Public Money Pod

We discuss the monumental recent shifts in police budgeting. Beth Goldberg from the City of Kirkland, WA explains how five communities in greater Seattle, against the backdrop of Defund the Police, collaborated to fund and launch a community crisis response service. Emily from Columbus asks: "Are Taylor Swift ticket flippers the same as municipal bond flippers?"

We explore how natural disasters are disrupting state and local finance, including the "known knowns" and the "known unknowns." Colin Foard from the Pew Charitable Trusts shares key takeaways from a new report - "Wildfires: Burning through State Budgets" - on how states can adapt their budgeting processes and techniques to better prepare for wildfires and other natural disasters. Theodore asks: "D...

We continue our examination of how "work from home" is reshaping local public finance, including what municipal bond investors are thinking today, and how downtowns might look in a remote future. Berke Attila from the City of Baltimore lays out the challenges of making telework work for local government, and explains how cutting edge thinking about capital budgeting, asset management and informati...

We recap what Election 2022 means for state and local public finance. Bill Glasgall from the Volcker Alliance joins us to discuss how a divided Congress will shape the IRA, how states are making fiscal policy at the ballot box, and some local fiscal trouble looming ahead, among many other topics. Sarah from Hinsdale asks: "How about sin taxes on ammo?"

We look ahead on local property taxes, including what might happen in a world of stagnant house prices, high inflation, and political pressure on local budgets. Professor Chris Berry from the University of Chicago shares the key insights from his path-breaking research on equity in property tax assessment, and shares a sneak peak of his most recent and encouraging findings. Scott from Chicago asks...

We discuss the public finance of climate adaptation, with focus on flood insurance, catastrophe funds, and the complicated role of tax-exempt bond income. Rudy Salo of Nixon Peabody offers his bond lawyer take on building back better after natural disasters, the politics of climate risk disclosure, and a future of "sexy infrastructure." Nancy from Asheville, NC asks: "Why are fiscal year starts an...

We go to school on what makes public school finance unique, with a focus on state shared revenues, horizontal equity, and teacher pay. Harpreet Hora from Atlanta Public Schools explains how Covid, inflation, federal money, a tight labor market, equity concerns, a focus on outcomes, and other factors are shaping APS' current and future budgets. Extra Credit: Shelly from Minneapolis asks, "What are...

We discuss the good, the bad, and the uncertain with transit agency finances. Dwight Burns from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) shares his optimism on DART's financial future, economic development in the Metroplex, and the Texas Longhorns. Johanna from Louisville, KY asks: "How are US Territory finances different from states and localities?"

We discuss new data on emerging trends in work from home, and what those trends mean for state and local revenues, budget-making, and fiscal policy. Catherine Tuck Parrish from Raftelis explains that today's most successful local financial leaders are good on spreadsheets, but great on compassion, empathy, and collaboration. Extra Credit: Beth from South Carolina asks, "Why do some local governmen...

We discuss the shifting landscape for state and local retirement benefits, and what that new landscape means for budgets, employee satisfaction, and the future of the state and local workforce. Keith Brainard from the National Association of State Retirement Administrators explains how state and local public pensions are responding to inflation, rising interest rates, market gyrations, and economi...

We discuss how local government finance managers are responding for the first time in a long time to two big challenges: inflation and the massive influx of federal government money. Jeff White from Columbia Capital Management joins us for a deep dive on how these challenges are reshaping local government borrowing. Extra Credit: Cindy asks "How much money should a local government keep in its rai...

We look at who's leaving the local government workforce, and how municipalities are using federal dollars to stem the tide. Joshua Franzel from the Mission Square Research Institute shares some recent findings on the local government workforce of the future, how we'll pay for it, and why everyone should study budgeting and finance. Extra Credit: Almendra asks, “Why do state and local budgets not t...

We discuss what the "Big 3" recent federal laws mean for state and local finance. Emily Brock from the Government Finance Officers Association helps us unpack the Inflation Reduction Act (i.e. the Climate Bill), including the next big trending topic – #NOFO_FOMO. Extra Credit: Mary from Wisconsin asks, “Why do state and local governments take so long to produce their financial statements?” 

We discuss the many ways small and rural local governments are investing their influx of federal cash in climate adaptation, economic development, and infrastructure projects. Mark Funkhouser from Funkhouser & Associates opines on economic development and local government finance in Appalachia, and makes a bold statement on the Backyard Brawl. Extra Credit: Allison asks, “What’s a TIF District...