July 25, 2018
A state law meant to hold municipalities accountable for pension payments may actually worsen a coming fiscal crisis.
May 18, 2018
Demographic trends suggest trouble ahead for government revenues.
April 6, 2018
We're in a new era of digital extortion. We need to do a lot more to block and mitigate attacks like the one that crippled Atlanta.
March 20, 2018
The cost of post-retirement benefits is threatening governments’ ability to provide vital services.
January 25, 2018
Local governments. But they’re not just doing it for the money.
November 6, 2017
Hurricanes can hurt property taxes long before any water damage is done.
September 21, 2017
Local governments are no longer as willing to take on the risky business of building a ballpark.
July 18, 2017
Cities that faced bankruptcy not long ago have made remarkable recoveries -- all on their own.
May 25, 2017
The decline of malls in America can mean lost jobs and lower tax revenues for states and municipalities -- but not always.
March 8, 2017
Changes are likely on the way, and they could damage budgets.
January 30, 2017
They would be mostly -- but not all -- good for state and local revenues.
November 2, 2016
Both candidates have vowed to reform the tax code. But neither has said how their plans would impact states and localities.
September 20, 2016
Cities are experimenting with ways to meet the goals of affordable housing while still reaping the benefits of the sharing economy.
July 14, 2016
Not that sharing economy though -- the other one.
May 26, 2016
If the IRS gets its way, it may be harder for special districts to issue tax-exempt municipal bonds.
March 23, 2016
Is anyone trying to balance the fiscal inequities states impose on their localities?
January 1, 2016
The growing intensity of natural disasters is a threat to state and local governments’ fiscal stability. How can they protect their finances and the environment?
November 1, 2015
When cities try to tax people who work in one place and live in another, things get really complicated really fast.
September 1, 2015
The recent bankruptcy rulings in California and Michigan protected retirees’ pensions. But at what expense?
July 1, 2015
The rules for a city’s return to solvency are no longer being crafted by lawmakers.
May 1, 2015
There are two primary ways retiring baby boomers will impact revenues.
April 2, 2015
No one really knows what might happen to San Bernardino if the California city fails to meet a May 30 deadline in its bankruptcy case.
March 9, 2015
In many ways, its challenges are more serious than Detroit's, threatening its aspirations to be a global city.
March 1, 2015
On-demand services like Uber and Airbnb will force state and local governments to rethink taxes, zoning and retirement.
January 1, 2015
Questions loom about who will pay for the fallout of a national health crisis and what kind of impact it could have on credit ratings.
November 1, 2014
As fire departments’ costs have increased in recent years, their volunteers have drastically dropped.
September 1, 2014
Localities are forced to deal with much of the problems associated with fracking, while states and the federal government rake in all the revenue.
July 1, 2014
It’s not that governments don’t want to give the public the services they demand, it’s that they increasingly can’t afford to -- even by raising taxes.
June 30, 2014
Wall Street can be hard on a state that moves to keep its local governments solvent or help them through bankruptcy. But it's a chance that some states have decided is worth taking.
May 1, 2014
There’s a lot America can learn from these two countries about how to avert municipal bankruptcies.
April 7, 2014
Smart state leaders are recognizing that it costs a lot less to keep a struggling city, county or school district out of trouble in the first place.
March 1, 2014
Confronting social inequality is harder when a city is struggling.
February 13, 2014
It's always going to be expensive, but getting it right is critical.
February 10, 2014
The diverse group of people dealing with the city's bankruptcy could teach Washington a lot about collaboration and creativity.
January 16, 2014
Demographic change and tax policies that favor the elderly mean an ever-widening fiscal gap for state and local governments.
January 1, 2014
The disinvestment and reliance on higher student fees and tuition creates significant risks not only for students—but for states, too.
December 23, 2013
Colorado's county secession movement was sparked by a growing disconnect between rural and urban areas. Rather than forming a new state, it might make more sense to try to deal with that disconnect.
December 12, 2013
There are positive signs, but there also is a lot of variation in how they fared through the downturn and beyond.
November 1, 2013
When a city is bankrupt, judges have a big say in whose bills will be paid. For now, all eyes are on Detroit and San Bernardino, Calif.
September 1, 2013
Special districts are growing like weeds—and raising tax burdens as they proliferate.