It might be the hottest idea in democracy since the voting machine. In an effort to cut wasteful spending and generate political support, cash-strapped municipal officials are turning to a process called participatory budgeting, which allows residents to devise and vote on small-scale infrastructure projects. Pioneered in Brazil, its since been taken up by some…
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States balanced budgets by cutting spending, says CBPP report
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which focuses on state and federal budget policies, issued a new report Thursday (4/18/12) analyzing how states resolved their budget shortfalls: “Cuts in Services Have Been States’ Primary Response to Budget Gaps, Harming the Nation’s Economy.” The report documents $290 billion in budget cuts, $100 billion in tax and fee…
City unemployment, underpinning California’s budget crisis
Four of the five cities with double the national unemployment rate are in California, no surprise to those of us who have been following the state’s deep recession (and interesting to consider in light of the coastal/inland divide described in last week’s New York Times, and the debate that has generated). Read: Bottom Line – Cities…
Fiscal emergency creeps across Oregon
Oregon counties are following New York’s into the world of fiscal crisis: During February’s legislative session, Oregon lawmakers created some new tools to help counties facing fiscal insolvency. Curry County is expected to be the first off the cliff, with $5 million dollars in obligations coming due in July. NPR has an article and interviews:…
Deep cuts to the federal safety net, continued
As we head into the home stretch of the presidential election, Congress is working on the budget. Much of the work is now being done in committees, and over the next months we’ll see a lot of extreme Republican proposals, Democratic pledges to halt them, and all the politics that precedes an actual budget. But…