Government Finance Review articles from April 1996

Government Finance Review archives from April 1996

Technology: a challenging tool for improved government effectiveness.(Editorial)
April 1, 1996... The rapid and extensive merger between computer and telecommunications technologies is quickly changing the ways in which governments manage their activities and provide services to their citizens. The increasing power of computers, software, and...

Investor and dealer responsibilities in securities transactions: when is redress for loss warranted?
April 1, 1996... When engaging in securities transactions, broker/dealers' obligation to recommend suitable transactions is matched by the public investor's responsibility for establishing clear investment policies, effective internal control and monitoring of...

SEC actions in Orange County investigation: misstatements and omissions alleged in the disclosure material for offerings of more than $2.1 billion in municipal securities. (includes excerpt of the statement of SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt on Orange County)
April 1, 1996... Editor's note: The following article presents excerpts from the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Litigation Release No. 14792, dated January 24, 1996. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on January 24,...

Helping citizens understand budget decisions: the City of Fort Worth's budget guide and simulator diskette. (citizens of Fort Worth, TX, make budget decisions via Budgetmaker)
April 1, 1996... Using the Budgetmaker diskette, citizens can register their choices on major budget decisions, and the software presents them with the budget they have created plus the tax rate needed to fund it. A common frustration for government budget...

A framework for implementation of diversity initiatives: the case of Edmonton, Alberta.
April 1, 1996... Inculcating diversity principles in the city's long-range planning and day-to-day thinking is part of Edmonton's management strategy to ensure a totally productive and dedicated work force. During the past few years, local governments have...

White elephants: why some large projects fail. (importance of conducting feasibility studies and evaluating finances)
April 1, 1996... The much heralded, privately financed Dulles Greenway in Virginia is in trouble. Only three months after opening the $340-million toll-road project, operators have laid off one-third of the toll collectors and are worried about meeting their...

Tax-exempt financing in the President's budget. (implications of the provision on corporations)
April 1, 1996... During the budget reconciliation negotiations on the FY1996 budget in December 1995, the Clinton administration offered to eliminate a corporate tax deduction that it described as a corporate welfare provision and, in the process, set off a...

Increases in states' health benefit costs on the decline. (pension and benefits report)
April 1, 1996... Increases in state costs for employee health benefit indemnity plans slowed during the year ended January 1995, posting the smallest increase since 1987. Costs for employee coverage increased 1.7 percent, and costs for employee and family...

Reengineering: looking sideways at the finance function.
April 1, 1996... Editor's note: The following article is based on a presentation made to the Michigan Municipal Finance Officers Association's 46th annual fall training institute in Kalamazoo on October 24, 1995. Public-sector finance managers are becoming...

A capital idea: linking the operating and capital budgets in Rockville, Maryland.
April 1, 1996... When a person wishes to make a significant capital acquisition - for a home or a car, for example - the first step typically is to assess how large a loan is affordable. If this step is ignored, the result can be loan denial, thereby thwarting...