Chapter 160D became fully effective statewide on July 1, 2021. Chapter 160D was enacted in July 2019 with a delayed effective date of January 1, 2021. The date was delayed in order to give cities and counties time to … Read more

Under state law, all monies collected or received by employees or officials of a local government or public authority (collectively, local unit) must be deposited daily into an official depository or with a properly licensed and recognized cash collection service. … Read more

Trafficking, like health disparities, targets marginalized groups.  The equation of human trafficking involves three types of participants: People who are vulnerable People who arrange and profit from the trafficking People who are customers The Covid-19 pandemic is generating new vulnerabilities … Read more

Interim budgets may provide breathing room for local governments wary of setting their 2020-2021 property tax before they know the full extent of how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the state and local economies. But interim budgets are not without … Read more

On May 4, changes to North Carolina’s communicable disease confidentiality law went into effect, including important modifications to the parts of the law that permit information to be released to law enforcement officials. Amendments to G.S. 130A-143 were included in … Read more

On May 6, 2020, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management delivered a letter to counties with the amount of federal funds that will be distributed to each county from the “Coronavirus Relief Fund” (CRF) pursuant to the … Read more

In response to COVID-19, the legislature adopted two comprehensive bills that touch on a variety of areas, including a few local government finance-related issues. One of those issues is the annual budget ordinance adoption process. This post explains the normal … Read more

COVID-19 and related shutdowns have forced local governments to dramatically alter meetings. With some questions swirling around the authority and procedures for remote public meetings, the General Assembly stepped in to provide clarity. As outlined in this blog, new legislation … Read more

Due to COVID-19 and related shutdowns, land development and local government operations have slowed dramatically. Recognizing that these slowdowns will impact the ability for projects to meet deadlines, the General Assembly passed legislation to extend the effective date of the … Read more

UPDATE May 30, 2020: As detailed in this post, Governor Cooper issued EO 142 on May 30, 2020, which extends the effective period of EO 124 through July 29, 2020.  Among other things, Governor Cooper’s Executive Order (EO) 124 mandates … Read more

As a part of the Act to Provide Aid To North Carolinians In Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Crisis, (S.L. 2020-3, SB 704) the General Assembly has enacted modifications to the laws governing meetings of public bodies, and … Read more

On April 23rd, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order 135 extending his statewide Stay At Home Order (Executive Order 121) for another nine days.  The Governor’s Stay At Home Order was due to expire on April 29th; EO 135 extends it … Read more

On Wednesday, my colleague Diane Juffras published What to Do When an Employee is Infected with or Reports Exposure to COVID-19. She addressed a number of important issues, from the leave that must be provided to employees, to the actions … Read more

As the fight against the coronavirus wages on, local government purchasing officers, clerks, department heads, and others who handle procurements are scouring every vendor and supplier they can think of to find everything from surgical masks and gloves to rental … Read more

I have been on a quixotic mission to try to get people not to use the word “quarantine” to refer to the stay-at-home orders that have been issued in North Carolina and elsewhere. I’ve lost this argument in popular culture, … Read more

The first case of COVID-19 in North Carolina was announced on March 3. By April 9, the state was reporting over 3500 cases and 65 deaths from the disease. Rapid spread of a new communicable disease is a historic and … Read more

As counties and cities continue their efforts to protect public health and safety during the COVID-19 crisis, some have discovered that their local emergency ordinances need updating.  For jurisdictions that do not regularly face the threat of natural disasters such … Read more

Understandably, COVID-19 has certainly slowed the demand for short-term rentals (STRs). In fact, at least one county in North Carolina has prohibited STR operators from renting their properties to out-of-county and out-of-state guests while the state is under the stay-at-home … Read more

County social services employees are regularly out in our communities during this public health emergency. Staff are Responding to reports of abuse, neglect, and dependency of children, Responding to reports of abuse and exploitation of disabled adults, Helping individuals and … Read more

COVID-19 has caused attorneys, units of government, and businesses across the country to review a common “boilerplate” provision in many contracts: the force majeure clause. For those of us who, like me, lack French fluency, force majeure means “superior force.”  … Read more