Council Comments #1038, December 1995 First in a series of occasional papers on issues raised by Proposal A of 1994. In Brief Nearly every tax imposed in Michigan since the early 1960s has had a portion of the resulting revenues dedicated to one or more s...
Continue ReadingA Guide to the State of Michigan Budget Process Report #320, February 1997 Introduction: What is a Budget? In its most fundamental form, a budget is a financial plan that lays out proposed expenditures for a specific time period and the estimated revenues...
Continue ReadingSchool Capital Funding Summary Despite a long tradition of local control, Michigan now has a state education system. Since the approval of Proposal A in 1994, decisions about how much to spend on educating students have been made in Lansing. One cr...
Continue ReadingMichigan’s Fiscal Future 2008 Report 349 In Brief It has been apparent for several years that Michigan state government and its constituent governmental units are faced with a structural deficit that requires significant changes in revenue and sp...
Continue ReadingFEDERAL EXPENDITURES IN MICHIGAN report 348 summary Every year, the federal government makes payments of various kinds to individuals, private companies, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments. From Medicare and Social Security...
Continue ReadingThe Fiscal Condition of the City of Detroit April 2010, Report 361 and Memorandum 1098 The “Great Recession” that began in December, 2007 has exacerbated the effects of population loss, poverty, and disinvestment on the City of Detroit. The ta...
Continue ReadingBenchmarking the City of Manistee October 2010, Report 365 Foreword As the City of Manistee worked through the budget process for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, it became clear that the budget would be one of many successive challenging budgets to put togethe...
Continue ReadingDistribution of State Aid to Michigan Schools August 2011 Report 371 Summary In March 1994, state voters approved a ballot proposal (Proposal A) to amend the 1963 Michigan Constitution, ushering in one of the final pieces of a new public K-12 education fi...
Continue ReadingThe Costs, Benefits, and Alternatives for Consolidating the Onekama Governments October 2011 Report 372 Summary The Township of Onekama and Onekama Village are considering the implications of consolidating into a single governmental unit. The possibility ...
Continue ReadingLegacy Costs and Indebtedness of the City of Detroit December 2011 Report 373 Overview As City of Detroit officials struggle to reduce the city government’s deficit and provide essential services, a key fiscal consideration concerns the city’s...
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