As detailed in previous posts, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARP/CSLFRF) provides funding for North Carolina counties and municipalities. There are four main authorized expenditure categories: (1) Responding to the pandemic … Read more

Overview of Voting Rules Voting is one of the most important things that local governing boards do. They vote on a range of things, including, motions, resolutions, ordinances, franchises, contracts, and any other matters that come before them for action. … Read more

On the edge of town there’s a new residential development under construction. The neighborhood looks fairly conventional—there are houses and yards, streets and sidewalks. But there is a notable difference that you can’t see. The homes are not listed for … Read more

Uniformity is a defining characteristic of our state’s property tax system. As I’ve written before, both our state constitution and the Machinery Act (the collection of state statutes that govern property taxes) require that all local governments across North Carolina … Read more

What a difference a decade makes.  In 2012, the country was a couple of years into its recovery from the “Great Recession” and real estate prices across North Carolina were still lagging behind their 2007 peak.  In 2022, the country … Read more

By most accounts, the need for affordable housing across North Carolina is massive. According to 2019 census data, over a million North Carolina households are “cost burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Almost half … Read more

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employers must grant eligible employees a total of up to twelve workweeks of job-protected, unpaid leave during any twelve-month period for any of the following reasons: the birth of a child; the … Read more

In North Carolina, a county director of a department of social services (DSS) is responsible for administering and providing a wide variety of social services and economic services programs. Recently, a DSS director asked me for some information on how … Read more