The Keys to a Healthy City Finance Department With Shayne Kavanagh
This week, Chuck is joined by Shayne Kavanagh, senior manager of research for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The GFOA provides training and resources to city finance officers. In his role, Kavanagh develops new approaches to budgeting, financial reporting and revenue that can better address the problems local governments are trying to solve.
Chuck and Kavanagh discuss the role of finance officers as “decision architects.” Kavanagh gives a closer look at the world of local government finance and shares some tactics that finance officers can use to improve their processes.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Connect with Shayne Kavanagh:
GFOA site
LinkedIn
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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59:21
How To Finance Housing in a Smart and Local Way: A Housing Q&A
What cities have successfully financed housing at the local level? How does tax increment financing work? When should cities stop subsidizing large-scale housing projects? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn answers all these questions and more in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
There are six code reforms your city officials can implement today to welcome more housing to your community. Learn more here.
Do you want 1-on-1 coaching with Chuck on how to bring more housing to your community? Sign up for the Accelerator coaching program before spots run out!
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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54:45
It Won’t Be Us: Thoughts on Our Current Craziness From a Strong Towns Perspective
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck addresses the craziness of the current political climate. Using recent policy changes and public responses as examples, he explores how we’ve created a political climate of either-or: Either you decide to take a chainsaw to bankrupt and failing systems or you refuse to acknowledge that they’re bankrupt and failing.
Chuck shows how the Strong Towns approach provides a third path, where problems are recognized and addressed in a healthy way. He also gives a sneak peek at how Strong Towns is planning to help advocates and cities embrace this path.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
“It Was Never Going To Be Me” by Ben Hunt (Epsilon Theory article)
“Ben Hunt: Surviving the Widening Gyre Through Hope and Community” (Strong Towns Podcast)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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59:52
These 6 Code Reforms Will Bring More Housing to Your City
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about housing development and zoning code reform with Seth Zeren, a neighborhood real estate developer in Providence, Rhode Island. They dive into the six code reforms recommended in “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform,” covering why they’re important and how they help developers, residents and cities.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Get your National Gathering ticket before they sell out!
“The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform.”
Want to go deeper? The spring session of the Accelerator starts April 7. Reserve your spot today!
Chuck Marohn (Substack).
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1:06:56
America Needs a New Housing Bargain. Here’s Why.
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explores the flawed nature of North America’s current “housing bargain,” where most neighborhoods are allowed to stay exactly the same as long as some neighborhoods — usually those that are poorer and have less political clout — are forced to radically change. He proposes a new way forward that respects cities as living and evolving systems.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
This Thursday, February 27, Strong Towns will release a toolkit to help city officials welcome incremental housing development. Learn more here.
Become a member to join the toolkit launch livestream with experts Alli Thurmond Quinlan (Incremental Development Alliance) and Eric Kronberg (Kronberg Urbanists + Architects).
Chuck Marohn (Substack).
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