Are Fixed Costs Squeezing Out State and Local Governments' Ability to Deliver Public Services? In the back of every analyst’s mind, whenever they assess public pension risk and the potential for fiscal stress, is the question of whether or not the annual cost to pay...
Fiscal Distress
Embracing Shared Risk and Chapter 9 to Create Sustainable Public Pensions
Unsustainable and Unaffordable Public Pensions Cannot be Solved by Raising Taxes or the Passage of Time, but There are Some Practical Solutions W. Gordon Hamlin, Jr.; Mary Pat Campbell; Andrew M. Silton; and James E. Spiotto To date, no American state or local...
“Puerto Rico’s ‘Assured’ Decision Should be Reconsidered or Reversed” by James Spiotto
Why Pledged Revenues Are Required to Be Paid to Revenue Bondholders in Chapter 9 Municipal Bankruptcy. And, Why the Assured Decision in Puerto Rico’s PROMESA Title III Proceeding Should Be Reconsidered or Reversed on Appeal by James Spiotto On January 30, 2018, the...
Beyond Fiscal Troubles and Hurricane Maria: What, Why, and How Puerto Rico Should Recover
Puerto Rico's Recent Fiscal and Economic History, and The Road Ahead for Puerto Rico's Hurricane Recovery and Financial Renewal by James Spiotto Puerto Rico has suffered the perfect storm of a financial crisis of epic proportions and the devastating effects of...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part VI: Oversight and Assistance in Illinois
In Part VI of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Shows What Oversight & Assistance Illinois Provides for Financially Distressed Municipalities, and What Present Legislative Proposals May Offer Part V of this series focused on the...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part V: Business Development and Balanced Budgets
In Part V of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Discusses the Benefits of Economic Stimulus and Business Development, and a Case Study in Upside Chicago Part IV of this series focused on addressing legacy costs, most notably...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part IV: The Need to Successfully Address Public Pensions
In Part IV of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Discusses the Need to Successfully Address Legacy Costs, So That Funding of Essential Services and Needed Infrastructure Improvement Become the Solution Part III of this series focused on...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part III: Solving Financial Distress with Economic Development
In Part III of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Discusses How We Can Solve Financial Distress with Economic Development and Stimulus from Needed Infrastructure Improvements MuniNet Guide's series on Overcoming Economic Downturns and...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part II: Alternatives Available to the State of Illinois and its Municipalities
'Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress' Continues with Part II: Alternatives Available to the State of Illinois and its Municipalities to Monitor and Provide Oversight and Assistance to Financially Troubled Municipalities In the previous part of...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part I: The Gathering Storm
In Part I of 'Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress', James Spiotto Looks at the Gathering Storm in Illinois and Its Municipalities since 2000 In the Introduction to this series, James Spiotto stressed the need for deliberate, disciplined...