Together We Can – Charting a Course to Cooperation for Greater Birmingham
PARCA’s latest report, commissioned by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, focuses on the fragmentation of the Birmingham region, the challenges it causes, and potential solutions exemplified by other metro areas around the country. With the clouds of Jefferson County’s bankruptcy lifting and downtown Birmingham showing impressive signs of revival, optimism about the region’s future is high. Considering […]
PARCA compares municipal finances in Alabama, gets mayors’ perspective
How Alabama Cities Finances Compare How Alabama City Finances Compare is the ninth edition of PARCA’s study of Alabama city finances. This report provides basic information on municipal revenues, expenditures, and general fund balances from the most recent year available. The comparisons are in per capita amounts (dollars divided by resident population) so that cities […]
PARCA’s 2017 Public Opinion Survey Results are Here
Today, PARCA released the results of its annual public opinion survey. The poll of over 350 Alabama residents was conducted by Randolph Horn, Samford University, Professor of Political Science and Samford’s Director of Strategic and Applied Analysis. The survey addressed topics including state budget priorities, the quality of representation in state government, and in partnership […]
What is the Budget Reform Task Force Studying?
The Alabama Legislature’s Joint Legislative Task Force on Budget Reform met for a third time this week in Montgomery continuing its search for solutions to Alabama’s perennial problems with crafting budgets. The bipartisan panel of state senators and representatives has now met three times and each time has made sure to clarify what they are and […]
Lackluster 2016 Receipts to General Fund and ETF
Both the accounts that pay for state government operations, the General Fund and the Education Trust Fund (ETF), ended the 2016 Fiscal Year basically flat when compared to the previous year, a sign that the state’s struggles to balance budgets will continue in the future. What would have been a moderately healthy year of receipts to […]
Constitutional Amendments on the November Ballot
When Alabama voters go to the polls on November 8, they will be asked to consider adding 35 more amendments to the Alabama Constitution. PARCA has compiled a summary of each of the 14 amendments that will appear on the ballot statewide. Alabama already has the nation’s longest constitution — about 12 times longer than […]
First Meeting of Task Force on Budget Reform Wednesday
A newly formed Joint Legislative Task Force on Budget Reform meets for the first time this week in Montgomery: a group of House and Senate members tasked with studying and recommending changes to the state’s broken system for budgeting. That is the same issue PARCA examined at its 2016 Annual Meeting this February. The Task […]
PARCA Annual Meeting Additional Materials
PARCA’s Annual Meeting was held in Birmingham on Friday, February 5. Its focus was Alabama’s process for formulating budgets. PARCA’s description of current budget issues can be accessed here. The presentation made by William Glasgall of the Volcker Alliance describing budget issues in a national context can be found here. If you want to look […]
Resources for Understanding Alabama's Budget Process
As February approaches, the Legislature is preparing to return to Montgomery for yet another tough session of struggling with Alabama’s budgets. The Governor’s Office is in the process of crafting a proposed plan and budget. The Legislature has already begun its process of reviewing budget requests from state agencies. PARCA’s annual meeting, to be held […]
PARCA Annual Survey of Public Opinion 2016
In January 2016, The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama conducted its annual poll of public opinion. This is the 10th year of the survey. This year, the survey focuses on revenue and spending in state government. The survey touches on multiple topics: taxes, education, Medicaid, highways, public safety, courts, state parks, and others. The […]