Crisis and Constraint in Municipal Finance

Book excerpt: Throughout the United States, local governments are experiencing sustained and mounting financial difficulties. As fiscal pressures edge upward, cities find it difficult to make ends meet. And while the most acute financial hardships are felt by older, declining industrial complexes, the need to reduce spending, cut services, improve productivity, and increase locally-raised revenues has been recognized by a steadily growing number of municipalities across the country.Local governments have entered an age of austerity wherein traditional notions of budgeting and service provision have been brought into question. Elected officials and financial managers have begun rethinking the manner in which scarce resources are allocated; they have also given significant attention to the ways in which revenues are generated. Carr argues that we are now in a post-industrial society, moving from urban centers to suburban and non-metropolitan jurisdictions. As a result, we are moving from an economy benefitting from prolonged periods of vigor and lower interest rates to an economy characterized by extended periods of recession.Crisis and Constraint in Municipal Finance identifies eight principal areas of concern to budget makers and municipal managers. Beginning with ways to identify fiscal performance, this volume reviews cutback practices, budgeting principles, revenue raising strategies, alternative public service delivery systems and economic development initiatives. Also reviewed are the changing roles of the federal and state governments in local financial matters, as well as the fiscal prospects for local government finances in the coming years. This is an important work that addresses concerns of the economy and should be read by urban planners and economic advisors.