ZacCast

In this episode of ZacCast, from fresh prince to urban development patterns, it's things that make you reevaluate your entire existence. We dig in to some of the more controversial elements of the Strong Towns movement, including its prescriptions for where we spend the public's money, and how we organize our teams to make the biggest impact. Links Strong Towns is an international movement that’s...

In this episode of ZacCast, Patrick and Chad discuss the impact of the Single Local Tax Rate on December's sales tax collections; wade into some controversy about alleged rule changes being proposed by the Comptroller; and even make time for some Christmas conspiracy theories. Links ZacTax Blog Who are the single local rate taxpayers? Texas Comptroller provides insight into how the Single Local Ta...

In this episode of ZacCast, Abilene, Texas, city manager Robert Hanna joins us to talk about his city's downtown hotel/convention center project. We discuss the difficulties inherent in complicated projects, steering large organizations toward a common goal, and gaining community buy-in for potentially controversial projects.

Audit week can be one of the most stressful times of the year for city management. In this episode, Doug Martella from GoVirtual CFO returns to talk about his experience auditing cities, and what aspiring city managers should know about the audit process. We'll even sneak in a secret your auditors probably don't want you to know. Links GoVirtual CFO

In October 2019, the State of Texas implemented its new Single Local Tax Rate for online and out-of-state sellers. On this episode, we talk to Doug Martella of GoVirtual CFO about the new program and how it will impact sales tax collections in Texas. Links GoVirtual CFO Texas Tax Responsibilities and Resources for Sellers After Wayfair (Texas Comptroller) ZacTax Blog Explaining the proposed Texas...

Patrick and Chad shoot the bull on a variety of topics, including our upcoming talk at the UMANT One-Day Conference, the ethical implications of cities continuing to invest in social media, and we geek out a bit on Christmas decorations. Links Urban Management Assistants of North Texas UMANT One-Day Conference xLights Twinkly

This episode of ZacCast is all about Rework, a book by the founders of Basecamp. We talk about some of the bigger principles in the book, like embracing constraints, thinking small, productivity killers, and the myth of culture creation. And we offer some ways to apply them to your city. Links Rework on Amazon Signal vs Noise (Basecamp's blog) Basecamp

In this episode, we discuss the now-notorious Bonnen Tapes, in which the Speaker of the Texas House is caught outlining his desire to make life difficult for local governments across Texas. What does this mean for Texas cities, and does the public admission portend possible improvements to the state/local relationship? Links What Can Texas Cities Do When State Legislators Admit to Hating Them? Err...

In this episode, Patrick and Chad discuss the origins of ZacTax, including how we met, finally getting to work together, all of our failed business ideas, and finally finding a niche that worked out. Links Texas Recreation and Parks Society ZacTax The benefits of using your own products  (ZacTax blog)

Everyone has a podcast now, so we figured we should, too. Join us as we embark on what we hope will be a fun and engaging show about city management, including stories from the front lines about interesting and innovative things happening in the field. In this trailer, we introduce the show and talk about our goals for it.