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.

Something Is Clearly Wrong With the Property Tax Appraisal System

Across the country, the property tax system is causing economic hardship for homeowners—and it’s because the system itself is flawed.

Housing, Sheppard, Top Story, Transparent AccountingSeairra SheppardApril 19, 2022Just Accounting for Health, Urban3, tax base, property tax, North Carolina, Vermont, homeowners, Homeownership, homeownership, homelessness, Homelessness

Inspiring Citizen-Powered Change in Pensacola

Residents of Pensacola, FL, are working to make their city a better place to place to live, work, and thrive in as they implement incremental changes.

Video, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 12, 2022Florida, Pensacola, incrementalism, Development, development

The Grim Reaper of Small Towns

Our excessive expansion of the interstate highway system has destroyed urban downtowns—and it’s wiped out many small towns altogether.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Sheppard, Transportation, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 5, 2022highways, freeway widening, freeways, urban freeways, history, History, Small Towns, small towns, Infrastructure, infrastructure, transportation

Street Trees: The Roots of a Strong Town

Street trees provide a lot of pragmatic benefits to a community—and they also serve a social purpose.

Community, Sheppard, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 29, 2022trees, street trees, community, Neighborhoods

Can We Please Stop Fighting About Gardens

In this town where so many people have front-lawn gardens, why is anyone still arguing that they shouldn’t be allowed?

Local Food, Sheppard, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 15, 2022gardening, Gardening, food deserts, local food, community, Community, city council, Illinois, Small Towns, small towns

Taking a Magnifying Glass to Property Tax Inequities

What is the real reason behind our striking property tax disparities?

Sheppard, Finance, Top Story, Transparent AccountingSeairra SheppardMarch 8, 2022Just Accounting for Health, Urban3, property tax, Homeownership, homeownership, Assessments, finance, public finance

"We Require WAY Too Much Parking"

This Strong Towns member saw a huge problem with the parking minimums in his city—and decided to do something about it.

Sowing Our Roads with Salt Is No Way to Grow Stronger Towns

Because we depend so heavily on cars, what happens when roads become too icy to drive on? The answer: road salt. But there are serious consequences to relying on salt for road-clearing.

Property Tax Inequities Stir Movement for Change in Asheville

Strong Towns is partnering with Just Accounting for Health and Urban3 in a project to uncover the presence, and effects, of biases in tax assessment standards.