MuniNet Guide Archive
Global Cities Initiative Aims to Maximize Strength of U.S. Metro Areas
The Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase have launched The Global Cities Initiative, a project aimed at providing tools and research to maximize the economic strength of the top 100 metro areas in the U.S. Cities are the global economic engines of the future,...
2010 Census Winners and Losers: U.S. Mega-States and How They Got that Way
by guest contributor Peter Fugiel, Ph.D. There have always been big states and small states among the United States It is just that in the last 30 years, there has been a new category of states that are becoming so big, they are as big as major countries. These...
Which Municipal Bond Sectors are Fastest, Slowest to Complete Financial Audits?
Financial audits for issuers of municipal bonds continue to significantly lag the turnaround time for audits of companies in the private sector, according to Merritt Research Services, LLC, which recently completed its second annual audit timing study. Merritt...
Public Sector Employment Continues Downward Slope
Employment has been both a casualty of - and a contributor to - the downturn in the economy. While private sector employment began its decline at the start of the recession, it has begun to show signs of recovery in recent months, according to Lucy Dadayan, a Senior...
Corporate Execs Weigh in on Economic Development Agency Marketing Efforts
Changes in tax laws, combined with the roller coaster economy, have many companies on the lookout for “greener pastures” in which to move or expand their business. In fact, nearly half of the respondents in a recent survey conducted by Development Counsellors...
Identifying Bright Spots in a Bleak Housing Market
The near-term outlook for the housing market is not good. A recent Wall Street Journal article, entitled “Home Forecast Calls for Pain” sums it up: “Economists, builders and mortgage analysts are predicting the weakened U.S. economy will depress housing prices for...
GIS Serves the Public in More Ways than Meets the Eye
by guest contributor Ted Steinbrecher Thanks to online mapping tools such as Google Maps or MapQuest, even the “map-challenged” among us can access driving directions from Point A to Point B, whether cross-town or across the country. Navigation systems can help...
Study Ranks State Performance in Caring for Elderly
More than 17 percent of Florida’s population falls into the 65-years-old-and-over category - the highest proportion of any other state, according to 2010 Census figures. Yet the Sunshine State ranks 44th in a recent study comparing state performance when it comes to...
Bus Rapid Transit Heads into the Fast Lane in Chicago
The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) recently released a report entitled, “Chicago’s New Route to Opportunity,” a two-pronged call to action based on over a year’s worth of research on bus rapid transit systems. The MPC recommendation not only calls for investment...
Post-Disaster Economic Development Strategies Help Rebuild Communities
How federal, state and local agencies can join forces to help rebuild towns
MuniNet Guide Top Picks – School Districts
In honor of back-to-school season, this month’s installment of Top Picks highlights several elementary and secondary school district websites that rise to the head of their class. While some school district websites function as administrative “shells” for their...
A Perspective: Five Local Steps to Solving the National Mortgage Mess
by guest contributor, Peter Fugiel, Ph.D. Communities all over the U.S. are gradually learning the hard way: the only effective solution to the mortgage mess has to be community-based. And in the case of bringing back local real estate values, it turns out that...
MSRB Report Shows Steady Increase in Municipal Bond Continuing Disclosure Documents
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) has released its first report summarizing the submission of continuing disclosure documents since its Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) website became the official repository for such documents in July 2009....
New Yorkers Continue to Migrate to Other States
If it’s true that “you can take a girl (or guy) out of New York, but you can never take the New York out of the girl,” then there’s a lot of New York scattered round the country these days. “For the second consecutive decade, New York’s net population loss due to...
BEA Reports Uptick in Personal Income
Earnings and property income boost personal income in 2010
Who Pays the Most for Health Insurance Coverage?
Report points to geographic variation in average rates for individual health insurance
Timing of Proposed Changes in Pension Reporting Coincidental
Interview addresses GASB’s proposed changes to accounting standards for public pensions
Round-Up: Possible Implications of U.S. Ratings Downgrade on State and Local Government Credits
MuniNetGuide’s list of top resources addressing the downgrade and how it might affect the municipal market
Innovations in Public Safety Technology
Technologies enhance public safety agencies’ ability to serve and protect
Cook County’s STAR Initiative: Collaboration Key to “Results-Oriented” Budgeting
Performance measurement standards will ultimately impact County budget cuts
Local Economic Engines Drive Cities into the Future
Which cities have the highest gross metropolitan product – and which cities to watch
MuniNet Guide Top Picks – July 2011
Our monthly selection of websites that stand out among their peers
The Top Picks Revival
Over the years, MuniNet has recognized websites that stand out among their peers
Land Banks Can Breathe Life Back into Distressed Communities
Successful land bank programs rely on four critical elements
Good News for State & Local Government Tax Revenues
Census Bureau releases quarterly state and local government tax collection data