Some local governments in nonmetro areas--especially those in the rural West and in very rural areas--experienced high levels of fiscal stress in the mid-seventies that were associated with high and rising local taxes. These local governments may be forced to cut back their rural development activities in the eighties. Fiscal pressures on local…

Uses public opinion polls to show that rural Americans, like the rest of the country, prefer less government in general but do not support cuts in specific programs. Finds rural Americans less supportive of government spending, particularly mass transportation, welfare, and public health; more supportive of sales taxes; more changeable. (LFL)

This report examines trends in local government revenues, expenditures and debt from 1977-82. During the period, local governments were subject to cuts in federal aid, severe economic recession and restrictions on revenues and spending, necessitating a fiscal response. Spending reductions were common, especially in big cities. Rural governments…

Provides extensive information about where nonmetro governments get their revenue and how they spend it. Shows that between 1977 and 1982 nonmetro local governments raised additional revenue from local sources, increasing the fiscal pressure on their communities. Graphs compare metro and nonmetro revenues, spending, and debt. (JHZ)

During the 1960s, many rural local governments were believed to provide inadequate government services, which hindered rural development. Rapid growth in government spending has reduced the incidence of government poverty from 78 percent of nonmetropolitan counties in 1962 to only 7 percent in 1987. Those counties still government-poor in 1987…

Uses Census of Governments data from 1962-87 to examine number and distribution of U.S. nonmetropolitan government-poor counties (places that spend little on government services). Although the number of government-poor counties has declined steadily, spending levels in the 160 poorest counties actually decreased relative to the nonmetropolitan…