Public sector workforce

In the Media

Report: Locals Fiscally Sound During COVID, Long-Term Unclear

Apr 12, 2024 Gongwer

Local governments generally found themselves fiscally sound during the coronavirus pandemic due to one-time infusions of federal aid, but long-term fiscal health is more varied and could be tough to navigate due to constraints on fiscal policy, a...

MPPS in the news

Study to examine criminal justice reform in Michigan

Aug 1, 2023 The University Record

In the wake of racial justice movements across the country, the state of Michigan and some of its communities have been implementing new public safety and criminal justice policies. The perspective of Michigan’s local government, public safety and...

MPPS in the news

Survey: Locals Not Concerned About Right To Work Status

Jul 27, 2023 Gongwer.com

A majority of local government leaders said in a recent survey the state's recently repealed right to work law has had no impact on relationships between the municipality and employee unions. The Michigan Public Policy Survey at the Center for...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Michigan local government leaders’ views on their employee unions: few changes in relationships or impacts as Right-to-Work comes and goes

Jul 26, 2023

A new policy brief presents the views of Michigan local government leaders on a range of issues regarding public employee unions in their jurisdictions, including their governments’ relationships with their employee unions, whether their unions are...

In the Media

Detroit's credit rating climb shows a city healthier than in decades

Jul 13, 2023 Crain's Detroit Business

Detroit is poised to mark the 10th anniversary of its historic bankruptcy by tapping the municipal bond market for $100 million of financing, most of which will go toward its program of reviving blighted...

MPPS in the news

Local Michigan governments face challenges spending ARPA funds

Jul 6, 2023 The Bond Buyer

Most Michigan local governments are spending their federal pandemic aid on capital projects, while facing challenges from rising project costs and uncertainty about future funding. A new survey from the University of Michigan's Center for Local,...

MPPS in the news

Inflation Driving Concern About ARPA Spending For Local Governments

Jul 6, 2023 Gongwer

The federal government offered $1.9 trillion to help local governments stabilize their budgets in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act, but two years later, many local leaders in Michigan say inflation and supply chain challenges are making the...

MPPS in the news

Michigan towns and cities struggle to spend COVID-19 funding, survey finds

Jul 5, 2023 Ground News

The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act provides $4.4 billion to help local governments. The Michigan Public Policy Survey of nearly 2,000 local governments in the last two years has asked leaders about their experiences with the federal outlay. Most...

MPPS in the news

Survey finds Michigan towns, cities struggling to spend COVID-19 funds

Jul 5, 2023 Bravo Bulletin

Often, local governments bemoan the lack of necessary funds. But in a twist, a new University of Michigan survey found Michigan areas facing unique challenges trying to spend billions of dollars in federal COVID-19...

MPPS in the news

Michigan towns and cities struggle to spend COVID-19 funding, survey finds

Jul 5, 2023 Detroit Free Press

Often, local governments decry a lack of needed funding. But in a twist, a new University of Michigan survey found unique challenges faced by Michigan localities trying to spend some of the billions of dollars in federal COVID-19...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Most Michigan local officials believe their government workforce reflects their community, less so in urban areas

Jun 15, 2023

A new policy brief presents Michigan local leaders’ views on the composition of their local government’s workforce compared to their community’s population. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the spring...

MPPS in the news

Labor Voices: Public workers keep government services going

Apr 18, 2023 The Detroit News

When newly elected officials take office, people often take for granted that government services will continue to be provided seamlessly. That continuity is only possible because of the institutional knowledge and hard work of dedicated public...

MPPS in the news

Michigan's local governments face growing concerns over workforce recruitment and retention

Feb 27, 2023 Michigan Radio

Local governments in Michigan are struggling to recruit and retain their workforces — and a recent report finds it is only getting more difficult. The Michigan Public Policy Survey asked local governments across the state to report their top...

In the Media

Whitmer’s new budget proposal: What it means for Michigan residents

Feb 24, 2023 The Michigan Daily

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her fifth executive budget recommendation for the 2024 fiscal year on Feb. 8, setting the record for the largest budget proposal in Michigan’s history at $79...

