Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Roles in Local Government Financial Management: Ten State Profiles

摘要

This report provides a summary of 10 case studies submitted for the capacity sharing program by the Departments of Community Affairs (DCA's) of Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. DCA's are the State agencies that help municipalities with financial management and economic development. This report is intended to provide relevant information on local government financial management needs and the ability of 10 DCA's to respond to these needs. It should be useful to other DCA's in their own efforts in the field. The case studies discuss local government problems, the State regulatory environment, and existing providers of financial management assistance. While States identified a variety of municipal financial problems, common problems were lack of professional financial managers, lack of tools to prepare good budgets and annual audits, and a failure to integrate sound financial management with general municipal management. The 10 DCA's offer help such as training programs, manuals and other printed material aimed at specific financial issues, and onsite assistance upon request. Maps and charts are provided.