• Federal Red Flags Rule Enforcement Delayed Again

    Updated: 2010-05-28 18:34:24
    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Friday, May 28, 2010, that it is delaying the enforcement of the federal Red Flags Rule, once again, until December 31, 2010. This marks the fifth extension of the enforcement deadline since the enactment of the Rule on January 1, 2008. According to the FTC, the enforcement delay comes at the request [...]

  • General Assembly Takes Aim at Internet Sweepstakes

    Updated: 2010-05-27 17:13:47
    As expected, the regulation of internet sweepstakes has been a hot topic during the first few weeks of the 2010 state legislative session.  Members of the General Assembly have introduced at least four bills that could affect how local governments tax these establishments.  Despite earlier calls for the criminalization of internet sweepstakes, none of the bills would ban them. Instead the bills seek [...]

  • Voting and Taking Action in Closed Sessions

    Updated: 2010-05-26 21:29:32
    People sometimes assume that local government boards can never vote or take action in a closed session. That’s not quite true. Consider the following scenario: A city council has gone into a closed session under G.S. 143-318.11(5) and (6) to discuss the short list of candidates for the open city manager position, and to settle [...]

  • Regional Spatial Strategies axed

    Updated: 2010-05-26 06:34:46

  • Dogs and Red Flags: Updates from the Public Health World

    Updated: 2010-05-25 21:23:54
    This month in public health law, we have brief updates on two issues that have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but are timely to share: state regulations about dogs in outdoor restaurants, and that ever-threatening but not-yet-producing storm cloud known as the identity theft red flags rule. Dining with Dogs In September, Aimee Wall [...]

  • Conservatives take over West Somerset Council

    Updated: 2010-05-24 13:50:59

  • Standards Board and Government Office for London to be scrapped

    Updated: 2010-05-22 06:18:00

  • Why is the transparency threshold £500 for Councils but £25,000 for central Government?

    Updated: 2010-05-21 06:40:23

  • Statutorily Required Public Comment Periods: What Are They and How Do They Work?

    Updated: 2010-05-20 20:24:46
    I find that many local officials are unclear about the statutory requirement that they hold “public comment periods” on a regular basis.  In this post, I will answer some of the questions about comment periods—which boards must hold them and how often, what they are and what they are not, what types of comments are [...]

  • Incentives for Infill Development on Main Street

    Updated: 2010-05-18 14:00:53
    The city council enacted a façade improvement grant program several years ago to encourage owners to make much-needed repairs to historic downtown structures, but it just hasn’t generated much interest. The council is now revisiting the issue, because it fears that a failure to act will lead to further decline. Some council members are convinced [...]

  • Waiving Fees and Costs

    Updated: 2010-05-13 20:56:34
    More than a few local government taxes, fees, and costs can be collected using some or all of the remedies available for the collection of property taxes.  As I’ve blogged before, property taxes can be waived or refunded only in very limited circumstances. Do these same stringent waiver and refund rules apply to those taxes, fees and costs that can [...]

  • Getting Your Message Across: What Can Public Officials Say In Support of Pending Policies or Proposals?

    Updated: 2010-05-12 18:29:27
    After a grueling budget season, the county board of commissioners has cut, and cut, and cut. The board members have come to the conclusion that, to avoid serious diminution in services, they must increase revenue. The next step is to put the local option sales tax on the ballot and hope that they can convince [...]

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