Dublin, Ohio is flexing some serious Wall Street cred again. For the second year in a row, the city holds an unusually rare distinction: it is the only U.S. city with the top long-term credit ratings from S&P Global, Fitch, Moody’s and KBRA. City leaders credit the four-agency sweep to years of conservative budgeting, healthy reserves and a steadily growing tax base, and say the accolades help Dublin borrow for local projects while keeping costs lower for taxpayers.
Official Announcements And Ratings
In a press release from the City of Dublin, officials confirmed that Dublin once again secured the highest long-term ratings from S&P Global Ratings, Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and KBRA. KBRA also issued its own announcement assigning a AAA long-term rating to Dublin’s Series 2025 general-obligation bonds and affirming parity bonds at AAA with a stable outlook, a step that helped complete the four-agency sweep.
Why The Agencies Were Impressed
When KBRA assigned AAA to the city’s bonds, the firm highlighted Dublin’s underlying playbook, pointing to “conservative budgetary practices, sound fiscal policies, and strong financial performance support ample reserves and financial flexibility” as the basis for the rating. Other agencies, in their reports, leaned on similar themes, citing Dublin’s diverse tax base, strong income-tax receipts and multi-year capital planning as reasons to maintain the top scores.
What The Ratings Mean Locally
According to city financial documents, those top-tier grades translate into cheaper access to capital and more room to maneuver as Dublin funds projects and land purchases tied to long-range plans. The same materials note that the high ratings “ascertain that the City pays the lowest borrowing costs possible” when issuing debt, which in turn helps the city preserve its reserves while it pursues infrastructure and development work.
City officials echoed the news in a Facebook update that thanked the finance team and emphasized that the ratings reflect sustained financial stewardship. Leaders say the recognition will factor into upcoming financing strategies and future bond sales as Dublin moves ahead with local projects.
