Business Leaders for Michigan releases Fiscal Scorecard

Scorecard measures five indicators of fiscal health, shows promising turnaround in most areas. Pension costs need to be addressed.

DETROIT, Mich., May 17, 2012 – Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, today released the annual Michigan Fiscal Scorecard, “Assessing the Management of Michigan Governments”. This review of state and local government finances measures five indicators of fiscal health – revenue and expenditures, cash balances, reserves, pension obligations and debt levels-  and is part of BLM’s strategy to determine whether Michigan’s fiscal management practices are improving. The report was prepared for BLM by Anderson Economic Group, LLC.

“The Michigan Fiscal Scorecard gives us a clear picture of the progress the state and local governments are making in managing their finances, as well as identifying those areas that still need improvement, “ said Doug Rothwell, President & CEO, Business Leaders for Michigan. “As we continue to work to turn around Michigan and make it a Top Ten state for job, economic and personal income growth, this realistic review of the state’s fiscal health allows us to gauge how Michigan compares to other states, whether benchmarks are being met, and what steps need to be taken to ensure continued fiscal strength.”

Click to read more ...

Regional Partners Advance Strategic Economic Outcomes in Greater Detroit

Report on Road to Renaissance Showcases Areas of Success and Leadership

DETROIT, Mich., December 12, 2011 — Business Leaders for Michigan, the state’s business roundtable, issued the last in a series of progress reports on the Road to Renaissance, a pioneering, comprehensive movement geared at engineering economic growth and development in the Detroit region.  

First launched in 2006, the Road to Renaissance initiative used input from hundreds of civic and business leaders to devise a strategy for accelerating regional economic growth.

“This effort has had stunning levels of involvement, complexity and reach,” said Doug Rothwell President & CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan. “More than $100 million was raised to support the activities of Road to Renaissance, and countless hours, people and significant amounts of energy were dedicated to growing our economy in Greater Detroit.”

Download the full press release

  
Download the Road to Renaissance Report

Michigan Metros Strong In Recovery, Weak In Overall Performance

The most recent Brookings study of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas performance before and after the recession shows that Detroit was among the 20 weakest overall, but 40 strongest in recovery.  Grand Rapids was among the 40 weakest overall, but 20 strongest in recovery.