Finance

10 Common Outcomes of COVID-19 on Local Government Budgets (November 9, 2020)
Local jurisdictions must adapt their operations to new COVID-19-related fiscal and service constraints. There’s no single impact or response, but there are a few commonalities. More from ICMA Blog.

Shopping Behavior Keeps Evolving as the Pandemic Continues (November 5, 2020)
Recent studies reveal dramatic shifts in consumer shopping habits with 58% of consumers saying they expect to do more online shopping after the pandemic than they did before it. More from Digital Commerce 360.

How Much is COVID-19 Hurting State and Local Revenues? (October 1, 2020)
This Q&A examines the fiscal impact that COVID-19 has had on state and local governments and is drawn from “Fiscal Effects of COVID-19,” presented at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity on September 24, 2020. More from Brookings.

How to Make Sure City Budgets Prioritize Racial Equity (September 30, 2020)
Budgets reflect cities’ values. Places like Austin, Louisville and Fairfax County are trying new approaches to consider equity in spending plans. More from Bloomberg CityLab.

Wisconsin Data Tool Gives Insights Into Local Gov Spending (September 8, 2020)
With many municipalities facing tight budgets for 2021, the Wisconsin Policy Forum has created a data tool that shows budget trends over time and in comparison to neighboring municipalities. More from Government Technology.

County Budgets to See $202 Billion COVID-19 Impact (September 4, 2020)
A new report released by NACo estimates that by the end of FY2021, counties will experience a $202 billion budgetary impact. More from NACo's County News.

NLC Releases Fiscal Conditions Report (September 2, 2020)
The National League of Cities recently released research findings on the fiscal impact of COVID-19 on municipal budgets in their 35th annual City Fiscal Conditions report.

Comprehensive Analysis of COVID-19’s Impact On County Finances and Implications for the U.S. Economy (September 1, 2020)
This report explains the financial situation of America’s 3,069 county governments, the impact of COVID-19 on county budgets, the cuts counties are making to respond to the pandemic and the resulting impact on the U.S. economy. More from NACo.

Where to Prioritize Emergency Rental Assistance to Keep Renters in Their Homes (August 28, 2020)
As states and localities allocate emergency rental assistance funds to help renters avoid losing their homes, local leaders must decide where to prioritize their resources. More from The Urban Institute.

New ICMA Survey Shows Depth of Economic Downturn for Cities and Counties (August 7, 2020)
Eighty-four percent of local governments responding to ICMA's latest survey are projecting a decrease in overall revenues for their first budget since the onset of the pandemic, with about half projecting up to a 10 percent decrease and a third projecting up to a 20 percent decrease. More from ICMA.

Cash is King (July 30, 2020)
Cash is king during a financial crisis. How can local governments ensure they have enough cash on hand during this period, and what actions can they take to protect and rebalance the budget  to adapt quickly? More from Government Finance Review.

By the Numbers: A Look at Municipal Bankruptcies Over the Past 20 Years (July 28, 2020)
How local governments handled fiscal distress and insolvency before the pandemic. More from PEW.

Looking to Push Less Paper? Consider Electronic Approvals (July 27, 2020)
Processing documents such as vendor invoices and employee timesheets involves frequent approvals. It can be inefficient to pass around paper for these purposes, so electronic options are attractive to many. More from The Audit Connection.

As COVID-19 Resurges, So Does the Threat to Local Budgets (July 2, 2020)
More layoffs are coming, as pandemic-related revenue crashes leave many cities and states billions of dollars in the red, forced to reckon with deep spending cuts because, generally, they must balance their budgets each year. More from Brookings.

Smaller Cities Left Waiting on Coronavirus Aid Money (June 2, 2020)
“The challenge for 97% of America's cities is that we haven't received any funding yet,” says one mayor. More from Route Fifty.

Cities Anticipate $360 Billion Revenue Shortfall (May 29, 2020)
As local leaders scramble to help their communities face these new economic realities, they are also working to soften the blow to their own budgets. More from NLC's CitiesSpeak.

More than 800,000 Local Government Jobs Lost in April (May 25, 2020)
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) May 8 released its monthly jobs report for April, revealing a loss of more than 800,000 local government jobs. More from NACo's County News.

How the Coronavirus Will Harm State and City Budgets (May 18, 2020)
The coronavirus pandemic is placing enormous budget pressure on state and local governments, threatening deep and potentially lasting cuts to education, infrastructure, and other important investments. More from  Foreign Affairs.

County Budgets May See $144 billion Hit From COVID-19 (May 5, 2020)
NACo’s new report, Running on Fumes: Impact of COVID-19 on County Finances, details the pandemic’s budgetary consequences. More from NACo's County News.

Treasury Releases CARES Act Guidance (April 15, 2020)
The U.S. Department of Treasury released guidance on April 13 for state and local governments on the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund in the CARES Act. More from ICMA.

When Will Your City Feel the Fiscal Impact of COVID-19? (April 8, 2020)
As the crisis unfolds, the impact on cities’ bottom line will be driven not only by overall economic conditions but specifically the parts of the economy where revenue is generated: retail sales, income and wages, and real estate. More from Brookings.

GFOA Launches Fiscal First Aid Resource Center (April 2, 2020)
To help during this critical time, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has put together a Fiscal First Aid Resource Center to guide governments through financial stress. More from GFOA.

Seeking FEMA Assistance to the COVID-19 Pandemic (April 1, 2020)
Under emergency declaration, FEMA is authorized to reimburse local governments for costs associated with “emergency protective measures” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More from NLC's CitiesSpeak.

How Will the Coronavirus Affect State and Local Government Budgets? (March 31, 2020)
Unlike the federal government, states and localities can’t compensate for lower tax revenues with increased borrowing—they must make up for them with some combination of lower spending, higher tax rates, or fees. More from Brookings.

COVID-19 Response by Fiscal Officers (March 16, 2020)
A review of three actions local government fiscal officers can take today to protect their public agencies from the impacts of the Coronavirus. More from LinkedIn.

Start the Year Off Right – New Best Practices and Tools for Bank Reconciliations! (February 24, 2020)
The State Auditor's Office has developed a list of best practices and tools for bank reconciliations for you to consider and compare to your own government’s current processes. More from The Audit Connection.

When Cities Don’t Accept Cash for Public Services (February 4, 2020)
This year saw a wave of backlash against cashless retail, but what about when cities like Washington, D.C., want to move toward all-digital payments? More from CityLab.

Report: Two Thirds of Big Cities Predict Recession, Midwest in Fiscal Decline (January 13, 2020)
The National League of Cities' (NLC) recently released “City Fiscal Conditions” report finds increasing fiscal uncertainty and trends similar to those that emerged at the start of previous economic downturns.

Washington Department of Commerce Awards $91.6 Million for Affordable Housing Projects (December 19, 2019)
The funds will create 2,423 units of affordable housing for low-income and special-needs residents, including people with chronic mental illness, homeless households and individuals, veterans, farmworkers and first-time homebuyers. More from Washington Department of Commerce.

The Change That Could Shift Public Opinion on Taxes (December 11, 2019)
We’ve been wary of taxation since the Boston Tea Party. New finance ethics rules will help. More from Governing.

How Fire Districts Get and Spend Their Money (November 6, 2019)
Are you curious how fire districts get and spend their money? The SAO's new #Gov101 video on fire districts has the answers.