RubinBrown Public Sector Stats 2016

Executive Summary

Each statistic may be viewed differently or may be more or less meaningful based upon each city’s situation. For example, a small city may view a large amount of funding being spent on public safety as favorable, whereas our analysis places this in a less favorable quartile. In addition, per capita ratios may be adversely affected if a city serves a large non-resident population due to a significant daily influx of workers. Analysis The results of this year’s survey indicate that 2015 was another year of continued growth, but only marginal growth and at a continued slow pace as compared to the growth experienced in 2011 and 2012. After several years of decreases in revenues, these amounts increased as the economy began to rebound in 2011. Since 2013, revenue continues to slowly grow in most regions while costs continue to grow but generally at a faster pace than revenues. This has resulted in continued steady net position growth as discussed in more detail in the regional analysis that follows. Use of the Study Finance officers may use the study to determine how their cities compare to others of similar size and geographic area in key financial ratio measurements. Both quartile and median ratio values are provided for comparison. The finance officer may wish to share the results of the analysis with the municipality’s chief executive officer and governing body to help key officials understand the impact of decisions on the financial condition of municipality.

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