By Caleb Pehrne, includes “The Tennessee comptroller's office is re-launching a statewide dashboard giving you a look inside county finances. The state dashboard shows most county governments in our region have about $1,000 of debt per person, a little higher than the state average. …"
 

Op-ed by Steven Malanga, includes “… City leaders have used deficit financing to balance Nashville’s books and spent much of the city’s reserve funds. The Tennessee comptroller has threatened a state takeover, and even the Biden administration’s lavish stimulus isn’t enough to plug Nashville’s budget hole. Amid all this, angry local groups are trying to spur a special election to roll back a gigantic property tax increase.”

By Mike Reicher and Joey Garrison, includes “… a recent report showed the city spent one out of every $10 of government funds to pay off debt last fiscal year. And this year’s budget may exceed that figure for the first time since at least 1993. … Moody’s gives Nashville the third highest credit rating available, something Briley likes to cite whenever the subject of Metro’s financial challenges arise.” 

Despite not having an individual income tax, few states are in better position financially than our neighbors to the north, Tennessee. They also happen to have one of the strongest economies in the nation and, as a result, are a magnet for new residents looking for higher paying jobs and new opportunities.

The 2020 Financial State of the States report surveys the fiscal health of the 50 states prior to the coronavirus pandemic. This data is released today by Truth in Accounting (TIA), a think tank that analyzes government financial reporting.

State and local governments scrambling to raise money during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic are looking to increased property taxes -- as well as wealth taxes and more -- to fill budget holes.

Nashville City Councilman Bob Mendes tried unsuccessfully for two years to get his booming city to raise property taxes to address its growing municipal needs.

Mayor Cooper says the only answer to Nashville's financial problems is a 32% tax increase. But critics say the city’s crisis has nothing to do with natural disasters and everything to do with years of fiscal mismanagement.

How large could the shortfall in state government general revenues be, amidst the coronavirus and related crises? 

Tennessee could be looking at a shortfall of at least a billion dollars in next year’s state budget.

Memphis has a sobering fiscal outlook for the coming year with city officials warning the Memphis City Council of "high-level revenue pressures," and saying that most of the modest growth in city revenue has already been swallowed up its pension fund. 

What kind of government spends $25.6 million dollars on a building and then tries to sell it for $6 million dollars? Your Knox County government and Knox County School Board is that kind of government.

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Justin Wilson had a stern message for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville: Balance the budget or face dire consequences.

So April 15th has come and gone. Did you get a refund? Or did you have to send a check to Uncle Sam? It turns out that millions of Americans who are used to getting a refund from the IRS are having to pay up this year.

It's that time of the year again when we find out how deep in the red our country is thanks to the 2018 edition of the Mercatus Center State Fiscal Rankings.

Tennessee has the only surplus per individual state taxpayer of any state in the eastern portion of the United States, according to a recently released debt map. Why is that important?

Stockton, California and Nashville are mid-sized cities run by liberal Democrats.

A new report finds that states' funding gap for public employee pensions hit a record $1.4 trillion in 2016.

Transparency advocates worry that the change could mean taxpayers would have no idea how much is being forgone in exchange for the economic stimulus associated with luring firms to the Volunteer State.

Forty-one U.S. states do not have enough money to pay their bills, collectively they have racked up $1.5 trillion in unfunded liabilities.