Budgetary Concerns Cited as the Largest Issue Facing Local Government Leaders, Says Survey

I was just one of the over 2,000 local government leaders who participated in a March, 2019, CivicPulse survey. Over 2,000 local policymakers completed our survey and provided their views and ideas about a range of topics. By far, the most pressing concern was the budget. Strikingly, about 76 percent of the survey-takers - including Township government leaders - expressed budgetary concerns.

You might say "It's the Budget, Stupid!"

CivicPulse is a nonprofit organization that runs national surveys of local officials to improve our understanding of local government across the United States.

CivicPulse asked respondents what solution they would use to address the budget issues that their local area faces. A snapshot of the results can be seen in the chart below.

Solutions for Budget Challenges. Respondents who agreed that the budget was a pressing issue were asked how they would solve this challenge. Responses were categorized into different solution types and displayed here in terms of their frequency.

The most frequently mentioned ideas were to grow business and change tax policy. For the full analysis on what was learned, check out the report “What do leaders in local government think about the budget?”

Newtown Township is currently facing its own budget challenge and is in the process of hiring outside consultants for advice on how to solve those problems (read "Newtown Township Seeks Grant to Assess Finances"). The Township recently received a grant of $40,000 from the DCED Definition to help cover the costs.

Posted on 07 Aug 2019, 11:02 - Category: Budget