MPPS in the news

Michigan's local governments face growing concerns over workforce recruitment and retention

Feb 23, 2023 WVPE 88.1 FM

CLOSUP Updates

Michigan local government leaders report increased problems with workforce recruitment, retention, and other issues

Feb 22, 2023

A new report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders on a range of issues regarding their jurisdictions’ workforce, including recruitment, retention, and retirement turnover. These findings are based on statewide surveys of...

CLOSUP survey shows low and slipping confidence in accuracy of Michigan's 2020 Census

CLOSUP Updates

Michigan local government officials’ assessments of workforce wages and benefits

Jan 23, 2023

A new policy brief presents Michigan local government leaders' assessments regarding their governments’ employee pay and fringe benefit rates. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the spring 2022 wave of the...

Local government fiscal outlook in Michigan a mixed picture: near-term improvement, long-term challenges

MPPS in the news

Commentary: Political violence has no place in our elections

Oct 24, 2022 Crain's Detroit Business

Elections are contentious, but in recent years they have gotten uglier, with the rise in political violence polluting our...

MPPS in the news

Like democracy, election workers are under assault with many fearing for the future

Sep 15, 2022 Michigan Advance

They are considered “essential” to ensuring the success of elections, and yet almost a third of election workers are believed to have left their job at least in part because of fears for their safety, increased threats or...

MPPS in the news

Nearly Half Of Top Local Officials Have Been Harassed, Survey Finds

Sep 12, 2022 Gongwer.com (subscription required)

Nearly half of top officials in local government across the state reported harassment during the last few years, a survey conducted by the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy...

MPPS in the news

More than half of Michigan local governments report that employees have been harassed and abused for doing their job

Sep 8, 2022 localtoday.news

According to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Michigan, the majority of Michigan local governments experience some form of harassment or other abuse from the...

MPPS in the news

Nearly half of top local Michigan officials say they've been harassed, UM survey says

Sep 8, 2022 The Detroit News

Nearly half of top officials in local governments across Michigan have reported being harassed in recent years, according to a survey by the University of Michigan released ...

MPPS in the news

Almost half of Michigan local officials report harassment and abuse, survey finds

Sep 8, 2022 Hillsdale Daily News

Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark thought it'd be a good idea to invite her community to have a conversation about how elections...

MPPS in the news

Almost half of Michigan local officials report harassment and abuse, survey finds

Sep 8, 2022 Detroit Free Press

Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark thought it'd be a good idea to invite her community to have a conversation about how elections work. The veteran elections official wanted to walk through how voting apparatuses are operated, broadly explain security...

In the Media

Poll: Contracting Working For Local Officials (subscription required)

Nov 13, 2014 Gongwer.com

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Student Working Papers

Changes in gender demographics in Michigan local governments: Michigan Public Policy Survey 2009-2021

April 30, 2022

Lorena Zajmi

The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is an ongoing research program that surveys the top elected and appointed officials in every local government jurisdiction in Michigan. This report aims at understanding how the gender demographics of these...

Fiscal Strategy Memos

Fiscal Strategies: IRC Section 115 Trusts and Pension-Related Financial Stress

March 1, 2021

James Tatum, Michigan State University Extension Center for Local Government Finance and Policy

This memo is included in the Local Government COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource...

Fiscal Strategy Memos

Fiscal Strategies: Workplace & Personnel Strategies for Michigan Local Governments - Q&A

July 28, 2020

Anna Zinkel Walters, Guidehouse

This memo is included in the Local Government COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource...

Fiscal Strategy Memos

Fiscal Strategies: IT Security for Mitigating Fiscal Risk of Remote Work

May 26, 2020

Douglas Carr, Oakland University

This memo is included in the Local Government COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource...

MPPS

Positive working relationships reported among Michigan's local elected officials

June 1, 2019

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding relationships among members of their board or council as well as between the board/council and local government employees. Assessments include a look at various...