There has been a lot of talk about making public data more readily available, and of involving the public (most obviously in the participatory budgeting movement). These two strategies sit in curious counterpoint to the equally popular trend of treating municipal finances as increasingly complex and needing expert (i.e. private sector) intervention. Anyway, here’s a…
Tag: budgeting
States budget cuts leave poor in a fix – SFGate
California has apparently “fixed” its budget deficit, but at what cost? One of the fallouts from the unfolding budget crises in cities and states has of course been cuts to social programs. But the scale of those cuts often gets masked by the noise of political fighting. One could be forgiven for not being able…
Montclair, New Jersey: small town battle over the budget
Montclair, NJ is a small (37,000+), fairly affluent and diverse town in New Jersey, with views of the Manhattan skyline. The town has a three-way mayoral race underway that seems to hinge on debates over whether the town needs to trim spending on social programs, such as preschool and libraries. A “liberal” town, having the same…
A Budget By and For the People – Politics – The Atlantic Cities
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…
Devolving the Budget Crisis
An important piece in the NYT from back in March about state efforts to balance their budgets by cutting aid to cities. The article talks about the “balloon” effect: states reduce spending and sometimes taxes by reducing (or eliminating) aid to cities. Cities may respond by raising local taxes in order to fill the gap…