ZacCast

In this episode, Chad and Patrick discuss innovations in local government presented at the AFI conference last week, and check in on the Texas Legislature as the session is kicking into high gear. Timestamps00:00 Legislative Updates and AFI Innovations11:05 The Voucher Debate in Texas Politics21:02 Local Government Legislation and Its Implications32:19 Impact of Corporations on Local Economies34:04 Legislative Challenges and Political Interests36:11 Property Tax Legislation and Its Implications40:10 AI in Economic Development: Innovations and Applications54:38 Building Secure AI Models for Confidential Data

In this episode, Chad and Patrick discuss the current state of the economy, focusing on market uncertainty and the challenges faced by city managers in forecasting sales tax revenues. They explore the importance of data-driven decision-making and the use of leading indicators to understand consumer behavior. The conversation reflects on past economic crises and emphasizes the need for caution in navigating current economic challenges, advocating for a measured approach to decision-making during uncertain times.00:00 - Market Uncertainty and Economic Indicators07:28 - Forecasting Sales Tax in Uncertain Times16:38 - Probabilistic Approaches to Budgeting23:39 - Leveraging Data Science for Economic Predictions25:02 - Analyzing Consumer Sentiment and Sales Tax Predictions30:15 - Historical Context: Lessons from Past Economic Downturns33:35 - Navigating Current Economic Uncertainty38:18 - Making Informed Decisions in Times of Crisis41:37 - Finding Balance: Optimism vs. Pessimism in City Management

In this episode, Chad and Patrick highlight 5 bills pending in the Texas House. What are they, and what might they mean for local governments across the state? Join us to find out!Timestamps00:00 Greetings07:13 On to the legislative session14:23 HB 25016:33 HB 41630:18 HB 21737:18 HB 143352:21 HB 92456:21 School funding and wrap-up

In this first episode of 2025, Pat and Chad hit a wide range of topics and do our best to avoid derailing the conversation with too much college football.Timestamps04:25 - TPPF Property Tax Proposals29:51 - TPPF on "Home Sharing"40:16 - Congestion pricing in New York City54:12 - Texas AG sues Allstate67:48 - Comptroller's Biennial Revenue Estimate for 2025-26LinksAsterisk (Merriam-Webster)15 Ways to Improve the M&O Property Tax (TPPF)Defending Home-Sharing is About Protecting Basic Freedoms (TPPF)Paxton files suit against Allstate, alleges company secretly collected driver's data to raise rates (Houston Chronicle)Biennial Revenue Estimate for 2025-26 (Texas Comptroller)

In this (probably) final episode of 2024, Pat has a couple of water related articles to discuss. Join us as we talk about how groundwater use is affecting the earth's axis; how bottled water may be way less healthy than tap water; and of course, as we recap the return of Texas vs A&M after 13 long years.00:00 - Welcome back... 01:37 - Patrick makes excuses for A&M's performance against Texas05:26 - National Signing Day updates11:06 - Are we changing the earth's rotation via groundwater usage?26:14 - Is bottled water even healthy for us?35:17 - Unpinning an earlier item36:46 - Remembering a friend of ZacTax38:00 - Wrap upLinksEarth tilted 31.5 inches, a study finds. So whose fault is that? Humans, of course. - USA TodayDrinking bottled water is much worse for you than water from a tap - Science Focus MagazineFact-checking Patrick"Hats off to Texas ... they physically annihilated us" - Texas A&M Coach Mike ElkoGunnar Helm disputes the idea that Kyle Field is super loud - TwitterWill Anderson says Texas "Hardest Game I've Ever Played In" - Sports Illustrated

This week's episode centers on a Texas Monthly piece titled "Why does Texas have so little public land?" Pat and Chad talk about the article and discuss whether cities can improve their development patterns and fiscal health by emphasizing the acquisition of more public space.Topics00:52 - Why does Texas have so little public land?04:28 - Patrick proposes using public land acquisition to combat fiscally unproductive sprawl07:54 - Distinguishing local parks and green space from urban growth boundaries08:20 - Why do cities cede the public realm of our neighborhoods to the developer?11:07 - Why is public space in single family neighborhoods often so non-functional?13:25 - Life, then spaces, then buildings14:34 - We've moved public amenities to the private realm17:01 - To each his own, sans subsidy17:32 - Should federal land be used for housing?18:47 - Time to debate urban growth boundaries25:08 - What causes us to ignore the pain points in our feedback loops?29:16 - Putting odds on the State of Texas taking a role in growth boundaries35:52 - Obligatory CFB talkLinksWhy does Texas have so little public land (Texas Monthly / AppleNews)Carlton's LandingJan Gehl - First life, then spaces, then buildings

On this epic episode, we welcome Chuck Marohn, founder and president of Strong Towns. Chuck's bestselling new book, Escaping the Housing Trap, kicks off the conversation, which winds its way through a variety of important issues facing cities today. Topics02:33 - What is the housing trap?04:05 - Pre-Depression era housing finance08:00 - Government response to Depression vs the 2008 Housing Crisis13:15 - Supply and Demand vs Finance as causes of the housing crisis16:04 - Did we get here via High Modernism or hot fixes?  23:16 - When did we cross the Housing Trap Rubicon?26:36 - What role does the finance market play in the housing shortage?33:15 - Why doesn't the housing market doesn't respond to consumer needs like other markets?35:37 - What's wrong with demand side approaches to affordability? 38:55 - The Strong Towns approach to addressing the housing trap45:21 - How do we sell the Strong Towns approach to our community? 1:01:56 - Budgetary forests and trees1:04:19 - Chuck's has beef with sales tax1:18:17 - Why sales tax creates a higher burden for understanding your city's finance1:24:38 - What role should state government's play to help city's improve their fiscal health?Links and NotesEscaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing CrisisStrong TownsStrong Towns EventsEscaping the Housing Trap TourSeeing Like a State by James Scott (Amazon)The case study on hotel supply Chuck mentioned (Twitter)Parkinson's Law of Triviality (Wikipedia)

