Coping with Critical Revenue Shortfalls

Contents

• About Current Revenue Shortfalls
• News Services
• Surveys
• Information Resources
• Related MRSC Pages
  • Reduction in Force - Layoffs
  • Revenue Shortfalls: Coping Actions by Washington Local Governments

About Current Revenue Shortfalls

Current budgets have been prepared and adopted during a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty. The real estate and the financial sectors are under tremendous strain, inflation is unpredictable, and unemployment is on the rise. As a result, local jurisdictions are seeing a slowdown in revenues, particularly in economy-dependent revenues such as sales taxes and real estate excise taxes. The economic forecast also anticipates an increase in the delinquency rate in the payment of property taxes, which are a major source of funding for local governments. This page answers the question: what are Washington local governments doing to cover the revenue shortfalls? Information sources for Revenue Shortfalls: Coping Actions by Washington Local Governments include budgets, news releases, webpages, and documents received by MRSC. If you have information to contribute, please send to Lynne De Merritt, Senior Research Consultant, or Lynn Nordby, Public Policy and Management Consultant.

News Services

• City Budget Stories in the News -  Association of Washington Cities (AWC)
• Washington News Links by Subject - Finance -  MRSC

Surveys

• Research - Fiscal - Association of Washington Cities Web page - Includes links to AWC's surveys for September 2011, January 2011, NLC Fiscal Conditions in 2011, and  AWC 2010 fiscal surveys
• AWC State of the Cities Report 2011: An Update on City Infrastructure Systems 2010
• AWC State of the Cities Report: Assessing the Health of Washington's Communities, 2009
  • Fall 2009 Update to 2009 Report ()
• City Budget Survey (), Association of Washington Cities - Survey of actions taken to balance the 2009 budget (or expected budget expenditures/revenues for calendar year 2009 for cities operating under a biennial budget)
• Economic Downturn - Impacts on County Building and Planning Departments Washington Counties Poll Results () prepared by Pam Knutsen, Spokane County Building and Planning, 05/08/2009

Information Resources

• Amending Your Budget, by Mike Bailey, Finance Director, City of Redmond, MRSC Finance Advisor, 06/2009
• Assessing the Health of Washington's Communities, Association of Washington Cities, 2009
• Career Transition/Outplacement Services for Public Employees (), Memo from Waldron & Company, 09/18/2009
• City Fiscal Conditions in 2010 (), by Christopher W. Hoene and Michael A. Pagano, Research Brief on America's Cities, 10/2010
• City Budget Shortfalls and Responses: Projections for 2010-2012 (), by Christopher W. Hoene, Research Brief on America's Cities, 12/2009
• Coping with and Recovering From the Great Recession, by Greg A. Weitzel and Andrew J. Mowen, Parks and Recreation, 08/2010
• Cost Savings and Achievement Potential of Prevention Programs: Smart Cuts, Dumb Cuts, and A Process to Tell the Difference, by Sid Gardner and Alan Brow, Public Management, 03/2009 - ICMA Members (Log In) MRSC Library Loan Request
• Engaging Citizens in the Economic Squeeze, by Evelina Moulder and Ron Carlee, Public Management, 06/2010 - Importance of engaging citizens through shared dialog during time of cutbacks - ICMA Members (Log In) or MRSC Library Loan Request
• Firefighters Feel the Squeeze of Shrinking Budgets, by Jonathan Walters, Governing, 01/2011 (Alternate title in print copy: Fire Fight) - In small and large cities alike, firefighters have gone from heroes to budget bait
• Fiscal Challenges Facing Cities: Implications for Recovery, by Mark Muro and Christopher W. Hoene, National League of Cities, 11/2009
• Generating New Revenue Streams, by Paul LaCommare, West Covina (California) Police Department, The Police Chief, 06/2010 via Nxtbook.com
• Leadership in These Turbulent Times (), by Carl Neu, Neu & Company, The Center for the Future of Local Governance, 2009
• Local Government Response to Revenue Shortfall, by George Raiter, Cowlitz County Commissioner, MRSC Council/Commission Advisor, 02/2010
• Navigating Fiscal Crisis: Tested Strategies for Local Leaders, prepared by the Alliance for Innovation for the International City/County Management Association, 01/2009
• Operations Planning for Improved Performance in a Tough Economy, by John F. Luthy, ICMA IQ Report, 2009, vol. 41, no. 6 - Publisher's information
• PERC Confirms that Employers Must Bargain Both the Decision and Effects of Budget-Related Furloughs, by Kristin D. Anger, Employment/Litigation Attorney, Summit Law Group, PLLC, MRSC HR Advisor, 06/2010
• Recovery from Financial Distress and Fiscal First Aid - Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
• Red Flag Checklist: Communicating About Your City’s Financial Condition (), Association of Washington Cities, no date - Based on Community Distress Signals developed by the League of Oregon Cities 
• Resilience in the Face of Foreclosures: Lessons from Local and Regional Practice (), by Todd Swanstrom and James A. Brooks, Research Report, National League of Cities Center for Research and Innovation, 2010
• Shared Work - Program Information, Washington State Employment Security - Offers the employers of Washington state an alternative to layoffs of skilled employees during times of temporary economic downturn.
• Strategies for Taking Care of MainStreet During the Economic Downturn, New Mexico Economic Development Department, Mainstreet Economic Track (scroll down page)

Related MRSC Resources
MRSC Index – Cut-back management, managing with less, cost savings ideas