SPUR Lunchtime Forum: The budget deficit vs. City employee benefits

"This year, the City will spend nearly $900 million on health care and pension benefits for current and retired city workers. This is projected to grow by 60 percent in the next four years. Why are benefit costs growing so rapidly? What impact might this have on basic services and the overall ability for local government to function effectively? And most importantly, what is being done to manage this spike in costs? With Micki Callahan and Steve Ponder of the Department of Human Resources."

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Are Washington, San Francisco, and New York the most affordable American cities? A new report from the New York-based Citizen’s Budget Commission [PDF], which made the rounds at the Washington Post and CityLab, argues that if you consider the combined costs of housing and transportation, the answer is yes. But a closer look at the data casts […]
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Health Benefits of Ciclovia Events Outweigh Costs

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