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Free and open to the public – this is a virtual webinar on Zoom - please register! Student researchers will share their research on the similarities and differences across the urban/rural continuum with respect to: the state of civic discourse; public participation in decision-making; citizen engagement; internet connectivity and access to information; and privatization of local government services.  

As demand for renewable energy grows, wind energy and solar energy developers are looking for communities to host these projects.  In this session, Dr. Sarah Mills will talk about what we know about public perceptions of renewable energy in the communities where wind and solar projects are proposed.  She'll draw mostly on her research understanding community reactions to wind energy projects in Michigan, extrapolate what that means for solar energy.  

Local government fiscal health is typically assessed using objective financial indicators, but little is understood about how local officials subjectively understand their own fiscal health. We compare self-assessment data from the Michigan Public Policy Survey with financial data on Michigan local governments to explore the extent to which self-assessments align with conventional financial indicators. Qualitative results reveal that local officials emphasize long-term spending pressures (e.g. roads, infrastructure) and external factors, such as uncertainty around property values and state aid (i.e. revenue sharing) payments, when assessing their fiscal health. Quantitative results provide some corroborating evidence, but in general, conventional indicators are not powerful predictors of self-assessments, especially for high-stress governments. We believe that part of the disparity is that financial indicators do a poor job of capturing what local officials say they are most worried about. We suggest that self-assessments may be a useful supplement to conventional measures in capturing “true” fiscal health.

CRC & CLOSUP Ask if Michigan's System of Funding Local Government is Broken Join us for a webinar on Sep 13, 2016 at 1:00 PM EDT. Register now! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3376805094469781763

Presenting the findings on the system of funding of local government. About the Michigan Public Policy Survey The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local government leaders in Michigan. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process.

Over the last decade, local government in Michigan has experienced widespread contraction. Driven by falling revenues and rising costs, local jurisdictions have been forced to adjust to a "new normal" by right-sizing themselves to live within reduced means. The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), conducted by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, has tracked the fiscal challenges facing Michigan's local governments over the last 4 years, and how they've been responding.

From the Michigan Municipal League (MML) Capital Conference – Local Government Performance Management and the EVIP program findings.

From the Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) Winter Institute – findings on the Economic Vitality Incentive Project (EVIP).

From the Michigan Local Government Benchmarking Consortium Conference – Fall 2011 Local Government Performance Management findings.

About the Michigan Public Policy Survey: The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local government leaders in Michigan. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process. While there are ongoing surveys of the business community and of the citizens of Michigan, before the MPPS there were no ongoing surveys of local government officials that were representative of all general purpose local governments in the state.

11th Annual Lent Upson Lecture at Wayne State University – Spring 2010 MPPS fiscal data findings The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local government leaders in Michigan. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process. While there are ongoing surveys of the business community and of the citizens of Michigan, before the MPPS there were no ongoing surveys of local government officials that were representative of all general purpose local governments in the state.

Michigan Municipal League (MML) Annual Convention – Spring 2009 MPPS fiscal data findings The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local government leaders in Michigan. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process. While there are ongoing surveys of the business community and of the citizens of Michigan, before the MPPS there were no ongoing surveys of local government officials that were representative of all general purpose local governments in the state.