Any shifting of responsibilities from the state or federal governments to local governments would fall mostly on the shoulders of general-purpose governments, namely, cities (municipalities) & counties. This study explores city & county revenue decisions associated with general funds -- the governmental fund most likely to be affected by state requirements for greater local financing responsibility for new or devolved programs. The results suggest that state control over local revenue authority affects decisions regarding the imposition of financial burdens on residents, & that intergovernmental aid to cities & counties does not necessarily mitigate those burdens. Despite evidence of healthy financial reserves, especially for cities, shifting responsibilities from the state to city or county governments could place cities & counties in difficult fiscal positions. Given the importance of own-source revenues to current budgets, & in view of the questionable impact of intergovernmental aid on city & county residents' revenue burdens, questions persist about the ability of city & county governments to maintain (&, if necessary, to expand) services during economic recession. 2 Tables, 1 Figure. Adapted from the source document.
Investigates the administrative experience resulting from the intersection of two popular public management trends -- social service reform & contracting out -- offering a case study of a reform in which KS contracted with nonprofit agencies to provide Medicaid case management services. Implementation of the reforms entailed substantial changes in the roles & scope of administrative activities for the agencies involved & significant challenges to the administrative cultures of each. As a result, nonprofit agencies now play a more central role in state policy deliberations & encounter higher levels of interagency political conflict than they did prior to their contracting role. While some of the rationales for the policy reform have been realized, others have been more elusive, including cost savings & the single-point-of-entry organizing principle of the reform. Implementation challenges due to turf issues, tensions over external monitoring, & differences in administrative cultures have contributed to a lack of policy subgroup cohesiveness, which could facilitate intra- & intergovernmental relationships. 1 Exhibit, 1 Appendix, 53 References. Adapted from the source document.