For some municipalities, the light at the end of the tunnel is becoming more visible, given an improving national economy and rising tax bases. For others, the road to solvency remains unclear. For all, determining a path to fiscal good health is paramount. Quite often, that complicated goal can be...

I was the state-appointed emergency manager for the City of Lincoln Park, Michigan, from July 2014 to December 2015. Lincoln Park is a built-out inner ring suburb of Detroit with a population of 38,000. It is primarily a low to moderate income residential community with little industry and a modest...