Many North Carolina local governments wrestle with how to fund those valued local nonprofits that are effectively doing good work in the community. There are a variety of approaches for annually funding operating expenses, but occasionally the question arises of how...

We now have the official calendar for meetings of the Local Government Commission for 2017. 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...

In Part One of this series, we described factors, benefits and issues that have led to the growing debate over the extent to which a municipality should be able to become an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Wilson, North Carolina, has been a flashpoint in the conflict...

Most affected communities are aware by now of case Quality Built Homes v. Town of Carthage, in which the North Carolina Supreme Court generally found that cities, counties, and towns do not have broad legal authority to charge up-front water and sewer fees to...

This case study is based on North Carolina law. Terms and procedures will vary state to state, but the concepts are generally true throughout the country. Background: The new finance officer and newly-elected mayor are meeting with bond counsel to discuss financing...

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...

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 repair or replacement. Then, if the affected community doesn’t have (and can’t get) the legal structure or financial resources to rebuild, that community may come to the public entity for help.

It is a bit late to announce that the age of the internet is here to stay. Even now, new uses and capabilities are constantly developed, and as a result society continually faces developing issues regarding its uses.  In just the past few years, radical changes in how society works, plays and simply communicates have been remarkable, and we can expect much more.  This series of posts will explore the importance of broadband internet service to the development of North Carolina and the increasingly contentious issue of whether municipalities should provide broadband internet service to its citizens.

 “I guess I can give you that information — it’s a matter of public record.” Most of us lawyers who work with local governments have heard this – many of us probably have said it. But just because a piece of information is a public record, that doesn’t mean a lawyer doesn’t still have an obligation to keep that information confidential. The concepts of “public record” and “confidential information” arise under separate rules that really don’t have much to do with one another.

Thank heavens that loan closing is done!!

A loan closing is a cause for celebration. Whether it’s a big bond issue or a small installment financing, it’s natural to see the closing as a bright dividing line in your process – the money is in the bank, and the rest of the work can proceed.