In this episode, Chad and Pat debrief from the Utah City Managers Association conference and talk about differences in management cultures among these United States. We talk about the growing concern of a doom loop cycle in urban commercial real estate, what is a doom loop, why do they happen, and how can cities mitigate their impacts or avoid them altogether. We follow up with a conversation about how to compare and evaluate the quality of your downtowns. Finally, we chat about a recent...

In this episode, we talk about: The sales tax implications of Amazon lockers and whether remote taxpayers should be subjected to detailed audits to verify that their tax payments are accurate;Recent changes to Appraisal Board composition and various other property tax topics a recent Y'allitics episode stirred up; andZoning reform measures likely headed to Texas in the next legislative session.00:30 - April Fool's Day Recap04:30 - No Soap Radio08:45 - Amazon Lockers and auditing remote sales...

Fresh off of Spring Break and without a lot of hard hitting topics to discuss, Pat and Chad bounce between friendly and city topics. 00:12 - Intro00:42 - Spring Break activities03:09 - Paw Patrol Live (and other such shows)05:25 - Kids YouTube08:00 - Bozo The Clown, Homie the Clown, and Dougie the Whale10:45 - Paw Patrol revisited13:20 - Disney plot holes14:56 - What are we watching?16:34 - Rents are falling in Austin19:08 - Population surge in the Texas Triangle21:52 - Moneyball for cities:...

In this episode, Pat and Chad talk about a couple of big reversals. First, March sales tax allocations in Texas appear to have unwound all of the audit adjustments from last month. Pat and Chad talk about the impacts and how we can put Humpty Dumpty back together moving forward.  Then, in the wake of Tuesday's primary elections, we discuss what "local control" means and if our conventional view of the concept might need its own reversal. When should cities have autonomy? Are there first...

A major sales tax audit adjustment hit cities across the state of Texas in February. Chad and Patrick talk about the adjustment and some issues it highlighted. We follow up with a discussion on the recent performance of downtowns versus power centers, and the under-appreciated role that downtowns play in differentiating your city.

In this episode: (01:20) Sales tax momentum has been slowing for some time now. We dig in to the numbers and issue a red flag warning as cities head into mid-year budget amendments and next year's budget cycle. Sales tax momentum continues to slow in Texas (ZacTax blog)(10:10) An episode of WSJ's The Journal podcast piqued Patrick's interest, so we discuss the UK post office scandal and lessons to be learned for city managers. The Computer Glitch That Caused Nearly 1,000 Convictions (WSJ's...

Pat and Chad are back for the first episode of 2024. After some throat-clearing chit chat, we discuss: What do you do when a local news report or social media post gains traction, but you know the meat of the story isn't true? And how can cities be proactive in their communities to avoid such things in the first place?What's going on in the Texas legislature on school funding, and what's the impact on cities?Although the title might suggest it, there is no explicit content in this episode!

In this episode, Patrick and Chad talk about softening retail sales figures and changes to the retail real estate landscape. We finish with a March Madness style Christmas movie showdown. The American Store is Shrinking (WSJ)

On today's episode, Pat and Chad talk about the holidays, from retail sales forecasts to planning holiday events to the appropriate time to start decorating. And because we can never seem to get through a fall episode without it, stick around for a spirited college football discussion. Timestamps00:32 - Holiday retail sales forecasts13:12 - The joys of public events at the holidays23:23 - Are we cool with decorating before Thanksgiving?33:48 - Gratuitous college football razzing

Newest TeamZac member Maria Skrut joins the show as we talk about a recent NY Times article on the future of drive-throughs. Where does the drive-through rank on the hierarchy of good urban design? Is the rise of the drive-through a result of growing anti-social behavior, as the article suggests? And what is the drive-through's impact on walkability, community development, and social capital? Hungry (but Not for Human Contact), Americans Head for the Drive-Through (NYT) Taylor Swift Meme

Household savings skyrocketed during the pandemic. Now that they're falling back to Earth, will retail sales come down with them? What other headwinds might stand in the way of the significant growth we've seen since 2020? Also, is Trunk-or-Treat a harmless Halloween innovation or a sign that we have given up on creating safe, walkable neighborhoods? Timelines00:00 - Throat clearing05:15 - What's up in retail?14:18 - Headwinds for 2024-2025?23:45 - Is Trunk-or-Treat a symptom of bad...

Come for the best natural segue Patrick has ever managed... stick around for a discussion about the Texas Legislature's current struggles with property tax reform and how it may impact cities.

A bill in the Texas Legislature could have a chilling effect on the home-rule status of Texas cities; SB2's property tax reforms could have significant implications for certain economic development mechanisms; and our thoughts on the 15-minute city and the brewing controversy around the topic. Links How the Texas GOP became the party of big government (Texas Monthly) HB 2127 The 15-Minute City: Where urban planning meets conspiracy theories (NY Times) The Last Utopia: The 15-Minute City...

Patrick and Chad discuss a proposed Costco/apartment complex in South LA, how multi-family can be better integrated into suburban areas, and give an update on the 2023 Texas Legislative Session. Costco wants to build a different kind of store in South L.A. (LA Times) HB 1465 - Grandfathering old sales tax sourcing rules HB 1513 -  SB 546 - Homestead exemption changes SB 547 - Homestead exemption changes, "Prop 13 bill" Local sales and use tax on residential use of gas and electricity...

Pat and Chad talk about the missing second-ring relationship, whether computers are taking over too much, and which city functions deserve to get a lump of coal in their stocking

Pat and Chad are joined by Milford John-Williams for a wide ranging discussion about bicycle infrastructure (or in some cases, the lack thereof) and the many, many elements of city design that it touches. Stick around for a quick sales tax update at the end.

Chad and Patrick talk about California's recent spree of housing legislation and how (or if) it fits into the topic of local control; a recent Strong Towns podcast about customer service, and; how cities are preparing for a potential recession.

Join us for a virtual TeamZac staff meeting as Chad and Patrick debate options for allocating sales tax revenue in our recently released neighborhood profitability calculator, plus some random musings and (because it's the fall) some college football. Stick around until the end for a special message from Patrick.

Pat and Chad talk about what it means for cities to be profitable, and why it matters.

It's Patrick's episode today. He has 100% control over the content and deserves 100% of the blame for any concerns you may have.

Pat and Chad return from summer holiday with an action packed discussion of meddling: from sales tax rule changes to property tax rule changes to employee tracking.

Kyle Lester, finance director for Colleyville, Texas, joins us again. Two years ago, he was on the pod to talk about building a budget under the looming cloud of Covid-19, something that we all knew next to nothing about back then. Now, Covid is taking a back seat to inflation, rapidly rising property values, and other things that keep budget managers up at night.

It's another free-wheeling roundtable discussion, covering the economy, pro-family policymaking, housing, building new cities, internal audits, and much more.

Pat and Chad talk about local impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the anonymity changes to the 2020 Census