Texting, tweeting, emailing, blogging, posting: members of public boards are doing this during meetings using their private or publicly-issued electronic devices, and communicating with each other, with individuals or groups attending the meeting, and with individuals and groups anywhere in … Read more

In even-numbered years, it’s pretty easy to tell when elections will happen.  In May of 2012, for instance, there will be primary elections for congressional seats and North Carolina legislative seats and governor and attorney general and judges and county … Read more

Assume that in 2000 Blue Devil City levies a special assessment on the 100 residents of Coach K Way to pay for an extension of city sewer and water service along that road.  The city provides documentation of the assessment … Read more

Here at the School of Government, we get a lot of questions about disclosing medical records or information to law enforcement officials. Often the question arises when a law enforcement official appears at a health care facility and presents a … Read more

Earlier this year it was reported in an Arizona newspaper that a prominent community activist (Ms. Smith) might face misdemeanor charges after witnesses saw her stealing campaign signs that Ms. Smith said were illegal and “negative” in their message. It … Read more

State law prohibits general public access to most public employee records. The parallel statutes that govern city and county employee records, as well as several of the separate statutes that govern other types of public agencies, contain provisions that allow … Read more

Which of these properties is likely to be exempt from local property taxes? A.   Vacant, unused land owned by Dook University, a private educational institution.   Dook plans to build a new science lab on the land once it raises the … Read more

A developer proposes a multi-phased residential development. The developer secures a rezoning from low-density residential to a higher-density residential zoning district in order to build the project. A site plan for the development is approved. The project is very successful, … Read more

Cell phones and other mobile devices have become essential tools for public employees and officials. Governmental agencies may purchase mobile devices and issue them to employees and officials, or may reimburse employees and officials who use their privately-owned devices for … Read more

           You didn’t vote in the presidential election in 2008 and let’s say you don’t vote in the presidential election of 2012.  You don’t vote in any election in between, for mayor or sheriff or state legislature or school board … Read more

After showing signs of life in 2010, the North Carolina housing market has slumped again in 2011.  The N.C. Association of Realtors reports that existing home sales volume through July was down 7% from last year and down 22% from … Read more

NOTE:  This post has been updated to reflect changes enacted by the General Assembly in 2013 and 2014. In North Carolina, the procurement of professional services performed by architects, engineers, surveyors, and construction managers at risk is governed by G.S. … Read more

As noted in a previous post, the General Assembly recently enacted S.L. 2011-199 (HB 380), which, effective October 1, 2011, amends the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure (NCRCP) to address issues related to e-discovery in North Carolina state courts. … Read more

The recent annexation reform legislation summarized in this blog post, changed the involuntary annexation laws, but left the basic structure for voluntary annexation in place. The legislature, did, however, modify the petition signature requirements by enacting S.L. 2011-57 (HB 171), apparently … Read more

Tim Taylor is both a housing inspector and the appointed minimum housing public officer for the town of Tooltime, North Carolina. For years he has conducted periodic inspections of dwellings throughout the town in accordance with his town’s periodic inspection … Read more

The “digital age” has been upon us for many years, but the legal system continues to struggle to keep pace with the fundamental transformation it has caused in the way people communicate and generate and store information. The discovery of … Read more

Every county in our state has a county seat, in which sits the county courthouse and oftentimes other county offices.  For many towns, especially in rural areas, being the county seat is a point of pride, marking the identity of … Read more

A proposal to rezone a 15-acre tract is pending before the town council. The tract is near the edge of town. It fronts one of the town’s major roads and is occupied by three vacant residences. It is zoned for medium … Read more

There’s no dispute that property owned by the federal government is exempt from local property taxes. Cumberland County cannot levy property taxes on the Army tanks, helicopters, and munitions at Fort Bragg.  Nor can Swain County tax the many acres … Read more

Under Section G.S. 132-1.4(c) of the North Carolina Public Records law, the contents of 911 calls are public information, except for certain information specified in the statute. This provision was modified in An Act To Provide That a Transcript or … Read more