No City Should Rely Primarily on a Sales Tax for Funding

At a glance, the sales tax is a nearly invisible revenue source that is also a cash cow. Yet, for local governments, it is the most distorting of taxes. Here’s why.

Marohn, Transparent Accounting, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 1, 2023sales tax, Transparent Local Accounting, tax revenue, local government, city government, municipal finance, finance, financial solvency, local finance

Walk Into City Hall

City hall is an institution with a diversity of responsibilities serving your community, and in it lies an opportunity to observe how your local city operates and is managed.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtApril 14, 2023city council, local government, city government, public engagement, community engagement

Colorado Housing Bill Targets Local Zoning, Spurs City-State Standoff

Colorado's governor is backing an ambitious plan to address the state’s housing, in a bill similar to ones passed in California and Oregon, and proposed in other states.

Incremental Housing, Top StoryBen AbramsonApril 11, 2023colorado, state government, local government, zoning, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing activism, affordable housing, accessory dwelling units, ADUs, Law, Land Use, Incremental Housing

By Right. This Might Not Be Right?!

What exactly is “by right” development, and how might it not match what’s actually built in your community?

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtApril 7, 2023zoning, NIMBY, Homeownership, homeownership, homeowners, local government, Development, development

Flushing Success Down the Toilet

This public toilet in Winnipeg, MB, is a case study in why city governments need to pay attention to the power of small bets.

Local Government, Transparent Accounting, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodMarch 24, 2023city government, canada, Canada, public space, homelessness, Homelessness, small bets, little bets, local government, Transparent Local Accounting

Don’t Like Sprawl? Just Call It Something Else.

The state of Florida has a bold new strategy to eliminate the adverse effects of urban sprawl: Change the definition.

News, Top StoryBen AbramsonMarch 22, 2023sprawl, Florida, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban planning, local government

Cities Shouldn't Buy Blue Check Marks

Strong communities don't need (costly) external validation.

Member Post, Transparent Accounting, Top StoryMichael NatelliFebruary 9, 2023subsidies, local government, cities, big box stores, tourism, member story, Transparent Local Accounting

3 Obstacles You’ll Face in Civic Participation (and Why They’re Worth Facing)

Like protagonists on a hero’s journey, we must anticipate challenges when it comes to civic engagement.

Owens, Local Government, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedFebruary 7, 2023community engagement, local government

Engaging Local Governments Effectively

Local government is where you can make the most impact and difference in your city, but how do you go about actually interacting with your local government?

Local Government, Erfurt, Top Story, Edward ErfurtEdward ErfurtFebruary 3, 2023local government, public engagement, local politics

Cities Don't Need to Regulate Arts and Culture

Cities don’t need to pay for or try to create arts and culture programs. They just need to remove barriers to and support the organic culture already existing in their neighborhoods.

Local Government, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 24, 2023arts, top-down, city government, local government, Texas

Road-Widening Project Threatens 30-Year-Old Farmers Market

Residents of Mooresville, NC, are outraged as a road-widening project and ensuing regulatory dispute pushed by city officials threaten the future of a longstanding farmers market.

End Highway Expansion, Local Government, Sheppard, News, Top StorySeairra SheppardJanuary 23, 2023End Highway Expansion, farmer's market, local business, local politics, local government, North Carolina, DOT, freeway widening

Will There Still Be Chinatowns in Utopia?

“Community character" is often invoked to support exclusion and discrimination, but there are also communities whose unique "character" matters—a lot. How (if at all) should local government support such places?

Neighborhoods, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 18, 2023neighborhood, Neighborhoods, local government, local regulation, race, Race, housing policy

Do It Afraid

To save our cities, we need to try new ideas, and that’s scary. But sometimes we must make scary decisions if we’re ever going to move into a stronger, more resilient future.

Local Government, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 17, 2023local government, policy change, city government

Mike Hathorne: Where Does Decision-Making Need to Occur in Our Communities?

Commun1ty.one Principal and Strong Towns member Mike Hathorne joins the podcast today to talk about the concept of subsidiarity.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Local Government, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 9, 2023Podcast, podcast, local government, member commentary

CDOT Leads the Way in Not Building Highways

Traffic headaches in Denver, CO, have caused the state to realize that widening highways just isn’t working, anymore. Instead, Colorado is making a huge shift in its transportation priorities.

#NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Sheppard, Success Story, Transportation, Top Story, End Highway ExpansionSeairra SheppardOctober 25, 2022success, success stories, colorado, Denver, transportation, Infrastructure, infrastructure, local government, End Highway Expansion

“The City Should Put a Trader Joe’s There” (and Other Muddled Thinking About Development)

Many of us are keen to express the “what” that we’d like to see in the built environment, but unwilling to think rationally and clearly about the “how.”

Herriges, Local Government, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 17, 2022development, local government, Municipalism, city government, localism, community, Community, big box stores

What Customer Service Should Mean for a City

Many local governments have taken on a “the customer is always right” mindset, but that’s simply not the best approach, especially for decisions that should be made at the block level.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Local Government, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 10, 2022Podcast, podcast, local government, city government, localism, neighborliness, Neighborhoods, neighborhood

The Pillaging of Detroit

Stunning new data analysis on the homes lost to tax forfeiture in Detroit shows that, in just a three-year span, $300 million in real estate transferred from homeowners living in Detroit to outside owners.

Finance, Housing, Sheppard, Top Story, Transparent AccountingSeairra SheppardSeptember 20, 2022Detroit, Michigan, property tax, homeowners, Homeownership, homeownership, poverty, Poverty, local government, Transparent Local Accounting, Just Accounting for Health

$4.7 Billion New Jersey Turnpike Expansion Ignores Local Leaders and Invites More Gridlock

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority plans to spend $4.7 billion updating and widening an eight-mile section of the turnpike, in the hopes of relieving congestion. Here’s why it’s not going to help.