West Michigan earns top marks in government-to-business study
By Andrew Domino | MiBiz
adomino@mibiz.com
WEST MICHIGAN — Local businesses and city governments run side-by-side in every community in Michigan, but it’s much more of a challenge to make sure they work together.
A new study from the University of Michigan-Dearborn shows several West Michigan cities and townships have been succeeding at that challenge. Cities from Grand Haven to Marshall were recognized as four-star and five-star communities by iLabs, UMD’s Center for Innovation Research.
The 2011 eCities study looked at 89 locations across the state for characteristics such as positive property growth and tax rates. Information on the communities with the highest marks was released in November. The full study is expected in late January. Businesses can still participate in the study by visiting the iLabs website at www.umdilabs.com/ecities.