LMR_October FINAL 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Treasury Notes START SAVING FOR COLLEGE EVEN WITH TOPS BY STATE TREASURER JOHN M. SCHRODER When I attended Southeastern Louisiana University, I worked several jobs to help pay for my college education. There was no TOPS program Thornton, when Musso, I was &Bellemin in school, and we didn’t have easy access to student loans. Financing I approve this ad copy for use in the following issues: for college was pretty limited; you either paid for everything out of pocket or you depended on savings. Today, many Louisiana families depend on TOPS, at least for tuition costs, and it looks like the program will be around for a while. TOPS doesn’t cover all college expenses, however, so it’s good to have additional savings set aside. Index Listings You can open a college savings account through the Student Tuition WATER Assistance TREATMENT and CONSULTANTS Revenue Trust (START) program. The program can be used to save money tax-free for tuition, room and board, books and fees. START can be used to pay expenses at any higher education institution or Louisiana Technical College school. START is called a 529 plan, and most states operate similar programs. Louisiana’s program is arguably one of the best in the nation, however. The minimum deposit to open a START account is $10, and there are no fees to participate in the program. Parents, grandparents and other individuals can open accounts for children. The program offers a variety of tax benefits. Up to $2,400 in deposits can be deducted from taxable income reported to the state, or if the account owner files a joint return, the amount is $4,800. Earnings are tax-deferred, and withdrawals for qualified expenses are exempt from state and federal taxes. Your START beneficiary pays no taxes on their disbursements, and you can change beneficiaries without tax consequences, provided that the new beneficiary is a member of the family of the previous Membership Directory 2018 Roster Edition Official Publication of the Louisiana Rural Water Association beneficiary. Pub Code Tel:(800) 369-6220, (352 You can use START to invest in a variety of options Fax: (352) 331-3 -- ranging from very conservative to aggressive -- depending on the age of your dependent and how soon he or she will be entering college. Louisiana LWR-R0018 matches your investments from 2 percent to 14 percent depending on your income. The highest match is Authorized Signature: available for families who earn less than $30,000 a year. Date: A new federal tax change Artwork makes Contact: 529 accounts even more beneficial to parents by allowing for the creation of savings accounts for the payment of K-12 private school tuition. Louisiana will roll out its START K-12 savings program statewide this year, but in the meantime, the option is available to families who had START accounts as of December 31, 2017. Advertising Space Those START account owners are able to request a one-time disbursement of up to $10,000 for K-12 expenses. Such disbursements cannot exceed the START account balance as of December 31, 2017, nor can they exceed the current account balance. As of September 6, 2018, there have been 396 disbursements for the payment of K-12 expenses totaling more than Custom Water Treatment Programs Designed by Professionals Since 1990 POTAB ABLE WASTE WA ATER FAX: (225)654-9533 P. O. Bory, LWR-R00 Ad Order # 1636839 Adv Code 179697 S. Rep: Jason Zawada (C) SEE TREASURY PAGE 21 Corrosion Inhibition Iron & Manganese Control Enhanced Disinfection NSF Certified EPA Approved Chlorine dioxide for Stage 2 compliance assurance DBP reduction Sludge Dewatering Polymers Dechlorination Technical Support/Service Testing Naylor, LLC - Gain 5950 NW 1st Pl Gainesville, Florida, Page 16 707693_Thornton.indd 1 LMR | October 2018 8/21/14 8:33 PM
Partner Insight Put Advance Refundings Back on the Table BY NNAMDI THOMPSON, GOVERNMENT CONSULTANTS The National League of Cities just released their 33rd annual City Fiscal Conditions survey. It gives a snapshot into how City Finance Officers view their respective city’s financial outlook. The NLC conducts an online survey each year to get a handle on what their membership forecasts and what issues to lobby to Congress. Some takeaways: • Finance officers from the smallest cities are more likely to report that their cities are less likely to meet their fiscal needs this year as compared to last year. • Employee wages, public safety, and infrastructure are the most common areas for increased spending. • General Fund expenditures are increasing faster than revenues. • Major tax sources (Property and Sales Tax) grew slower in the last year. • It is difficult to gauge how the provisions of the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affect city finances. One of the provisions, the elimination of advance refunding bonds, is seen as negative to future city finances (61%). Concerning the last point, respondents felt it was too soon to see how the Act affected their balance sheet. However, one of the provisions in the Act was singled out for concern. The Act eliminated the Advance Refunding Bonds. If an issuer wants to refinance their existing bonds, they could issue new bonds at SEE REFUNDINGS PAGE 21 GOVERNMENT CONSULTANTS, INC. Specializing in Bond Issues and Financing L. Gordon King Dede Riggins Nnamdi I. Thompson Shaun B. Toups David M. Medlin James R. Ryan Stephen Holley (MSRB Registered Municipal Advisors) 700 North 10 th Street Annex Bldg. Baton Rouge, LA 70802 (225) 344‐2098 (Phone) (225) 344‐5952 (Fax) gcla@gc‐la.net (email) OVERVIEW Modern day government has become a large financial enterprise, handling millions of dollars and facing service and revenue pressures. The governing authority and Administrator(s) face complex financial decisions ranging from the impact of property and sales taxes to the financing of capital improvements. As government finance has become more complex, the need for financial advice to base decisions upon has. The services of an expert Municipal Advisor are being used by more and more grown governmental units. A Municipal Advisor (or “MA”) serves as a consultant advising the governing authority on matters relating to the following: Financial feasibility of projects; Total cost analysis of financing alternatives; Review of capital improvement financing programs; Advice on the structuring and marketing of debt securities. The MA is an integral member of the governing authority’s management team, providing advice and analysis to assist in financial decision‐making. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FINANCE ANALYSIS • Analyzing available alternatives in relation to cost to the governing authority and providing financial guidance and recommendations; • Analyzing from a cost/benefit standpoint the use of incentives (free land, subsidy of bond issues, utility improvements) to attract industry; • Providing a detailed upfront and long‐term financial analysis of costs to the governing authority versus benefits of the specific project; and • Serving as an economic development finance resource for the Governing Authority. We Have The Experience! LMR | October 2018 Page 17
Page 1 and 2: Louisiana Municipal Review PUBLISHE
Page 3 and 4: Inside the LMA Director’s Viewpoi
Page 5 and 6: Inside the LMA Governor’s Column
Page 7 and 8: Inside the LMA Beauregard Parish Fa
Page 9 and 10: Municipalities Condolences Mayor Pa
Page 11 and 12: A Word from Our Affiliates Premium
Page 13 and 14: A Word from Our Affiliates LMR | Oc
Page 15: Partner Insight Rural Development U
Page 19 and 20: Sunday, October 21 12:00 p.m. - 5:0
Page 21 and 22: Feature Statement Of Proposed Const
Page 23 and 24: Feature Pre-Disaster Training and D

LMR_October FINAL 2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?