An important indicator of the financial strength of a governmental entity is its bond rating. The bond rating is similar to the credit score of an individual – the higher the score, the better the ability to borrow money to finance purchases at a lower interest rate. Similarly, the higher the bond rating for a governmental entity, the more opportunities to borrow money for capital needs at lower interest rates. A high bond rating is an excellent indicator of the overall financial health of a government.

This measure is obtained each year when the city seeks to issue bonds to finance its’ projects. As part of this process, bond ratings are always obtained from the rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s. Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investor Service.
 

This page provides data for the Bond Rating performance measure.
 

Bond ratings are a reflection of the financial strength of an entity. A high rating means an entity can issue bonds to finance capital projects at lower interest rates; lower rates result in less interest to be paid on the repayment of the bonds. Ultimately, this lowers the costs of our capital projects to our taxpayers.
 

The performance measure dashboard is available at 5.04 General Obligation Bond Rating.
 

Additional Information
 

Source: Standard & Poors, Moody's Investor Service, and Fitch Ratings are the major bond rating agencies in the United States and are widely used by governmental and non-governmental entities throughout the country.
Contact: Jerry Hart
Contact E-Mail: Jerry_Hart@tempe.gov
Data Source Type: Excel
Preparation Method: Manual
Publish Frequency: Annually
Publish Method: Manual
Data Dictionary