It’s budget season for many cities, including New York, most of which start fiscal year 2013 on July 1. I like this summary of the NYC budget process, which seems pretty universal: Every year, the mayor proposes cutting certain vital city programs and then, at the last minute, the City Council comes to the rescue…
Tag: services
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…
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…