Survey: Salary-cutting eases among Michigan?s local governments

ANN ARBOR (AP) — A survey finds that salary-cutting efforts among the state’s local governments have been easing with an improving economy, yet workers are shouldering more of their health care costs.

The survey released by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy finds a rising number of municipalities boosting pay during the past four years.

Still, those increases are likely modest and come as more jurisdictions shift health care costs to employees.

The survey shows a majority of local governments that offer benefits report year-over-year increases in those costs to workers.

The Michigan Public Policy Survey got responses from 72 percent of 1,344 local Michigan governments and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.