MPPS findings encouraging but some cities still struggling, Ivacko says

The latest poll in the Michigan Public Policy Survey, conducted by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), has received national attention for its promising findings. Only one-third of the local governments in Michigan say they are somewhat or significantly less able to meet their fiscal needs this year—a big drop from last year when nearly half reported having such difficulties.

"We see a clear easing trend," CLOSUP administrator Thomas Ivacko told Bloomberg News. "But you can't yet say it's a good time for local government in Michigan."

Ivacko echoed those sentiments to other local and national media.

"It is the best since we started [MPPS] in 2009," Ivacko told The Bond Buyer. "In 2011 we saw some initial signs of easing, but we were cautious and weren't sure if it was a blip or a trend. Now we can say certainly it was the beginning of a trend."

Ivacko cautioned to the Detroit Free Press, however, that "there are hundreds of cities where things are still getting worse."

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