A survey by Washington, DC-based International City/County Management Association (ICMA) indicates an overwhelming majority of the nation’s cities and counties are reporting that the recession is having moderate (44 percent) to significant (30 percent) impact on operations, and experts are predicting the changes in the way local governments do business will be permanent.
The ICMA survey also found that budget shortfalls have been greater than cuts made in the fiscal year 2009 budget in 52 percent of respondents’ communities and the same as the enacted budget cuts in 38 percent of the communities.
Those consequences of the financial crisis, such as reduction in local government services, may be here to stay, said ICMA Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth Kellar in a recent press conference. “The recession has ushered in permanent changes in governing at the local level, and the changes that have been implemented represent a new way of doing business that will continue beyond the fiscal crisis,” she said.
To read or download the ICMA survey results, please see:
http://www.icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=4884&p=1&t=0
Source: MMRMA.org
