Dailies continuing to lose paid readers

Paid circulations continue to sink like a stone for all but one of the nation's largest daily newspapers. Editor and Publisher (itself on shaky grounds) reported on the latest figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC):

"Overall average paid daily circulation fell 8.7% year-over-year for the six months through March, ABC said. That's an improvement on last fall's numbers, which were down 10.6% year-over-year."

Sure it's less of a drop from two years ago, but alarming nonetheless. The Wall Street Journal saw a tiny increase in paid circulation (less than 1%), but all others are continuing to shed readers.

Down double digits: The New York Daily News (11%), USA Today (13%), L.A. Times (14%), Houston Chronicle (13%), Chicago Sun-Times (13%), Dallas Morning News (21%), San Francisco Chronicle (22%), and Detroit Free Press (13%). I can go on, but you get the point.

For counties, especially those in and around these metro areas, you can expect more shrinking newsrooms in the months ahead, which means less coverage of local government.

Video available for LUCC Rally on Capitol Hill

We have finally posted the full length video from the Large Urban County Caucus "Rally on Capitol Hill" on the NACo Channel. The April 14 event was in support of H.R. 4812 - The Local Jobs for America Act - legislation to “provide federal funds to states, local governments, and community-based organizations to save and create local jobs through the retention, restoration, or expansion of services needed by local communities.”

Joining NACo President-elect Glen Whitley and LUCC Chair Ilene Lieberman, who led the three-day "fly-in" advocacy effort, were Rep. John Sarbanes and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The bill's sponsor is Rep. George Miller, who chairs the House Committee on Education and Labor.

You can find the NACo Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/NACoVideo

President-elect Whitley tells Congress: preserve local taxing authority for counties

NACo President-elect Glen Whitley and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, president of the National Governors Association, testified on April 15 – Tax Day – on the impacts of Congressional legislation on state and local governments. The hearing was before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, chaired by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn). Whitley told the panel that Congress should “avoid preempting local taxing authority, preserve local budgeting flexibility and resist imposing unfunded federal mandates” on county governments.

LUCC rallies for Local Jobs for America Act

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) join members of NACo's Large Urban County Caucus on Apirl 14 to rally in support of the Local Jobs for America Act during a LUCC Fly-in. The bill, which has more than 115 cosponsors in the House, would provide direct federal funds to states and local governments to help pay for job creation. LUCC is chaired by Ilene Lieberman, commissioner, Broward County, Fla.

Hillenbrand wishes NACo a Happy 75th Anniversary

I had the pleasure today to meet with Mr. Bernard F. Hillenbrand who in 1957 became the first executive director of NACo. As the first full-time employee and lobbyist at NACo (formerly the National County Officers Association), Mr. Hillenbrand played a significant role in shaping NACo through the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. He was here at NACo headquarters to tape a few video interviews we are making commemorating NACo's 75th Anniversary. He fondly recalled that the very first NACo office space was a tiny room off the laundry room at the Mayflower Hotel and the day the House of Representatives approved general revenue sharing (1972). The videos of Mr. Hillenbrand will be posted on the NACo Channel at a later date.

Cash Crunch Will Force Governments to Do Less

What recovery? This morning's Wall Street Journal is depressing:

Los Angeles Faces Threat of Insolvency (Peter Sanders writes on page A6); Foreclosures hitting the wealthy hard (Craig Karmin and James R. Hagerty write on page 1); Cash Crunch Will Force Governments to Do Less (Gerald F. Seib writes in his Capital Journal column on page A2); Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly (Sarah N. Lynch and Darrell A. Hughes write on page A2); and States Skip Pension Payments, Delay Day of Reckoning (Gina Chon writes on page A5).

While we can point to some hopeful signs of economic recovery in recent numbers (see my "Revenues Up? What?" post from April 7), it's clear we have a long, bumpy road ahead.

NACo hits airwaves on Federal News Radio

NACo got some airtime on the radio waves here in Washington, D.C. via Federal News Radio. Our director of research, Jackie Byers, was interviewed about best practices in county governments in the human resources field. This was more than a sound bite (but we like those too!). It was several minutes of interview time.

Federal News Radio has been around about 10 years. It covers both the federal government and those who do business with the government concentrating on management, procurement, technology, security, policy and pay and benefits.

Anytime NACo can reach an audience of federal government workers about COUNTY GOVERNMENT is a very good thing.

Revenues up? What?

A smigit (technical, accounting term) of good news has arrived on the state and local government revenue front: tax revenues were up slightly in the 4th quarter of 2009 as compared to the same period of 2008.

According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau, as reported by the excellent stateline.org. Web site from Pew, state and local tax revenues in the fourth quarter of 2009 had risen for the first time since 2008. While it was up less than 1%, it was the first positive growth in five years.

"Of the four largest tax categories," the report stated, "property tax and corporate income tax increased in the fourth quarter, while general sales tax and individual income tax continued to decline, though the declines are not as sharp as they have been for the past four quarters."

Hopefully the upward trend will continue in the months ahead.

National County Government Month celebrations in full force

Counties across the country are celebrating National County Government Month and generating positive media coverage. Here's just one example from the Hickory Record in Catawba county, N.C.