In Michigan's Upper Peninsula a proposal to construct 49 wind turbines across 28,000 acres of the Huron Mountains is the subject of criticism from the local communities. To get perspective in her April 4, 2019 story on Interlochen Public Radio, Kaye...
As the drive to develop renewable energy projects escalates, attention shifts towards harnessing wind energy as a reliable energy source. Despite the benefits wind energy provides—mainly jobs—advocates for wind energy must continue to combat...
In her latest journal article, published in Land Use Policy, Sarah Mills of the Ford School elaborates on public attitudes pertaining to wind energy development projects before and after the completion of the project.
In “Exploring landowners’...
In an opinion column for Governing, Tom Ivacko (MPP ’93), associate director of CLOSUP, breaks down the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) findings on civil discourse in Michigan localities.“Will the National Partisan Breakdown Infect Our...
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...
The Senate committee chair was overthrown, a protest stalled a House committee vote, and a single vote made the difference in protecting the environmental safety of the Great Lakes--all during the Ford School’s three-day Integrated Policy Exercise...
Sarah Mills is working to dispel rumors and inform rural Michiganders of the pros and cons of wind farm energy.Mills, a post-doctoral fellow at the Ford School’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), received an $80,000 grant from the...
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...
Mary Morgan, executive director of the CivCity Initiative, joined WEMU’s David Fair this Monday for an on-air discussion of local civic engagement. Among the topics discussed: New findings from the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), a biannual...
ANN ARBOR—Increasing numbers of Michigan’s local government leaders want citizens to play a more active role in local governance, according to a new survey from the University of Michigan.Local leaders also reported that their citizens are less...
Many local government leaders across Michigan aren't content with their jurisdiction's relationship with state government, according to a new survey by University of Michigan researchers.
The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey explored factors...
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...
The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), published by the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), finds that local leaders are less optimistic about the state’s direction.Statewide, only 44 percent of local leaders...
A January 7 Michigan Daily article, “’U’ classes help inspire careers in government,” highlights the involvement of recent U-M alumni in local government. The article identifies the skills and inspiration students have gained from U-M faculty and...
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...
By Greta Guest, Michigan NewsA minority of Michigan's local leaders say they're satisfied with public transit options in their communities, but a lack of funding and other issues present roadblocks to improvements, a University of Michigan survey...
Matt Naud, environmental coordinator for the city of Ann Arbor, talks environmental innovation
Fourteen years ago, the City of Ann Arbor launched a new commission on the environment. The group would report annually on the state of the...
Mayor John Hieftje, a lecturer at the Ford School, chose to not seek reelection after serving 14 years in office. Sunday, November 9 was his last day as mayor, with newly-elected mayor Christopher Taylor assuming the position at midnight November...
CLOSUP Lecture Series,
Conversations Across Differences
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
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
5th Floor Seminar Room
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.
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
5th Floor Seminar Room
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.
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
5th Floor Seminar Room
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.
