Last week the City of Manchester saw its general obligation bond rating downgraded from Aa1 to Aa2; in layman’s terms it went from the second highest to the third highest ranking category affecting $193 million in outstanding general obligation (GO) debt. Moody’s also downgraded the school facility revenue bonds to Aa3, affecting $77.3 million in outstanding bonds.
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.png00Joshua Elliott-Traficantehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngJoshua Elliott-Traficante2013-08-06 15:02:412013-08-06 15:02:41A Look at Manchester’s Bond Rating Downgrade and why the Tax Cap is not to blame.
According to the data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate dropped by .2 percentage points, to 7.4%. The Establishment Survey Data showed the creation of 161,000 non-farm pay roll jobs. On the surface it looks like a fairly decent report: unemployment down and job growth, while not stellar, is enough to keep up with natural population growth.
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.png00Joshua Elliott-Traficantehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngJoshua Elliott-Traficante2013-08-05 11:06:492018-08-28 18:49:23Unemployment drops in July…for all the wrong reasons
Massachusetts is simply not doing enough to help the New Hampshire economy. The news is full this week of stories about tax increases south of the border that should benefit us. But the changes are likely to have only a muted impact on the economy up here. In the past, we’ve been able to count on Massachusetts to drive more jobs and business our way. We may have to work harder in the future.
00Charles M. Arlinghaushttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngCharles M. Arlinghaus2013-08-02 10:20:512018-08-28 18:49:34NH’s economy and those new Mass. taxes
The hardest thing for any government to do is to pay attention to the long term. The system creates incentives for politicians to focus on short term solutions and ignore long term outlooks. The inability to look beyond this morning’s political fight defines the dysfunctional entity that passes for a federal government but has also crept into our state politics as well.
00Charles M. Arlinghaushttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngCharles M. Arlinghaus2013-07-25 12:00:232018-08-28 18:49:54Our Future Depends On Rewarding the Boring
The state’s Certificate of Need board, an outdated government panel that oversees hospital construction spending, was slated to go away in 2015, but supporters of government rationing slipped a provision into the state budget deal that pushes the day of reckoning back to June 30, 2016.
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.png00Grant Bossehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngGrant Bosse2013-07-25 11:37:042018-08-28 18:50:27The CON board: The beast that won’t die
The unemployment rate in New Hampshire fell by one tenth of a percentage point in June to 5.2%, representing a decrease in the number of unemployed by 1400. The number of jobs created according to the Household Survey however was only 250, meaning the balance of the no longer unemployed (1,150) left the workforce.
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.png00Joshua Elliott-Traficantehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngJoshua Elliott-Traficante2013-07-23 15:00:452018-08-28 18:51:38NH Unemployment Falls to 5.2% in June
Gov. Maggie Hassan was flanked by Republican and Democratic leaders as she signed into a law a much-needed update of New Hampshire’s Business Corporation Act. There were no great ideological issues at stake. The bill brings New Hampshire government up to date on handling technical corporate practices, such as domicile and dissolution.
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.png00Grant Bossehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngGrant Bosse2013-07-19 09:27:042018-08-28 18:53:29Business friendly: A Good State Budget Development
Attention job seekers: The New Hampshire Department of Education is hiring. It is so desperate for good help that it’s giving out six-figure contracts for part-time work.
The Executive Council last week puts the brakes on a proposed consulting contract to hire Karen Soule at $75 an hour for 30 hours a week to comply with a federal waiver to the No Child Left Behind Act. Soule was the only person who applied for the job.
There is a right way and a wrong way for the government to do something stupid. It won’t surprise anyone that the current administration in Washington has chosen the wrong – and almost certainly illegal – way while New Hampshire managed to do a whole host of silly things but in the right way.
00Charles M. Arlinghaushttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngCharles M. Arlinghaus2013-07-19 09:16:442018-08-28 18:54:30There is a Right Way to Do Something Stupid
New Hampshire’s public sectors unions have tilted the bargaining table toward themselves, and who could blame them for wanting it that way? The union representing the bulk of state employees has rejected a contract that would have given workers a 6.4 percent raise over the next 18 months, confident that they can get a better deal.
A Look at Manchester’s Bond Rating Downgrade and why the Tax Cap is not to blame.
TAXATIONLast week the City of Manchester saw its general obligation bond rating downgraded from Aa1 to Aa2; in layman’s terms it went from the second highest to the third highest ranking category affecting $193 million in outstanding general obligation (GO) debt. Moody’s also downgraded the school facility revenue bonds to Aa3, affecting $77.3 million in outstanding bonds.
Unemployment drops in July…for all the wrong reasons
BETTER GOVERNMENTAccording to the data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate dropped by .2 percentage points, to 7.4%. The Establishment Survey Data showed the creation of 161,000 non-farm pay roll jobs. On the surface it looks like a fairly decent report: unemployment down and job growth, while not stellar, is enough to keep up with natural population growth.
NH’s economy and those new Mass. taxes
TAXATIONMassachusetts is simply not doing enough to help the New Hampshire economy. The news is full this week of stories about tax increases south of the border that should benefit us. But the changes are likely to have only a muted impact on the economy up here. In the past, we’ve been able to count on Massachusetts to drive more jobs and business our way. We may have to work harder in the future.
Our Future Depends On Rewarding the Boring
BETTER GOVERNMENT, BUDGETThe hardest thing for any government to do is to pay attention to the long term. The system creates incentives for politicians to focus on short term solutions and ignore long term outlooks. The inability to look beyond this morning’s political fight defines the dysfunctional entity that passes for a federal government but has also crept into our state politics as well.
The CON board: The beast that won’t die
HEALTH CAREThe state’s Certificate of Need board, an outdated government panel that oversees hospital construction spending, was slated to go away in 2015, but supporters of government rationing slipped a provision into the state budget deal that pushes the day of reckoning back to June 30, 2016.
NH Unemployment Falls to 5.2% in June
BETTER GOVERNMENTThe unemployment rate in New Hampshire fell by one tenth of a percentage point in June to 5.2%, representing a decrease in the number of unemployed by 1400. The number of jobs created according to the Household Survey however was only 250, meaning the balance of the no longer unemployed (1,150) left the workforce.
Business friendly: A Good State Budget Development
BETTER GOVERNMENT, BUDGETGov. Maggie Hassan was flanked by Republican and Democratic leaders as she signed into a law a much-needed update of New Hampshire’s Business Corporation Act. There were no great ideological issues at stake. The bill brings New Hampshire government up to date on handling technical corporate practices, such as domicile and dissolution.
Council puts Brakes on High-Paid Consultant
EDUCATIONAttention job seekers: The New Hampshire Department of Education is hiring. It is so desperate for good help that it’s giving out six-figure contracts for part-time work.
The Executive Council last week puts the brakes on a proposed consulting contract to hire Karen Soule at $75 an hour for 30 hours a week to comply with a federal waiver to the No Child Left Behind Act. Soule was the only person who applied for the job.
There is a Right Way to Do Something Stupid
BETTER GOVERNMENT, BUDGET, HEALTH CAREThere is a right way and a wrong way for the government to do something stupid. It won’t surprise anyone that the current administration in Washington has chosen the wrong – and almost certainly illegal – way while New Hampshire managed to do a whole host of silly things but in the right way.
Bargaining Tilted Toward Unions
BUDGETNew Hampshire’s public sectors unions have tilted the bargaining table toward themselves, and who could blame them for wanting it that way? The union representing the bulk of state employees has rejected a contract that would have given workers a 6.4 percent raise over the next 18 months, confident that they can get a better deal.