Survey finds fewer local officials report positive fiscal health

ANN ARBOR (AP) — Fewer Michigan officials are reporting improvements in their local communities’ fiscal health for the first time since the Great Recession.

A University of Michigan survey polled top elected and appointed officials in the state’s municipalities. It found 31 percent saying they are better able to meet financial needs this year, down from 38 percent in 2015.

Especially noteworthy were responses from county governments, where 19 percent of responding officials rate their fiscal stress as high. That is up sharply from 3 percent last year.

Still, nearly two-thirds of local governments rate their level of fiscal stress as relatively low in the survey released Tuesday.

The study was conducted by the university’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy in partnership with organizations representing local governments.