You are a new city council person for the City of Scottsdale, Arizona. You are aware that several cities have been in the news recently for financial crises for which the council or board is being held accountable. The governing bodies have been criticized for not being aware of the negative signals and trends that obviously led to the cities in challenging financial situations. Although you were assured at the first few council meetings that the city was overall in good financial shape, you want to be sure you “do your homework” and assess the financial condition of the city for yourself. You know that the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, prepares a Financial Trends report each year based on the ICMA’s Financial.

a. Go to the city’s Web site and print a copy of the Financial Trends report. Hint: Look in the Finance, Demographics, Economics areas of the Web site under Budget and Finance. Examine the five-year trend information and make a list of any indicators that are negative.