Indiana's Approach to Fiscal Benchmarking

Abstract

This report provides an introduction to fiscal benchmarking and the Fiscal Benchmarking for Indiana’s Local Governments project. Fiscal benchmarking is the assessment of the financial conditions of a local government within the context of the socioeconomic attributes of the jurisdiction. It begins with a description of fiscal benchmarking, a review of general approaches to benchmarking, followed by a discussion of ongoing fiscal benchmarking projects in other states. Next, some background on the Fiscal Benchmarking for Indiana’s Local Governments project, with a discussion of its approach to fiscal benchmarking. The report concludes with a look at the indicators that will be used to gauge the fiscal situation of Indiana’s local governments.