What happens when everyday people dig into a city’s balance sheet? In Columbus, it sparked a three-hour conversation—and maybe a shift in mindset.
Read More
Programs that rely on federal subsidies eventually collapse—or hollow out in slow motion. That doesn’t mean we should fight harder to protect those subsidies. It means we should build towns that don’t need them.
Read More
Sacramento’s growth looks strong, but what do 21 years of financial data really show? Dive into the numbers with the Strong Towns Finance Decoder.
Read More
What if you could look at your city’s finances and understand what’s going on—not just this year, but over the long haul? Meet the Strong Towns Finance Decoder.
Read More
Steven Zittergruen is a city council member from Decorah, Iowa. He joins Norm today to discuss the ways he’s making his community stronger, including revamping the city’s budgeting process. (Transcript included.)
Read More
Cities slide into insolvency not with a dramatic collapse, but with a slow, steady drift into financial fragility.
Read More
Houston’s new Popular Annual Financial Report tells a reassuring story of short-term growth and recovery, but it ignores the city's long-term financial trends. If things are going to improve, public officials need to confront reality.
Read More
Cities across North America are financially imploding—not because of a lack of growth, but because of the pattern of growth itself. Few cities illustrate this pattern as vividly as Houston, Texas.
Read More
The Finance Decoder reveals the long-term trends hidden behind annual balanced budgets. For Kansas City, those trends are deeply problematic.
Read More
Public officials may feel forced to approve large, expensive projects. But in doing so, they are making high-stakes financial commitments with taxpayer money, often without fully understanding the long-term consequences. The results can be devastating.
Read More
In this episode, Chuck explains that we’ve created a political climate where you either take a chainsaw to failing systems or you refuse to acknowledge that they’re failing. He then shows how the Strong Towns approach offers a better way. (Transcript included.)
Read More
Elected officials across North America are grappling with budget shortfalls and financial uncertainty. Pasadena, California is only one example. Last year, their expenses increased by 13.8% but revenues only rose 0.6%. If things are going to improve, city officials need to take a new approach.
Read More
Parks and recreation departments handle a lot more programs and face a lot more challenges than many people may realize. So, here are a few things that newly elected officials should know about this department as they step into their role.
Read More
For a city, being in good financial condition isn't just about having good reporting practices and not defaulting on debt payments. It's about fulfilling responsibilities and providing a good quality of life to residents.
Read More
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses municipal finance with Michel Durand-Wood, a longtime Strong Towns contributor and local budget aficionado.
Read More
Maumee, Ohio, winner of the 2024 Strongest Town Contest, is facing a big sewer infrastructure challenge — and it’s not alone. In this episode, Chuck explains the history of sewer infrastructure, how the Clean Water Act affects cities across North America and the very limited options cities have to handle this kind of challenge.
Read More
Houston’s fiscal problems are less critical than other major cities with large budget shortfalls—yet, their mayor is correct when he said his city is broke, that the financial approach of the city is clearly not working. Here’s why.
Read More
How do we get philanthropy involved in community building, and how do we make good investments in our cities and towns? How do we access federal programs and bigger resources effectively?
Read More
“Is this a good project, or will it set up my city for financial insolvency??” Here’s how to find out.
Read More
If we’re not paying attention, it can be hard to tell whether a city is using debt to simply to smooth out cashflows, or if it’s just covering up insolvency. Here are four telltale signs of the latter scenario.
Read More