"The right to criticize government is also an obligation to know what you are talking about."

-Lent Upson, first director of Citizens Research Council

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June 24, 2026

Special Friends Edition

Highlights:

New Council Report: Article VII - Local Government (Paper #10 in Con-Con Series)
New Podcast: Facts over Fear -- What Michigan Needs to Know About Hyperscale Data Centers
Upcoming Webinar: Data Centers in Michigan - July 8
Save the Date: Annual Public Policy Dinner, September 30

Article VII-Local Government

Photo: Madhu Anderson

The Research Council this week released Article VII – Local Government, the 10th in a series of 15 papers providing information to Michigan voters ahead of the November ballot question on whether to hold a constitutional convention (con-con).

Article VI-Local Government

A constitutional convention may assess how state preemption of local decisions has weakened Michigan’s tradition of home rule, the structure of local government, governance of counties, the use of metropolitan governments and special authorities, and the removal of elected officials.

The most impactful issue a constitutional convention could address in 2027 is balancing the state's powers to empower, oversee, and control local governments with local governments’ interest in exercising the home-rule powers currently provided in the constitution. Legislative action, administrative rules, and court rulings have eroded the spirit of home rule as it was originally envisioned by the drafters of the 1908 and 1963 Constitutions.

Other potential reforms in Article VII include efforts to streamline the structure of local government and to create greater flexibility in the streamlining of county government administration.

MI Constitution Series

Webinar - Register Today
Hyperscale Data Centers in Michigan

A recent Research Council paper evaluates the issues that are commonly at the center of conversations about bringing hyperscale data centers to Michigan. It addresses the economic impacts, potential impacts on the electric grid, impacts on water resources, noise pollution, and other potential negative externalities

This webinar will explain why data center development proposals should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, why the economic benefits will likely be modest except for the potential benefits from property tax revenue and community benefits agreements, and why the negative impacts are often overstated.

Free Webinar Registration

The Data Center Report

Facts over Fear -- What Michigan Needs to Know About Hyperscale Data Centers

As Michigan communities debate whether to welcome hyperscale data centers, the Research Council’s #FactsMatter podcast sat down with Research Associate Eric Paul Dennis to unpack the facts behind the controversy. The discussion focused on Eric’s recent paper, Data Centers in Michigan: Evaluation of Policy Controversies Regarding Hyperscale Data Center Development, which separates emotion from evidence and clarifies what these massive facilities mean for local economies, utilities, and residents.

Data centers have long powered everyday digital services, but the rise of AI has dramatically increased their size and visibility. Modern hyperscale facilities are far larger and more energy‑intensive, which has fueled public anxiety—often conflating concerns about AI with concerns about infrastructure.

Dennis notes the two issues are separate: stopping a data center in Michigan will not slow global AI development. Economically, these projects create a short‑term construction boom and only modest permanent employment, but they can transform local finances. In places like Saline Township, a single facility could more than double property tax revenue while using very little land, and communities often negotiate added benefits such as recreation funding or fire services.

The biggest public worry—electricity and water use—looks different on closer inspection. While a hyperscale center can draw as much power as a million people, it connects to the regional transmission grid rather than local lines, and Michigan currently has excess generation capacity. A large, steady customer can even improve grid efficiency, and recent capacity prices here have fallen rather than risen. Water use varies widely by design: older evaporative‑cooling systems can require millions of gallons per day, whereas many new facilities, including the proposed Saline project, use closed‑loop cooling that consumes little water, comparable to that of an office building.

Find all #FactsMatter podcasts on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!

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