Public Money Pod

In the Season 4 finale, we sit down with Lavera Alexander, Chief Growth Officer at Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, to explore what it takes to bring large-scale development projects to smaller and rural communities. We discuss the role of public and private financing, the challenges of funding aviation infrastructure, and how thoughtful investment can drive economic growth while improving resid...

In this week's episode we discuss the means and tools available to municipalities to collect property taxes owed and the case of Pung v. Isabella County with our guest Adam J. Cohen, chair of the Municipal Law and Community Associations section at Pullman & Comley. Oral arguments were heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2026, but a decision has yet to be handed down. The outcome is...

Mark Funkhouser spent decades in government service, first as a municipal auditor, then as Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri and he discusses how the role of local governments has changed and who they really serve. Now leading Funkhouser & Associates, he brings that experience to bear on local government accountability, the rise of private equity in essential services, and what monopoly control m...

This week, we sit down with Caitlin Lewis, Founding Executive Director of Work for America, to explore the shifting landscape of public sector employment. We discuss how her organization is helping workers navigate the transition from federal to local government amid ongoing federal restructuring, what it takes to fix a hiring process that too often drives talented people away, and why working in...

In this week's episode, we sit down with Adam Carpenter, Manager of Energy and Environmental Policy, and Rachel Gonsenhauser, Regulatory Technical Manager of Government Affairs at the American Water Works Association, to explore the state of water distribution systems across the United States. They discuss the scale of investment needed to modernise ageing infrastructure and what that means for co...

This week, we sit down with Chris Osgood, Director of Boston's Office of Climate Resilience and Senior Advisor for Infrastructure to Mayor Michelle Wu, and Ian Donnelly, Deputy Budget Director and Director of Capital Planning for the City of Boston. We explore how Boston is embedding climate resilience into its capital planning process and the tough tradeoffs between near-term fiscal pressures and...

This week we are joined by Keola Harrington, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) to discuss how the PPA has evolved since it's creation nearly seventy years ago. How the institution has changed to facilitate mobility in the city for the residents and using technology for these purposes.

This week we discuss the changing landscape of federal funding for disasters available to states with Colin Foard Project Director for Managing Fiscal Risks. How have the eligibility criteria changed over the years? And what other in-state funding methods available to intervene.

In this episode we discuss instilling fiscal responsibility in federal budgeting practices to ensure the national debt remains at sustainable levels. Professors Steve Redburn , Philip G. Joyce and Roy Meyers discuss checks and balances introduced by congress and the manifesto they have created to foster such practices again.

This week we talk to Ted Ross, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City of Los Angeles about it's approach to digital infrastructure, particularly the adoption of AI and how it's transforming the workplace and service delivery.

This week we talk about a very pertinent topic: How will the local electric grid accommodate the data center boom? When power grids tend to operate on close to maximum capacity, even a modest increase in demand demands significant investment. Where will those investments come from, and where will they go?

In this week's episode we discuss bitcoin backed municipal debt issuance in New Hampshire with Les Borsai & James Key-Wallace. There has been a wave of states embracing digital currency in debt issuance with legislation introduced in 32 states as of now. We discuss the mechanics, the partnership with the state and private firms, and the potential landscape going foeward.

Welcome back to the Public Money Pod, the first episode for 2026. In this episode we interview Professor Erick Guerra from the University of Pennsylvania. We discuss the transportation infrastructure which involves building, maintaining, and rebuilding an ever expanding road and highway network that has to be financed.

In the episode before thanksgiving we interview Mike Twitty, Pinellas County Property Appraiser. We talk about the different technological tools that have been employed in the Pinellas County to make the property tax process much more transparent, especially for new home owners. We also discuss the sentiment of lawmakers in Florida to property taxes and possible future outcomes.

In episode 11 we continue with the IG series with the former inspector general of the Department of Interior and the Chair of the Counsel of the Inspectors General Mark Greenblatt. We dive into topics such as the differences in IG's at local an d state level and IG's in federal positions and the evolution of IG's role in government as well.

In this episode we discuss public procurement system current and how AI affects these essential public services with Solomon Kingston. Solomon is the Interim Chief Cooperative Procurement Officer of NASPO, a non-profit dedicated to helping state governments improve their public procurement practices nationwide.

In the ninth episode of the Public Money Pod, we talk to the Inspector General for the City of Chicago, Deborah Witzburg about keeping public agencies accountable to the tax payers. Previously, she served as the City’s Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety, overseeing independent, objective evaluations and reviews of Chicago’s police and police accountability agencies, and also served as OIG’...

Ricky Hernandez is the Chief Financial Officer for the Tucson Unified School District and In this episode we look at ESSER funding as well as ESAs or "Empowerment Scholarship Accounts". We examine the implications of the school vouchers, which came about after the pandemic, on city budgets.

In our latest episode we discuss property taxes with Professor Christopher Berry from Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. The differences between the levy and rate systems and how data analytics can be used to improve accuracy in property valuations.

This week Jordan Haedtler discusses FIAR plans as an insurance tool against events caused by the climate crisis. We examine how FAIR plans are used in different states over the years and how new legislation may affect them. Recommendations from the report "Insurers of Last Resort: Why Today's FAIR Plans Need a Redesign to Address the Home Insurance Crisis." show how FAIR plans can be better regula...

In episode 5 of PMP we interview Tom Kozlik, Head of Public Policy and Municipal Strategy at Hilltop Securities where we discuss the results of the Public Finance Leaders' Survey and the consequences of AI on Muni Bonds - from yields to infrastructure.

In episode 4 our guest is Andrew Kim who is a Director at PTMA Financial. We discuss financing state and local debt through bond issuance, delve deeper in to negotiated and competitive sales, and underappreciated and overemphasized credit risks by rating agencies. We also discuss financial challenges local governments would face in the coming decade.

In episode 3 of Public Money Pod, we interview Mark McAvoy, city administrator of Liberty Lake, Washington. A young city but old problems persist. In the interview we discuss how Liberty Lake is using the "Readiness Assessment" tool to approach its budgeting and planning as it approaches its first major infrastructure replacement cycle. The episode also explores the using surveys to get feedback f...

In our second episode of season 4, we're in DC for the at the GFOA conference. We discuss topics in cyber risk in state and local governments and effects on the muni bond market. We are here with our guest David Erdman, who is managing director of Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, LLC and been on the public finance industry for more than three decades. David is an active advocate and leader for muni...

In our season 4 premier, we're in DC for the at the GFOA conference. In this episode we discuss challenges and opportunities around performance budgeting, cost allocation, getting buy-in for some of the challenging issues. Joined by panelists Laura Larsen who became Baltimore’s Budget Director in September 2022 leading a fifteen-member team responsible for developing and implementing Baltimore’s $...