State and Local Pensions Post Worst Losses Since Great Recession
The public sector retirement plans are in better overall shape than they were back in 2008. But some are still badly underfunded and many are gambling on riskier investments.
Unfair Property Taxes and What to Do About Them
In some places, the taxes fall unequally on lower-income and minority homeowners. But can they be redesigned without jeopardizing a major source of local government revenue?
This Federal Committee Is Watching Over Your Pandemic Funds Spending
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee is on the lookout for fraud and other issues with trillions in federal Covid aid. But the watchdog is also assembling a wealth of data on programs the money is going to.
For Taxpayer-funded Stadiums, the Renovation Boom Has Arrived
The bill is coming due for upgrades to pro sports venues built decades ago. It won’t be cheap.
The Big Debate Around Statehouses: What to Do With Budget Surpluses
States had another year of exceptional revenue growth driven by a number of factors, but the conversation around how to reward taxpayers is complicated.
'Woke Bond Rating’? The Muni Finance Fight Over ESG Scores
Utah officials recently lashed out at a rating agency's use of environmental, social, governance rankings. Investors have an appetite for the metrics, but critics say they're too subjective.
The New Digital Products and Services Proving Difficult to Tax
States and localities may have to update policies if they don't want to miss out on revenue.
As Inflation Drives Up Prices, State Lawmakers Eye Cutting Food and Sales Taxes
More than a dozen states are considering such cuts, as others eye income tax reductions.
Federal Policies Help Spur Municipal Bond Market, but Headwinds Remain
Analysts are generally optimistic about the stability of government finances, but lingering issues—Covid, inflation and supply chain bottlenecks—pose economic and fiscal risks in the short term.
Why More Public Pension Funds Are Investing in Cryptocurrencies
The barriers for state and local institutional investors entering the crypto market are come down, including a clearer regulatory framework and more industry scrutiny.
A Unique Funding Program to Keep Homeowners in Hot Neighborhoods in Their Houses
The Atlanta program, part of a wide-scale affordable housing effort, will use $10 million to help legacy homeowners pay soaring property taxes.
Governments Face Soaring Costs Burying Poor and Unclaimed Dead
Individual burials can be $2,000. The costs have increased dramatically during the pandemic, with some communities turning to federal aid to help cover the expense.
Governments Doling Out Bonuses for Public Employees, 'Gratitude Grants' for Grocery Workers
For public sector and service workers, covid fatigue took its toll. Now states and localities are saying thank you using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The Accounting Burden for Spending Federal Stimulus Funds
Localities and states have a variety of challenges coming out of the pandemic. But one concern is widespread: how to stay on top of the financial reporting requirements of the American Rescue Plan Act.
Why Managing Billions in Federal Aid for Small Towns Will be a Huge Lift
Some localities are even foregoing the cash because it's too challenging to deal with.
How Cities Are Using Citizen Feedback to Guide Federal Relief Spending
There’s a wide range of possibilities for how the $350 billion in funding can be used. “We really wanted to understand how the community was thinking in terms of investment versus recovery,” says one city official.
The Overshadowed Plight of City Budgets
New federal aid offers welcome relief for many local governments, which have seen their financial difficulties upstaged at times by better-than-expected state revenues.
Cities Bet on Risky Borrowing Option to Bolster Pensions
With the cost to issue debt at record lows, there’s been an upswing in local governments turning to pension obligation bonds.
States Go After Small Businesses on Amazon—and Sometimes Amazon—for Millions in Back Sales Taxes
The Supreme Court in 2018 gave states the power to make new rules for collecting sales taxes online. But back taxes on products sold by small businesses on Amazon’s marketplace are still a major point of dispute.
Schools Are Juggling All Kinds of Learning Models This Year. But That Doesn’t Always Mean They Are Hiring More Teachers.
In many districts, some students are staying home to learn online while others head back into the classroom. Who will teach them?
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