Although borrowing can be an excellent way to finance the development
of long-life capital infrastructure,it does carry a long-term first claim on public
revenues and can create continuing problems for fiscal sustainability if localities borrow to finance continuing operations. Furthermore, local government
borrowing can conflict with a national macroeconomic stabilization policy that
is designed to constrain inflationary pressures. Such borrowing is self-limiting,
in the sense that doubts about the ability to service debt will ultimately exclude
the government from debt markets.24 No amount of manipulation of debt
terms or special enhancements will succeed in maintaining access to debt
markets if there is doubt about the reliability of debt service.