The open meetings law requires all official meetings of public bodies to be open to the public. G.S. 143-318.10(a). However, government bodies can hold closed-door meetings, known as closed sessions, under certain limited circumstances. This post focuses on closed sessions … Read more

This summer, the UNC School of Government will be offering a new program: the NC Child and Adolescent Health Law Conference! This one-day conference will be held on August 8, 2024 and is an opportunity for a diversity of professionals … Read more

Local governments are beginning to experiment with using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to communicate directly with members of the public. Generative AI powered chatbots (or “AI-enhanced search” functions) are starting to pop up on local government websites across the country. … Read more

The revenue-neutral tax rate (RNTR) exists to allow taxpayers to determine if their county has increased or decreased its total property tax levy following a county-wide reappraisal of real property. The RNTR is the property tax rate that would generate … Read more

On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued new regulations governing how to determine whether a worker is an employee for Fair Labor Standards Act overtime purposes or whether they qualify as an independent contractor (sometimes called … Read more

A new rule from the United States Department of Labor (DOL) is about to extend the guarantee of overtime pay to a lot of employees who are not currently receiving it. DOL has published its final rule updating the minimum … Read more

It is not uncommon for charitable housing organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, to request land from local governments with the intent of developing housing on the property and then selling it to low- and moderate-income homebuyers. Unfortunately, North Carolina … Read more

In North Carolina, a juvenile who is the subject of an abuse, neglect, or dependency petition may be placed in the custody of a Department of Social Services (DSS). When DSS has a court order of custody, it places a … Read more

2023 marked 27 years since the inception of charter schools in North Carolina. And it brought some big changes to charter school governance, growth, and funding. See S.L. 2023-107; S.L. 2023-110. Among these changes was the grant of authority to … Read more

North Carolina property tax law, nicknamed the Machinery Act, contains many dozens of full or partial exemptions for property as diverse as free drug samples, uranium 233, and Loyal Order of the Moose clubhouses. This blog post attempts to identify … Read more