Official Publication of the National League of Cities OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
NATION’S CITIES WEEKLY
Volume 34, Number 37 | october 3, 2011
IN THIS ISSUE
www.nlc.org
PAGE 2
PAGE 3
NLC Report Finds Citywide Approaches
to Afterschool Spreading Across the U.S.
PAGE 4
NLC Enterprise Programs: Bringing
Value-Added Solutions to Cities
PAGE 6
Charlotte, N.C., Chicago Host
Infrastructure Forums
Cities Cut Jobs and Infrastructure as Finances
Continue to Weaken
by Gregory Minchak
Figure 7: City Spending Cuts in 2009 - 2011
City Spending Cuts, 2009-2011
The nation’s cities are cutting personnel and infrastructure projects as the economic
downturn continues to take its
toll on city finances according to NLC’s 26th annual City
Fiscal Conditions report.
The report reveals that general city revenues are continuing to fall, with a projected
decrease of 2. 3 percent by the
end of 2011. This is the fifth
straight year of declines in revenue with further declines probable in 2012.
The revenue decline is mainly due to the suppressed property market that is negatively
impacting property tax revenue. Property tax collections
are expected to decline by 3. 7
percent with further declines
likely in 2012 and 2013.
Income tax receipts are
also experiencing a decrease of
1.6 percent. Sales tax receipts
remained largely flat, but this
is at last year’s level, which saw
Personnel
Cuts
Delay /Cancel
Capital Projects
Cuts in
Other Services
Public
Safety Cuts
Across the Board
Services Cut
Modify Pension
Benefits/Plans
Services Cuts
Human
72%
79%
67%
60%
69%
62%
44%
42%
33%
34%
36%
25%
19%
2011
25%
14%
2010
25%
24%
17%
22%
20%
2009
12%
17%
14%
11%
0
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Cities are responding to declining revenues by cutting personnel (72 percent), delaying infrastructure projects (60 percent) and increasing service fees (41 per-
cent). One in three (36 percent) cities report modifications to employee health care benefits.
the worst decrease in sales tax
revenue in 15 years.
Cities are responding by cut-
ting personnel (72 percent),
delaying infrastructure projects
(60 percent) and increasing ser-
vice fees (41 percent). One in
three (36 percent) cities report
modifications to employee
health care benefits.
see page 12, column 1
NLC’s Economic Development Conference
to Focus on Practical Solutions
by J. Katie McConnell
Newspaper Handling
NLC’s Economic Development
Conference at the Congress of Cities,
November 10-12 in Phoenix, will help
city leaders find economic develop-
ment solutions. Whether it is support-
ing entrepreneurs, growing businesses
on main street or attracting investment
from around the globe, attendees will
learn from the challenges, successes and
real-world experiences of cities from
across the country.
With a reengineered format and tar-
geted topics, NLC is excited to offer a
Economic Development Conference Workshop Topics
• Supporting Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Creating a Brand that Gets Your Message Across
• Connecting Local Businesses to International Markets
• Making Your City More Business Friendly
• Small Business Financing
• Attracting New Investment
• Supporting Immigrant Small Business
• Effective Partnerships for Economic Development
• International Students and Trade
• Developing Downtown Density
• Economic Development Peer Learning
see page 12, column 1
