A decades-old payroll system and advance pay practices are costing the state millions and frustrating employees forced to pay it back.
Proposed legislation would allow for up to one-quarter of the state’s spending on homeless housing, assistance and prevention programs to go toward sober living environments. The bill would reverse a 2016 funding ban.
Local government finance officers can employ revenue, procurement and other tactics that disrupt the status quo to finance important initiatives.
The council passed a $12.8 billion budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which is approximately 2 percent less than the current fiscal year’s budget. The city will eliminate 1,700 vacant jobs next fiscal year.
The California governor presented his spending plan for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. It would strip $260 million from the state’s major homelessness program. Some lawmakers want to restore that funding.
Despite a high demand for programs that help children, elderly and those with disabilities, lawmakers made wide cuts for fear that the federal government might take back millions in COVID aid.
Staff levels at Class I railroads declined about 28 percent between 2011 and 2021. Trains have also gotten longer, often reaching 2 or 3 miles long. Many are concerned that the combination poses a safety risk.
States are sitting on near-record surpluses. How and where exactly do they store their savings?
Hundreds of billions of state and local dollars are sitting stagnant in bank accounts earning almost nothing — balances that have tripled in recent years. It’s not clear why this is happening, but it’s far too much foregone income.
A 53-page report details the bureaucratic dysfunction that allowed the Ohio county to pay for a jail management system it never used due to a signing bonus fixation, lack of planning and poor management.
The Washington state school district mistakenly recorded revenue twice during the accrual and reconciliation process, revealing a $20 million shortfall when the error was corrected. The staff reduction will save about $13 million.
The state has a surplus of 15,000 prison beds. Consolidating and deactivating prisons could free up billions of dollars for safety net programs, education, housing and workforce development.
The city’s finance department has grown 35 percent since 2019 and the cost of internal-facing departments have increased by 50 percent. Seattle’s total budget is currently $7.8 billion.
The Chicago-based nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life distributed $3.5 million in private funds to 2,500 local election offices across 49 states during the 2020 presidential election cycle. But many believe the additional funds were unnecessary.
The elementary schools have the district’s lowest enrollment, fewer than 300 students total, and will have to share a single librarian next year. No current librarians will lose their jobs.
The state estimates it will have between $300 and $400 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding still available for use. The problem will be figuring out how to prioritize which programs get money.
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