, Sarah Mills

Municipal fiscal condition is typically assessed using objective financial indicators, but little is understood about how local officials subjectively evaluate their own fiscal health. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyze...

MPPS

Michigan Public Policy Survey - Spring 2018 County-wide Fiscal Health Fact Sheets

December 4, 2018

The Spring 2018 County-wide Fiscal Health Fact Sheets are from the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), an ongoing survey of the top elected and appointed officials in every unit of general purpose local government across the state. The MPPS is...

MPPS

Despite sustained economic growth, Michigan local government fiscal health still lags

November 1, 2018

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they plan to take in the coming year given their financial situations. The findings are based on responses from ten...

MPPS

Michigan local government officials report complex mix of improvement and decline in fiscal health, but with overall trend moving slowly upward

October 1, 2017

MPPS

Local leaders more likely to support than oppose Michigan’s Emergency Manager law, but strongly favor reforms

February 1, 2017

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state’s Emergency Manager law, officially known as Michigan’s Local Financial Stability and Choice Act (P.A. 436 of 2012). This law is targeted at local...

MPPS

Michigan local leaders say property tax appeals are common, disagree with dark stores assessing

October 1, 2016

The issue of property tax appeals has been increasingly important in Michigan recently as “big box” stores (e.g. Lowe’s, Costco, etc.) have been able to significantly decrease their taxes by arguing property assessments should be based on the value...

MPPS

Local officials say Michigan’s system of funding local government is broken, and seek State action to fix it

September 1, 2016

This report presents views of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state’s system of funding local government, whether it needs to be reformed, and what reforms they prefer. It also includes their preferences for raising additional...

MPPS

Responding to budget surplus vs. deficit: the preferences of Michigan’s local leaders and citizens

December 1, 2015

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders and Michigan citizens on the question of policy preferences when local governments face either budget deficits or budget surpluses. These findings are based on statewide...

MPPS

Fiscal health rated relatively good for most jurisdictions, but improvements slow and decline continues for many

September 1, 2015

MPPS

Despite increasingly formal financial management, relatively few Michigan local governments have adopted recommended policies

December 1, 2014

This report presents findings on the presence and use of formal financial planning and management policies in Michigan local jurisdictions, based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2014 wave of the Michigan Public Policy...

MPPS

Michigan local governments finally pass fiscal health tipping point overall, but one in four still report decline

October 1, 2014

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 six...

MPPS

The impact of tax-exempt properties on Michigan local governments

March 1, 2014

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...

MPPS

Michigan local government fiscal health continues gradual improvement, but smallest jurisdictions lagging

September 1, 2013

MPPS

Fiscal stress continues for hundreds of Michigan jurisdictions, but conditions trend in positive direction overall

September 1, 2012

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...

MPPS

MPPS finds fiscal health continues to decline across the state, though some negative trends eased in 2011

October 1, 2011

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%)...

MPPS

Local governments struggle to cope with fiscal, service, and staffing pressures

August 1, 2010

The fiscal health of Michigan's local governments has declined in the last year and has become a much more widespread problem, increasingly affecting communities of all sizes, in all regions of the state. This MPPS report examines how local...

MPPS

October 2009: Local Government Fiscal and Economic Development Issues

October 1, 2009

This first report in the MPPS program highlights key findings from the spring 2009 inaugural wave of the...

Policy Reports

DETROIT AREA STUDY, 2001: Public Services, Local Government, and Taxes

June 1, 2006

George R. Carter and Robert W. Marans

This report reviews issues related to public services and facilities, local government performance, and taxation in southeast Michigan, as examined in the 2001 Detroit Area Study...

Local government fiscal health, COVID-19 fiscal strategy

Local Government COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource Guide

April 2020

Stephanie Leiser

APRIL, 2020: The COVID-19 crisis is having a dramatic impact on Michigan's local governments, and the fiscal implications—including emergency spending, revenue losses, and budget cuts—are already being felt. Here you will find not just up-to-date information but a set of ideas and tools that will help you strategically navigate the new fiscal landscape. This crisis, combined with the ongoing municipal funding challenges in Michigan, will require an even greater effort on behalf of local officials and administrators to quickly assess resources, respond to changing policies and legislation,...