A committee of the American Bar Association released Formal Opinion 480 on March 6. The discussion surrounding this opinion reminds us of our earlier blog post, entitled Just because it’s a public record, that doesn’t mean it’s not confidential.If you can set aside...

There are over 3200 dams in North Carolina, and many of these are owned and maintained by smaller entities that may not have the resources to take care of the dams the way they need to be taken care of. And so after time, an inspection may show that the dam needs...

 What do we need all this fund balance for, anyway? As we move into the height of budget season, this question will ring out across the North Carolina — especially as many local governments re-build fund balance after some years of decline. Why do we keep the...

We’ve heard from several clients and Friends of the Firm recently about their discussions with LGC staff about proposed or possible public-private partnerships. Several lessons emerge from those discussions that are worth sharing.   Why would you have to go to...

Public housing plays a vital role in affordable housing programs throughout the United States.  Unfortunately, these programs have been underfunded for many years, resulting in a delay of necessary maintenance and repairs for public housing. This delay creates unsafe...

Happy New Year! As 2018 begins, we offer this list of items to keep in mind as you plan for new capital projects and manage your existing projects. Here are a few things to think about at least once a year: Compliance with financing covenants. If you have any...

We now have the official calendar for meetings of the Local Government Commission for 2018. We thought a table might be handy. Along with the meeting dates, this table shows the dates 28 days prior to the meeting, because generally the Commission staff wants a fairly...

There are over 3200 dams in North Carolina, and many of these are owned and maintained by smaller entities that may not have the resources to take care of the dams the way they need to be taken care of. And so after time, an inspection may show that the dam needs...

Most folks want to do what’s best for the environment (whatever they think that might be), and many companies and local governments want to be known for doing good things for the environment.  To tap into those environmental sensibilities, we have seen the emergence...

We find more and more that our clients have money left over from installment financings when the project is done. Perhaps the project ended up costing less than expected, perhaps an unexpected grant came through, or perhaps contingency funds weren’t needed. The...