Natalie Fitzpatrick

Despite a two-year trend of improvement, nearly 60% of Michigan's local government leaders say the state is on the wrong track in 2023, according to a recent University of Michigan survey.  Specifically, 59% see the wrong track, less than the 62%...

The number of Michigan local government leaders reporting problems retaining their jurisdictions’ workers nearly doubled in 2022 compared with five years earlier. In addition, jurisdictions of all types and sizes have faced increased difficulty...

Michigan’s local governments report a long trend of increasing employee pay, but a third of local leaders say wages are still too low. The issue is relevant for their finances as 92% of Michigan local governments report having some type of paid...

A majority of Michigan local leaders' assessments of their fiscal stress this year remain essentially unchanged compared to both 2021 and 2020, despite significant infusions of federal and state aid in recent years.  The findings come from the...

Michigan’s local government leaders report generally good relationships among officials and residents, despite well-documented examples of coarsening discourse and antagonism in public gatherings, according to a new University of Michigan...

A majority of Michigan's local governments are experiencing some form of harassment or other abuse from the public, according to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Michigan.  Officials from 53% of jurisdictions report harassment,...

A survey of Michigan local government leaders on the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses finds the top spending priorities are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public safety.  Further, the state's largest jurisdictions...

Recycling remains popular with local government leaders in Michigan, and the state has established a goal of tripling the state’s current recycling rate. Yet those leaders often encounter difficulties in implementing their programs, tied to costs,...

 A survey of Michigan’s local government leaders shows a sharp degradation in trust in the functioning of democracy at the state and federal levels, echoing trends seen across the country.   The Spring 2021 Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS),...

Michigan's local economies are still struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but at a much lower rate than at the start of the crisis in spring 2020, according to a University of Michigan statewide survey of local government...

Most Michigan local government officials have been confident in the safety and efficacy of available COVID-19 vaccines, yet leaders' views on vaccine safety are highly correlated with partisanship, according to the spring 2021 wave of the Michigan...

More than half of local government officials in Michigan see improving energy efficiency for local businesses or residents as relevant to their jurisdiction's government, according to a survey by the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban...

Confidence in running accurate elections among Michigan local government leaders remains very high, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and an expected high voter turnout, according to a survey released October 5 by the the Center for...

Few local governments in Michigan report collaborating with another community on energy and sustainability issues, but nearly half expressed interest in teaming up with others to pursue opportunities, according to survey results released today by...

Amid the national debate over the safety and efficacy of absentee voting, Michigan can offer an example of how election reforms will play out in the 2020 election.  And the battleground state's local officials have an overall positive outlook...

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...