That alliance, decisive in mayoral elections from the 1960s to 1987, was a defining characteristic of Charlotte's regime during this period. However, the growth facilitated by that regime helped undermine both it and the busing plan by bringing to Charlotte many newcomers with minimal economic and ideological attachments to the city's desegregation accomplishments. Fearing that future development would be jeopardized, Charlotte's long-time business leaders threw their support behind the dismantling of the busing plan and its replacement by magnets. Additional reasons for business involvement in education are also discussed, as is the extent of business influence on education policy. An increasingly constrained fiscal environment and unrelenting citizen demands for services have cities searching for new ways to provide many needed services.
Municipal enterprises require special consideration because they provide many advantages for cities.
However, because they are separate municipal funds, an understanding of commonly used fund transfer mechanisms, such as payments in lieu of taxes or services in kind, is essential to making valid service provision comparisons. This study uses examples from a recent national survey of cities to explain and illustrate various means used by municipal enterprises to transfer revenue to, and from, other municipal funds. It also provides examples of how accurately accounting for the resultant revenue can significantly alter the results of the comparison process for five commonly used utility enterprises. This research seeks to analyze citizens' understanding of and attitudes toward modes of public service delivery. The work is based upon a survey of citizens in the Southeastern Michigan area around and including Detroit.