Finance
Report: Cities will pay greater share of infrastructure investments
America's infrastructure investments will be further stifled this year by pressures to cut federal spending and reduce the deficit, compelling cities to take on more of the costs to start or continue infrastructure projects, according to a new report from the Urban Land Institute....
Survey: Local government work force is shrinking
The recession has forced most local and state governments to layoff employees and increase employees' costs for health care, and those steps have led to lower employee morale and workload problems, according to the latest electronic survey conducted by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence....
May 2011 Municipal Cost Index increases slightly
Lindsay Isaacs
The costs of goods and services purchased by local governments increased 0.8 percent over last month....
Contest offers $10,000 grant for Fourth of July events
An online contest sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance will award ten $10,000 grants to support cities' official Fourth of July events, such as parades, fireworks and ceremonies honoring veterans....
Obama acknowledges impact of government job losses
President Obama acknowledged the impact government job losses have had on the economy, and on those employees' lives, during a televised town hall meeting last week....
Mayors' survey: Cities need transportation infrastructure investment
Given the nation's current economic problems, federal transportation priorities should be targeted to metropolitan areas, home to two-thirds of U.S. residents, according to a survey of mayors of 176 cities conducted by the United States Conference of Mayors....
Wisconsin PFA seeks clients nationwide
By Ed Brock (edward.brock@penton.com)
The Madison, Wis.-based Public Finance Authority offers financing for projects for governments that do not want to or cannot issue conduit debt because of legal hurdles, limited staff or a lack of comfort with the process....
Real ID Act delayed
By Ed Brock (edward.brock@penton.com)
States now have an extra year and a half to comply with the federal Real ID Act. However, many states remain opposed to the act, and some of them have flatly, and statutorily, refused to comply....
Hydropower surge
By Todd Briggeman, David Egger, Bruce Duncan and Pat Sullivan
Rising energy costs coupled with federal, state and local financial incentives are making hydropower projects financially attractive for public water systems....
Feds start to bend the rules
By Gail Short
Obama's call for flexible federal regulations could save local governments money....
Power in numbers
Water district joins investment group to increase returns and flexibility....
Study: State government pension funding gap increases 26 percent
The gap between the promises states have made for public employees' retirement benefits and the money they have set aside grew to at least $1.26 trillion in fiscal year 2009, a 26 percent increase in one year, according to a report by the Pew Center on the States....
Bonds take a blow
By Robert Barkin
A bad economy and negative news bruise municipal bonds' image....
Philadelphia launches fraud-reporting app
Philadelphia residents now can report fraud through smartphone technology using a new app developed by the city....
Report: New ideas for government pension plans
As some state and local governments are shifting from defined benefit to defined contribution pension plans to reduce their employee benefit costs, they should consider arrangements that include elements of both plans, according to a new report from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence....
Recidivism remains high despite states' efforts
Despite increases in state spending on prisons, more than four in 10 offenders were returning to state prison within three years of their release, according to a report released April 12 by the Pew Center on the States. ...
Viewpoint: How to save money on recall elections
By Joshua Spivak
From a policy angle, local governments should consider several steps to ensure that recalls remain a viable option but don't become a drain on local coffers....
Video: Movie documents surge in mayoral recalls
As the nation's political discourse of discontent continues, the numbers of attempted and successful recalls of elected officials have increased, according to a new short film from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. ...
Wisconsin Public Finance Authority wants to go nationwide
The Wisconsin Public Finance Authority (PFA), which was formed last year to issue tax-exempt conduit bonds for public and private entities, is promoting its services nationwide....
Editor's Viewpoint: Life's value depends on who's counting
By Bill Wolpin
As states make more and more cuts to balance their budgets, Arizona's recent slashes to Medicaid funding underscore the need to balance pragmatism with basic decency....
California seeks federal boost for high-speed rail
By Jennifer Grzeskowiak
In early April, California applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for the entire $2.4 billion that Florida returned in March to use for a proposed high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles....
Survey: Americans support infrastructure investment
More than three-quarters (77 percent) of Americans think the federal government should increase spending to repair the nation's crumbling roads, bridges and transit systems, according to a report from HNTB Corp. ...
Florida county holds e-government budget meeting
Officials in Pinellas County, Fla., are using e-government to involve residents in the budget-forming process....
Viewpoint: Doing More…With More?
By Jennifer Fleischman
Internships can help local governments cope with staff limitations caused by budget cuts while also giving local college students real-world experience....
Video: Ohio limits collective bargaining
Ohio has passed a law limiting public employees' collective bargaining abilities, less than a month after Wisconsin passed a similar statute....
