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

Can America’s Unfair Property Tax System Ever Be Fixed?

Strong Towns interviews Dr. Christopher Berry, of the University of Chicago, on how we can begin making meaningful changes to the U.S.’s broken property tax system.

“Bias Writ Large” in the Property Tax Assessment System

There are some obvious anomalies that are being overlooked in the property tax assessment system. Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 pulls back the curtain in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.

In Buncombe County, NC, Billions of Dollars of Home Value Go Untaxed

As an ad hoc committee recently discovered, owners of higher-valued properties are more likely to receive a tax break…simply because of bad data.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Transit Edition)

Don’t be fooled: Winnipeg’s newly proposed “rapid transit” project is actually a road-widening project in disguise. And it aims to borrow money so the City can destroy millions of dollars of its own tax base.

Streets Are for Building Community Wealth. Here’s Why That’s So Important.

Streets can be about many things, but unless they are building wealth for the community, they won’t survive. Period.

Economic Development, Marohn, Roads and Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 20, 2022finance, local finance, public finance, municipal finance, economic growth, economics, Economy, streets

Your City’s Accounting Is Unnecessarily Obscure. It’s Time To Pull Back the Veil.

We expect city budgets and financial reports to inform citizens and community leaders alike, but in reality, local government accounting is unnecessarily complicated, confusing, and illogical.

Membership, #DotheMath, Finance, Top StoryLinda TwillmanJune 8, 2022memweek strategic plan series, finance, financial solvency, local finance, municipal finance, public finance, local government, #DoTheMath, Transparent Local Accounting

A Minnesota Judge Throws the Book at Immoral Tax Assessments

This case shows why local governments need to do a better job accounting for maintenance costs.

Finance, Infrastructure, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 9, 2022maintenance, finance, local finance, municipal finance, Assessments, local government, infrastructure maintenance, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, Minnesota, Law

It Isn’t Just Us, the Entire Nation Is Burdened With Property Tax Inequities

Recently, the North Carolina Ad Hoc Appraisals Committee was challenged to face their own biases and fix their broken property tax assessment system. Here’s what happened.

Truth in Accounting: Making Cities' Finances Transparent for All

Citizens can’t make informed decisions if they don’t know the financial condition of their government. This nonpartisan nonprofit is making those numbers both available and transparent.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Finance, Local Government, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 14, 2022Podcast, finance, local finance, public finance, municipal finance, nonprofit sector, local government, Municipalism

The Galesburg Papers, Part 2: The Cure

In this follow-up to last week’s piece about Galesburg, IL, we’ll look at what the town needs in order to recover and thrive.

#DotheMath, #InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryJoe HicksJanuary 28, 2022#DoTheMath, Small Towns, small towns, Illinois, property tax, tax revenue, infrastructure cost, municipal finance, Municipal Debt

The Galesburg Papers, Part 1: The Diagnosis

Citizens of Galesburg, IL, are trying to save their public indoor pool and create a new activity complex. City council is sympathetic, but there's just one problem: money.

#DotheMath, #InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryJoe HicksJanuary 21, 2022#DoTheMath, Small Towns, small towns, Illinois, property tax, tax revenue, infrastructure cost, municipal finance, Municipal Debt

Holy Leaping Dollars, Batman!

Unless we start making better accounting choices today, we’ll be facing service cuts and tax increases every year going forward. …That is, until the day we can’t anymore.

Can Navigating Your City's Budget Be...Fun??

Making city budgets accessible to the average citizen is crucial for building stronger places. Here’s 4 examples of cities that made their budgets not only accessible, but even fun!

#StrongCitizens, Finance, Local Government, Davis, Success Story, Top StorySarah DavisSeptember 23, 2021finance, local finance, municipal finance, local government, local gov, cities, budget, success, success stories

Cities Need More Flexibility in How They Tax

Cities are the economic engines of our society, yet as a recent report shows, their fiscal stability can be seriously affected by local tax limitations.

Finance, Herriges, Local Government, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 29, 2021tax revenue, municipal finance, state government, local finance, property tax

The Great GASB!

There are major flaws in the accounting standards that shape municipal finance in American cities. But there’s an opportunity too: a chance to comment on—and perhaps change—those standards going forward.

Finance, Infrastructure, Local Government, Top StoryJoe MinicozziFebruary 17, 2021finance, municipal finance, infrastructure spending

Does Your City Run a Profit? How Would You Know?

Local government must run a profit. Once we accept what that means and why it’s important, we’ll never look at infrastructure spending the same way again.

Finance, Top Story, HerrigesDaniel HerrigesJune 25, 2020Strong Towns Academy, municipal finance

A City Budget Is Too Important to Be Left to the Professionals

Two residents of Santa Monica have ideas on how their city can adjust to new budget realities with focus and creativity. We think it’s an example for Strong Citizens everywhere.