Resources about Township Government

Public opinion poll shows strong support for township government in Michigan

While some elected officials in Lansing have recently suggested that eliminating township governments in Michigan and assigning their responsibilities to county governments could help balance the state budget, a recent statewide poll shows that Michigan voters would strongly oppose such a proposal. Voters' opposition to this idea stems from the survey's findings showing that Michiganders highly value and heavily rely on local governments for valuable services, and this finding is no less true among township residents.

Furthermore, respondents view local government as an access point to the legislative process, a place for citizens to share ideas and voice concerns. Townships, in particular, are highly valued by the residents for their responsiveness, and township residents reported a high degree of trust toward their township officials. These are some of the conclusions of a poll of 600 voters in Michigan, conducted for the Michigan Townships Association by Marketing Resource Group between Dec.1 through 6, 2008, covering a broad array of topics from the mood of the electorate to how residents value government and residents' thoughts on a constitutional convention.

Click here for more information. To view the poll and aggregate results click here.

MTA Study on Forced Consolidations: Show Me the Money

Thanks to the efforts of township officials, House Bill 4780 remains in committee with no further legislative action having taken place. Proponents of HB 4780 argue that moving assessing, tax collection and elections to the county level will save taxpayers money, however, no legislator has yet shown any analysis that demonstrates any cost savings to justify this argument. To provide greater understanding into the broader issue of local government consolidation, MTA commissioned noted demographer Wendell Cox to further examine this matter. Click here to view the study, "The Higher Costs of Rationing Local Government: The Case Against State-Imposed Consolidations."   

Independent MSU Study

An independent study by Michigan State University shows that consolidating services doesn't necessary mean a cost savings.  The study, MSU Study Reveals Shift of Assessing Duties to Counties 'Less Likely to Exhibit Cost Savings', ran in the August 2007 Michigan Township News.

Townships Matter

Michigan Townships directly impact the lives of families on a daily basis. Township governments efficiently, economically and effectively protect the public safety of families and enhance the quality of life for more than half of Michigan's residents. Townships are governed by everyday residents serving each other. Because neighbors are serving neighbors, townships match the needs of the communities they serve. Click here for detailed information on the significant role of Michigan township government. Learn the truth about a variety of myths on Michigan townships. 

Township Government:

Saving Tax Dollars in Michigan and the Nation

A White Paper by Bill Anderson, MTA Legislative Liaison

This paper will examine Michigan's state and local government spending as reported in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Particular attention was paid to the State and Local Finance section of the abstract, which relies heavily on figures compiled from state and local government operations in 2002. The paper will review state and local spending, and compare our state to the other 49 states to see how competitive is Michigan and what is the impact of having a strong local government structure-such as found in Michigan-as compared to other states. 

Your Michigan Campaign Highlights Value of Local Government Services

The Michigan Council of Local Governments (MCOLG), comprised of MTA, the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Association of Regions (represented by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments), Michigan Association of School Boards and Michigan Municipal League, announce the launch of the Your Michigan-Live, Learn, Work, Play campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to emphasize return on the dollar for taxpayers. Click here for more information about the campaign.