Cities have more balanced budgets because they produce value, so they actually have something to tax.

Residential-only suburbs were built with free money to create the road network, but produce no value, so they're running on loans but can't actually pay for anything. That's why many of had to start using speed traps for income.

http://www.strongtowns.org/the-growth-ponzi-scheme/

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2012/1/2/the-cost-of-auto...

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2014/8/25/stroad-nation.h...

The Rust Belt may have died, but not because they took too many loans!