Governing takes a tour through the fiscal impacts of a suddenly cratered economy and an ongoing public health crisis.
Alan Greenblat provides ranging analysis of the "financial black hole" facing cities and states as a result of the pandemic. This assessment is defined by uncertainty. "State and local officials are well aware that they face the most dire fiscal circumstances in decades," writes Greenblat. "They still don't know just how bad it will be."
According to Greenblat, who writes at the end of May, about 1 million state and local jobs have been lost. "Public employment at those levels has already dropped lower than at any point during the Great Recession," according to Greenblat.
Despite the uncertainty of how far revenues will drop, and how deep cities and states will have to cut as a result, Greenblat does point out some key differences between the current downturn and previous downturns, namely that furloughs and layoffs have impacted public safety workers. Christiana McFarland, research director for the National League of Cities (NLC), is quoted in the article saying that job cuts for police, fire, and health care workers are a canary in the coal mine.
The article includes specific information on the kinds of furloughs being implemented in parts of the country, while also explaining the politics of recovery at the federal level. Just as uncertain as the depths of the fiscal crisis is the likelihood that the federal government will provide additional funding to support local and state governments.
FULL STORY: States and Cities Continue Plunge into Financial Black Hole
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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