During the annual Fall Leadership Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors, held October 1‐3 in Seattle, mayors from cities leaders called for a survey to show what is actually happening in their cities in the face of continuing unemployment and revenue losses, and what needs to happen in order to save and create jobs and restore budget stability. Their goal was to go beyond anecdotal information from individual cities to gain a more complete picture of the collective problems being experienced by U.S. cities as a group – the kind of information that could help shape a federal fiscal relief and job recovery package.
The final survey reported:
- Decline in anticipated sales tax revenue is most often cited by mayors as the local cause of this year’s expected budget shortfall.
- Increases in pension costs were cited as contributing to shortfalls by 34 percent of the cities; increases in health benefit costs were cited by 30 percent.
- Mayors in just over half of the cities (51 percent) reported that their budget situation has affected their ability to engage in job‐creating projects.
While Philadelphia did not participate in the survey, Lancaster and Reading’s mayors participated. To read the report, click here http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/SurveyonCityFiscalConditions11709.pdf
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