Mansion Blight: How the Most Expensive Homes Drain Community Wealth

Mansions on large lots, not rundown properties in low-socioeconomic-status neighborhoods, are the real blight on a community’s financial health.

Top StoryJoe MinicozziSeptember 6, 2022property tax, public finance, finance, North Carolina, blight, Just Accounting for Health, urban3, taxes, transparent local accounting, home buyer, local economy 18 Comments

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.

Top StorySeairra JonesAugust 16, 2022property tax, Just Accounting for Health, interview, finance, public finance, municipal finance, Assessments, urban3, transparent local accounting, illinois, local economy 5 Comments

Can New Jersey Supermarkets Predict an End to the Suburban Experiment?

The trajectory of these Jersey supermarkets is a microcosm of how the suburban experiment altered small towns, turning them from tiny cities into suburban lifestyle accouterments.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroAugust 9, 2022main street, big box stores, small towns, suburban experiment, suburbanization, local economy, new jersey Be the First to Comment

“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.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 8, 2022podcast, finance, public finance, municipal finance, Just Accounting for Health, North Carolina, urban3, taxes, transparent local accounting, local economy Be the First to Comment

"Should I Protest My Property Taxes?"

The process for appealing your property taxes can be obscure, even when the appeal is merited (and more often than not, it is). This simple guide will help prepare you for when your property is next assessed.

Top StorySeairra JonesJuly 26, 2022property tax, Just Accounting for Health, local government, homeowners, North Carolina, urban3, texas, transparent local accounting, home buyer, michigan, local economy Be the First to Comment

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.

Top StoryOri Baber and Lanier HagertyJuly 18, 2022property tax, Assessments, North Carolina, Just Accounting for Health, finance, public finance, municipal finance, race, urban3, taxes, transparent local accounting, local economy Be the First to Comment

Why You Should Care About Property Taxes as a Renter

If you don’t own a home, and don’t have plans to own one anytime soon, you might think property taxes don’t concern you. But, what if we told you that they definitely do?

Top StorySeairra JonesJune 28, 2022Just Accounting for Health, property tax, homeowners, rent, renters, finance, taxes, transparent local accounting, home buyer, local economy 4 Comments

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.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodJune 27, 2022transit, canada, transportation, transportation spending, public transportation, finance, financial solvency, municipal finance, infrastructure, member story, end highway expansion, local economy, growth ponzi scheme Be the First to Comment

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.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 20, 2022finance, public finance, municipal finance, economic growth, economics, Economy, streets, local economy 17 Comments

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.

Top StoryLinda TwillmanJune 8, 2022finance, financial solvency, municipal finance, public finance, local government, transparent local accounting, local economy, member week 5 Comments

Philadelphia Is Launching the First Public Bank Owned by a City

Is this an amazing idea that could have transformative benefits for people…or a horrible idea ripe for corruption and mismanagement?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 18, 2022podcast, banks, finance, upzoned, pennsylvania, local economy Be the First to Comment

Strong Towns Need Strong Downtowns

A crucial part of making your city or town stronger lies in revitalizing your downtown. Here’s how one Local Conversation organizer is doing that work in her place.

Top StoryJohn PattisonMay 18, 2022advocacy, main street, small towns, community, local economy, downtown, louisiana Be the First to Comment

Hey, Starbucks: Your Drive-Thru Doesn't Belong in My Community

Or in anyone else’s, for that matter! A strong neighborhood has businesses that keep money in the local economy, instead of siphoning money out.

Top StoryRachel QuednauMay 9, 2022coffee shops, local business, local economy, business, small business, cars, car culture, localism, Third Places, wisconsin, neighborhoods 11 Comments

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.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 9, 2022maintenance, finance, municipal finance, Assessments, local government, infrastructure maintenance, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, Law, minnesota, local economy 34 Comments

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.

Top StorySeairra JonesMay 3, 2022property tax, Just Accounting for Health, North Carolina, homeowners, municipal finance, local government, finance, urban3, taxes, home buyer, local economy 3 Comments

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, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 14, 2022finance, public finance, municipal finance, nonprofit sector, local government, Municipalism, podcast, local economy 1 Comment

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.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodNovember 8, 2021finance, public finance, investing, public investment, municipal finance, budget, canada, local economy 1 Comment

Sharing the Pie: How Farmers Are Using Cooperatives to Stay Profitable and Grow Local Economies

This excerpt from Beth Hoffman’s Bet the Farm tells how both local economies and farms can benefit from co-ops.

Top StoryBeth HoffmanOctober 15, 2021Farming, local food, books, rural, local economy, resilience, agriculture 1 Comment

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!