My colleague, Margaret Henderson, and I are excited to announce a new SOG resource – Human Trafficking of Minors and Young Adults: What Local Governments Need to Know. Youth are particularly vulnerable to traffickers. County and municipal staff in many … Read more
The breadth of the North Carolina Public Records Law and the explosion of digital public records have resulted in frequent and voluminous requests for public records. Such requests are time-consuming and often include records that exist only on the personal … Read more
What is the impact of a property tax appellate decision on tax years following the one under appeal? That’s the dispute at issue in a recent N.C. Court of Appeals decision that required Graham County to return $45,000 in post-appeal … Read more
A new law that requires reports to law enforcement about juvenile victims of certain crimes will take effect on Sunday, December 1. Part I of S.L. 2019-245 (S 199) enacts new G.S. 14-318.6, which makes failing to report certain crimes … Read more
Economic development appropriations pursuant to G.S. 158-7.1 have long required a properly-noticed public hearing prior to approval. When the appropriations involve business location incentives, the notice and hearing requirements take on constitutional significance as a result of North Carolina Supreme … Read more
To better document our impact, the School of Government is inviting anyone who has used our services to participate in a short survey. We want to hear about your experiences with the School and learn how we can better serve you … Read more
An Act to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and to Strengthen and Modernize Sexual Assault Laws, S.L. 2019-245 (S199) enacts and amends various laws related to crimes;* amends some civil and criminal statutes of limitations; requires mandatory training for school … Read more
I don’t write or teach much about sales taxes, because my colleagues and I here at the School of Government focus on local government issues. Sales taxes are, for the most part, a state government issue. The state of North … Read more
State law requires every city and every board of county commissioners to designate a clerk. The law is clear with respect to who appoints the clerk to the board of county commissioners. When it comes to appointment of city clerks, … Read more
This past July the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued an opinion that has provoked a wide variety of responses from local government attorneys. Some fear that the opinion might require local governments across the state to completely revamp how … Read more