THIS BLOG POST HAS BEEN UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 On March 18, 2020, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Families First Act”). The Families First Act is actually a compilation … Read more

As local officials in our state continue to respond to the rapidly evolving and ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic, counties and cities wrestle with difficult decisions about imposing restrictions and prohibitions under a local state of emergency declaration to address the public … Read more

Economic activity can be disrupted by any number of unanticipated emergencies, ranging from natural disasters to virus outbreaks like COVID-19. When these events threaten the survival of small businesses, the owners may turn to government for assistance. One legal and … Read more

[UPDATE: Section 4.31 of Session Law 2020-3 amends G.S. 160A-75 to apply the default “yes” rule discussed below to the unexcused failures to vote of council members who attend meetings electronically during a state of emergency declared by the Governor … Read more

COVID-19 has arrived in North Carolina and units of local government across the state are facing tough questions as they purchase goods and services.  This post addresses some of the legal issues under North Carolina law confronting local procurement officials.

[Updated May 2020 to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 relief bill, S.L. 2020-3.] Tax administration is obviously not at the top of any local government’s list of pandemic concerns.   But social distancing and other remedial measures made necessary by … Read more

UPDATE: Please note that the state has provided a hotline to help essential workers find childcare. NC local governments are increasingly taking operations remote to encourage social distancing among personnel and the public. By Executive Order, Governor Cooper closed all … Read more

As NC governments prepare for telework, the Center for Public Technology at the School of Government has put together a resource page to assist you with some of the most common technical questions related to telework and/or remote access. The … Read more

[UPDATE: Section 4.31 of Session Law 2020-3 addresses electronic meetings held during a state of emergency declared by the Governor or General Assembly. The new law’s provisions aren’t reflected in this post, which was written before its enactment. For a … Read more

As state and local government officials deal with the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, local governments are raising questions about who has the authority to take action at the local level and what actions they can take. My colleague Jill Moore’s … Read more