Bill Barnes latest column Emerging Issues: Doing Less with Less, and Beyond | nlc.org does a nice job of contextualizing the fiscal crises being faced by so many cities. At the recent NLC Congress of Cities, public talk at workshops and private chats in the hallways included comparing notes about shared services, the effects of personnel reductions,…
Category: Cities
What government can do
The terrain of urban economic development policy and urban renewal is awash with bad ideas and awful consequences – intended and unintended (and certainly the Bronx is no exception). But in the context of urban austerity, and the growing idea that urban government should be limited to a skeleton of public safety services, it’s also…
Turning out the lights
Back from vacation and trying to keep up with the news out of Detroit, where the state is moving quickly to takeover city government. As the recession continues, and state budgets continue in the red, some cities are cutting down to the bone. What distinguishes these latest austerity measures is how noticeable they are to…
Cities and Federal Block Grants
Cities Struggle as U.S. Slashes Block Grants Program It is no secret that these are hard times for cities, with tax collections down, state aid dwindling, unemployment high and foreclosures pitting many blocks. So, as he sat in his office here, Mayor Ed Pawlowski of Allentown echoed the question mayors around the country are asking:…
Governments, Hungry for Money, Try Selling Ads – NYTimes.com
Headline and photo speak for themselves. Full story