I am adding a link to this article that updates Toledo’s fiscal situation.  (See prior post.)  The city is wrestling with a budget gap and trying to negotiate with unions over compensation.  Ohio is a state that has a fiscal emergency program and municipalities may not file for bankruptcy without going through the state.  The state’s [...]

fiscal emergency, fiscal stress, municipal bankruptcy, Ohio, Toledo

The tables below are for contextual reference as state and local governments face draconian spending cuts.   The combination of public policy with the several bubble periods over the last twenty-five years has created a toxic brew.  Some state and local governments are valiantly trying to tackle the issues while other legislatures and councils are more interested in [...]

fiscal stress, municipal bonds, Nevada, state and local politics, states

Here is an interesting clip from MLive about the debate over Flint’s dire finances.   Michigan has a receivership program that has been used a number of times so municipalities cannot just file bankruptcy in federal court without going through the state.  The article poses the sensible, if painful and difficult, questions of concessions on salaries and benefits [...]

Chapter 9, fiscal stress, municipal bankruptcy

Looks like the city is making its best effort to try to resolve budget imbalance.  Ohio is one of the states that has a strong oversight/receivership program and municipalities may not file bankruptcy without approval of the state.  Local governments there do rely on income taxes, which is tough in the current economy, especially in [...]

Chapter 9, fiscal stress, municipal bankruptcy, municipal bond default

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania can’t really afford to pay for the Resource Recovery bonds that it guaranteed.  Their recently adopted 2010 budget does not include debt service for this guarantee (see prior post with link).  It is accepted practice for rating agencies to rate municipally (or state) guaranteed debt off the credit of the guarantor.  Unlike bond [...]

Chapter 9, fiscal stress, municipal bankruptcy, municipal bond default, state and local politics

This link from a recent release by the Brookings Institution, Robert Puentes comments on the New Jersey and Virgina transportation funds.  New Jersey’ transportation trust fund will be spending all of its revenues on debt service by 2011; Virginia’s new governor too, suffers lack of funds for infrastructure improvements.  Concerning gas tax as a mechanism [...]

fiscal stress, gas tax, municipal bonds, transportation

Several states are showing scary illiquidity.  New Jersey’s governor just yesterday impounded funds the legislature had already appropriated and announced a state of emergency.  He stopped short of “declaring” emergency, which would have given him special powers over contracts.  New Jersey comes up high on the list of states with big budget gaps, heavy pension [...]

fiscal stress, state and local politics, states

A blogsite, “Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis” recently aggregated a selection of news stories covering state and local government budget deficits and proposed layoffs.  Click here  to link to the post.  There are a few differences between private sector layoff announcements and the public sector that are worth pointing out.   The private sector typically announces layoff actions that are already decided.  [...]

fiscal stress, Nevada, state and local politics

Oregon voters passed Propositions 66 and 67 yesterday which support Governor Kulongowski’s budget proposal.  The following link will give you detail on the propositions, the vote, the key donors to each campaign and the groups advocating pro and con.  Oregon is a high income tax state and ranks high among the states with large budget deficits and [...]

ballot initiatives, fiscal stress, state and local politics, state income taxes, states

A particularly toxic form of adjustable rate mortgage is going to hit the headlines in the spring and summer of 2010 with defaults, foreclosures and workout discussions extending into 2012.  “Option ARMs” also known as “Pick-a-pay” allow the borrower to choose how much to pay each month and reports indicate 94% of all borrowers paid [...]

California, fiscal stress, Florida, mortgage securities, Nevada