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

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

Here’s a clip from the California League of Cities concerning AB 155.  AB155 (and its parallel, SB88) briefly, would prevent California cities from filing bankruptcy without going through the state – California Debt Investment Advisory Commission (CDIAC).  Numerous other states have adopted similar provisions, which puts the state in the middle of helping with a workout [...]

California, Chapter 9, municipal bankruptcy

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 is a follow-up to the earlier post on October 14 about Prichard, Alabama when the city failed to make the October payment to their retirees.  According to the Press-Register city leaders do not expect to pay November either.  To protect themselves from the lawsuit that ensued they filed Chapter 9 (municipal) bankruptcy yesterday.  (Note to the municipal bond [...]

Chapter 9, municipal bankruptcy, Prichard Alabama

At this point in the meltdown timeline, municipal bond defaults have not yet occurred in the traditional sectors we think about such as cities, towns, states, utility systems and school districts.  The few notable exceptions include Vallejo, California, currently working through a Chapter 9 bankruptcy and Jefferson County, Alabama sewer system, which is a heavily [...]

Chapter 9, municipal bankruptcy, municipal bonds

Prichard, Alabama, town of about 25,000, outside of Mobile, filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 1999 and finally exited in 2002. They look poised for a second round. Their issues seem similar to Vallejo, California – they cannot afford to continue paying their retiree pensions and could run out of money in the next month. We [...]

Chapter 9, municipal bankruptcy, municipal bonds, Prichard Alabama