MUNICIPAL FINANCE CHALLENGES

AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) are self-taxing districts where property owners fund supplemental services and improvements (cleanliness, security, marketing) and all revenues are reinvested locally.

New Local Revenue Strategies: Cities can boost funds by raising service fees, levying special assessments, and monetizing their assets — such as through congestion charges, stormwater taxes, utility fees, asset leasing, naming rights, or selling land development rights.

MUNICIPAL FINANCE CHALLENGES

AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

In addition to drawing from hopefully healthy rainy-day funds, Lucy Dadayan, a principal research associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute, offered these best practices for raising municipal revenue without directly raising property tax millage:

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly used to finance, build and operate major infrastructure projects. The private sector provides upfront capital and assumes cost overrun risks in return for future revenue.

Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) fund local revitalization by capturing and reinvesting increased property tax revenues within designated zones, particularly in underserved areas.

MUNICIPAL FINANCE CHALLENGES

AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Lucy Dadayan, a principal research associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute, offers these standard belt-tightening measures:

• Hiring freezes/not filling vacant positions, suspending or reducing pay increases, furloughs and layoffs.

• Delaying or canceling infrastructure upgrades.

• Across-the-board or targeted spending cuts in both non-essential and sometimes critical services.

• Selling surplus assets or utilizing government-owned real estate for revenue generation.

• Redirecting already-obligated funds to ensure that legally committed projects can proceed.

MUNICIPAL FINANCE CHALLENGES

AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Ask a municipal financing and policy guru and they will say there is no magic bullet.

But plenty of thought leaders have notions on how local government can improve quality of life while reconciling belt tightening needed as a result of stimulus and infrastructure dollars from the previous administration drawing down while the present administration very intentionally wants to shrink federal spending.

The challenge is how to fund a municipal budget with room for everything.

 

 

 

MUNICIPAL FINANCE CHALLENGES

AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Every constituent of every elected official wants a better quality of life in their community.

Priorities shift among demographics, but great parks, pedestrian safety, quality hous[1]ing, good schools, safe streets and protection against dangers top just about everyone’s list.

The challenge is how to fund a municipal budget with room for everything from social services to huge infrastructure projects aimed at both sustainability and mitigation against ever-increasing natural disasters.

The task becomes even more challenging when the cost of services and materials is soaring, while the federal government — and its myriad programs that traditionally disburse billions to municipalities — is shrinking.

DOWNTOWN MIAMI = LEAST WALKABLE URBAN CORE IN THE USA

CITY IGNORES CENTURY-OLD SIMPLE SCAFFOLDING THAT COULD KEEP SIDEWALKS OPEN AND SAFE DURING CONSTRUCTION

How is it that the bankrupt Cleveland Ohio of my youth could maintain pedestrian and wheelchair access via simple scaffolding more than a half century ago?

But Miami destroys pedestrian safety in the name of development that blocks all sidewalks downtown.

This soul-killing photo shows urban policy that is unacceptable/illegal according to ADA.

Both sides of NE 6 St. west of NE 1st Ave. blocked for years of construction.

There is zero provision of legally required temporary pedestrian/wheelchair accessible pathway.

SOTETSU FRESA INN KYOTO – SJIJOKARASUMA

AFFORDABLE CENTRAL LOCATION 

WITH GREAT STAFF AND HELPFUL AMENITIES

There are restaurants and bars within walking distance of Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Shijokarasuma.

But it is located on a super quiet street -- great for sleeping.

The thing to remember about Kyoto is its famous shrines, temples, historic zones, etc. are spread out.

If you visit for more than a day, you will be riding buses and trains to see the famous sites.

So, this is a good and affordable central location.

There also is a large, beautiful bookstore/cafe very near the hotel.

Sotetsu Fresa certainly is more sedate than some spots in Gion -- where the tourists walk the streets and partake of the bars well past midnight.