UPDATE August 2013: For updated information on this topic, click here. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Friday, May 28, 2010, that it is delaying the enforcement of the federal Red Flags Rule, once again, through December 31, 2010. This marks … Read more

People sometimes assume that local government boards can never vote or take action in a closed session. That’s not quite true. Consider the following scenario: A city council has gone into a closed session under G.S. 143-318.11(5) and (6) to … Read more

UPDATE August 2013: For more on the public’s right to speak at meetings, click here. I find that many local officials are unclear about the statutory requirement that they hold “public comment periods” on a regular basis.  In this post, … Read more

Your public works department is planning to construct a new waste water collection system, and, in a meeting with your engineer, you learn that a piece of equipment she plans to include in the bid specifications is a proprietary piece … Read more

More than a few local government taxes, fees, and costs can be collected using some or all of the remedies available for the collection of property taxes.  As I’ve blogged before, property taxes can be waived or refunded only in very … Read more

After a grueling budget season, the county board of commissioners has cut, and cut, and cut. The board members have come to the conclusion that, to avoid serious diminution in services, they must increase revenue. The next step is to … Read more

 Folks in the small town of Maycomb are riled up. The state recently funded construction of a new expressway that passes near the town. Most everyone in town likes that, as the new road will cut time off the trip … Read more

UPDATE August 2013: For updated information on the public school funding dispute resolution process, click here. In my last post, I reviewed the constitutional and statutory framework for county funding of local school administrative units (public schools). As I explained … Read more

UPDATE November 2013: In 2010 the General Assembly enacted substantial changes to the personnel records privacy statutes discussed in this post, but those changes do not affect the analysis in the post. The city manager enters a written contract of … Read more