The city of Houston is turning to an unusual source to help fund rape investigations: strip clubs. The City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday that requires strip clubs to pay a $5-per-visitor fee to help pay for the analysis of biological evid
The Glendale City Council on Tuesday warned residents that tax increases are better than the alternative. :)
Detroit will run out of cash a week from today if a lawsuit challenging the validity of the city's consent agreement with the state is not withdrawn, city officials said this morning. Jack Martin, the city’s new chief financial officer, said the c
The city appears poised to pay a group led by former San Jose Sharks chief executive Greg Jamison nearly $325 million over 20 years to operate and make improvements to the city-owned [aptly named] Jobing.com Arena.
The Tempe City Council is expected to review a proposal next week to increase the city's combined property tax rate by as much as 37 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The proposal would raise the property tax rate to between $2.14 and $2.16 fr
New Rochelle N.Y., looking at decreased revenue and increased costs, like many US towns is strapped for cash. Being responsible to its citizens and recognizing that they have limited funds, in their 2012 budget New Rochelle eliminated some of their t
Have you ever bought a brand new cars only to forget where you put it? How about 300 of them? Probably not – unless you're Miami-Dade County, which was recently reunited with 298 vehicles it bought brand new in 2006
The always-outspoken Doug Casey addresses a broader view of taxation and its costs to both individuals and society in general in this interview with Louis James.
The struggling city of Detroit is on track to run out of money in May said the Michigan Treasurer. A team is looking at Detroit's financial picture to assess if the city needs an emergency manager to take over operations. It was the first time the 1
North Dakota citizens may abolish property taxes, allowing them more control over government spending. Nearly 30,000 signatures were collected to place the people's initiative on the ballot in June, 2012 that would constitutionally abolish all prope
On Thursday, Dec. 1, the city's de facto ban of the Happy Meal commences. San Francisco has accomplished what the Hamburglar could not. Or has it? In order to include a toy with a meal, restaurants must now comply with city-generated nutritional s
There is no place in the U.S. more expensive to smoke than New York City, where the taxes alone will set you back $5.85 per pack. Yet, addicts who visit Island Smokes, a "roll-your-own" cigarette shop in Chinatown, can walk out with an entire 10-pack
You see, the United States is on a one-way collision course with its financial judgment day; the country long ago passed the historical point of no return– the point at which it has to start borrowing money simply to pay interest on the money it has
Two New York City taxi medallions sold this week for $1,000,000! Of all the investments one could have made the past 30 years, buying a NYC taxi medallion would have been one of the best. While the stock market has risen in that period 1,100% t
In a city that hosts its fair share of murders and terror plots, Washington, D.C., police are cracking down on another threat to the nation's capital -- expired vehicle registrations. To the frustration of forgetful drivers, Metropolitan Police Depa
In a small municipality on the shores of Lake Michigan, a town council passed a law earlier this summer that is especially objectionable in tough economic times. "It is in the interest of public safety and welfare to require certain individuals to ob
I’ve been wondering when cash strapped states might look to the apparent failure of mortgage securitizations to adhere to REMIC rules as a possible trigger for tax assessments.
When the nearly 300 students of the Irene-Wakonda School District returned to school this week, they found a lot of old friends, teachers and familiar routines awaiting them. But one thing was missing: Friday classes.
A federal judge ruled the free speech of a coalition of atheists had been violated when Little Rock's public bus line denied them the right to place $5,000 worth of ads on 18 publicly-funded city buses during Memorial Day weekend.
Below is the editorial I sent to the Republic: by Roy Miller Below is the editorial I sent to the Republic: Vote NO on Phoenix Proposition One All Phoenix voters need to know about Proposition One is that a yes vote will let Phoenix conti
Read Letter
Ever have one of those nights where you wake up with a hangover and $1 million worth of architecture contracts? No? Martin Resendiz (D), the Mayor of Sunland Park, New Mexico, certainly has.
t’s a new one in the annals of city government. The cash-strapped Bloomberg administration has mounted a “sting operation” against city beekeepers — ticketing a Douglaston man an unbelievable $2,000 for not watering his beehive.
You know, if I were a city politician in Detroit, I’d be working like hell to make the city as business-friendly as possible. Yet . . . Jeff Aquilina and partner Justin Kava — chef veterans of Matt Prentice’s restaurant operations — were in
Local governments here in well-to-do Westchester County are being overwhelmed by property tax appeals, driven by a growing industry of companies seeking reductions in homeowners’ bills in exchange for a share of their savings.
How many counties and municipalities and States are doing what Mono County did—acting no better than thugs? Especially now, after they got themselves in the nightmare fiscal situation most of them are in—how many are retroactively...
You might think property taxes have declined 30%, paralleling declines in housing values. But nope--property tax revenues have shot up 27% just since 2006.
The school district plans to send out dismissal notices to every one of its 1,926 teachers, an unprecedented move that has union leaders up in arms. In a letter sent to all teachers Tuesday, Supt. Tom Brady wrote that the Providence School Board o
The county folks have been counting this sham transaction as a "sale" for tax purposes. The banks have been counting this sham transaction for balance sheet valuation purposes. The county residents have been getting royally screwed...
When Mayor Bloomberg came into office there was just one executive cook at Gracie Mansion to make the VIP feasts. Today there are three - costing taxpayers a whopping $245,000 this year. And despite the big spending cuts the mayor has ordered
At least 50 cities in the state have adopted so-called crash-tax laws allowing local governments to seek reimbursement from insurance companies for the costs of sending public emergency crews to accident scenes.
