Some Updates

Some Updates

We’ve recently come across some articles that provide some new information about topics we’ve written about before. More evidence of the black tax. There’s more evidence that local government units with more racially and ethnically diverse populations are stuck with...
“Citizen Voice” and public infrastructure costs

“Citizen Voice” and public infrastructure costs

Why is public infrastructure so much more expensive in the United States than anywhere else? Why has the increase in cost of public infrastructure so far outstripped the increase in general price levels, or even the costs of direct construction inputs? We came across...
Rethinking reserves on a GFOA model

Rethinking reserves on a GFOA model

We recently reviewed a GFOA post from May titled “Should We Rethink Reserves.” We wrote previously on the importance of fund balance, but the GFOA article encourages a more granular analysis of reserve levels than we have discussed. As the need for local governments...
It’s Attorney Audit Letter Season!

It’s Attorney Audit Letter Season!

It’s that time of year when lawyers for local governments will get letters, signed by their clients, asking for a report to the auditor. Information from the attorneys is important to an auditor’s evaluation of the client’s financial statements, especially as to...
Lessons from Copenhagen

Lessons from Copenhagen

I came across an interesting paper on the redevelopment of the City and Port of Copenhagen. There are many specific projects and techniques that won’t apply in the United States, but a few of my takeaways that might: If the local government itself owns unused or...