On this somewhat feisty episode of ZacCast, Patrick and Chad discuss the built-in assumptions behind our development patterns, compare development in DFW and Houston, talk traffic planning, and talk about the problems with the electricity rate-making process in Texas. Stay tuned for a semi-lighting round at the end.03:58 - Do we have some built-in assumptions about how cities grow?21:39 - DFW vs Houston: development showdown26:55 - Pre-approved development plans, yea or nay?28:59 - RE: thoroughfare planning34:40 - Electric rate-making woes58:53 - Lightning round begins!58:59 - Calling your shot on interest rate cuts60:01 - Will the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns go undefeated?LinksOne of Collin County's largest undeveloped tracts sold for massive mixed-use project (Dallas Morning-News)Plano firm buys land for 2,200 homes in fast-growing northern D-FW (Dallas Morning-News)Definition of Tizzy (Google)

In this episode, Patrick and Chad drop some hot takes on the appraisal changes recently approved by the Tarrant Appraisal District. We talk about addressing the symptoms of the property tax system in Texas versus addressing the illness. We discuss the upcoming September sales tax allocation. And college football is back, so we spend some time talking about week 1 to wrap up the episode.01:15 - Tarrant Appraisal District goes its own way26:28 - Are split tax rates a way to address the illness of the Texas property tax system?32:50 - Is building enough housing a way to address the illness? 38:04 - Sales tax update41:45 - What to expect if you see Patrick at a restaurant bar52:30 - Come see us at a conference near you!53:44 - College football is back!

Summer break is over and ZacCast is back at full strength. Today's episode is all about the economy. From macro to micro, how can cities prepare for what's next?01:04 - Dr Evil and Mini-me07:00 - What's the deal with the economy?08:02 - The Sahm Rule: triggered11:02 - August inflation numbers14:40 - Real estate and interest rates17:14 - Have cities already been in recession mode?20:28 - Retail's struggles27:58 - Electricity and insurance increases putting pressure on household budgets34:45 - Where do we go from here?42:20 - Has The Great Recession prepared current city managers for future downturns?44:21 - Texas vs A&M: rekindled

Join us as we catch up and chat about life and cities in this grab bag episode:00:10 - Patrick's waterpark excursions02:53 - Patrick reviews Kalahari01:40 - Is Schlitterbahn slipping?12:09 - Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge13:48 - Patrick reviews Schlitterbahn20:41 - Fast Pass, yea or nay?26:05 - The value of good customer service, and lessons for cities33:48 - Good customer service -> good user experience35:25 - What kind of city do we want to retire in?37:03 - Pat's Poli Sci Corner53:40 - Highway spending and decision making locus1:01:17 - Quick July sales tax updateLinksSales tax momentum continues to slow across Texas (ZacTax Blog)

In this episode, Patrick and Chad look at the Scottie Scheffler arrest and subsequent dismissal of charges from the perspective of a city manager. What went wrong and how can you do better? Then we consider the legacy of the Progressive Movement's impact on city management and discuss whether the paradigm it ushered in has us thinking about cities the wrong way.05:47 - The Scottie Scheffler mishap from a city manager's perspective27:24 - Does our MPA train us to look at cities the wrong way?Social Life of Small Urban SpacesAmerican Urbanist: How William H. Whyte's Unconventional Wisdom Reshaped Public Life (Amazon)

In this episode, Pat and Chad talk about inflation remaining stubborn and how cities can/should better report their infrastructure liabilities.00:00 - on pets01:55 - on inflation16:10 - on assets and liabilities

On this episode, we talk about:The world's most expensive bathroom, the regulations that led to it, and how can we be better in our own cities?Houston is broke, but why? McKinsey suggests automated vehicles will induce continued population expansion into outer ring neighborhoods and rural areasTimestamps00:22 - New TeamZac member01:32 - Setting hiring policy on the podcast02:55 - Generations Z and Alpha03:51 - The difference between Pat and Chad06:09 - The most expensive public restroom14:31 - Can we incorporate staff accountability for getting a project done?16:18 - The Purple Slip19:38 - Can we just empower employees?28:16 - Houston is broke39:36 - On urban highway expansion48:03 - McKinsey on the benefits of autonomous vehicles57:47 - Could AVs eliminate the need for parking?60:15  - AV cabs as public transportation: worst of both worlds?62:04 - Special announcement timeNotesA Close Examination of the Most Infamous Public Toilet in America (NY Times)Houston mayor says the city is broke (Fox 26 Houston)Here's the real reason Houston is going broke (Strong Towns)Autonomous Driving's Future: Convenient and Connected (McKinsey)Smart Bumps

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 think piece on fire departments.00:20 - Debrief from the Utah City Managers Association Conference and differences in management culture among states19:26 - The Urban CRE Doom Loop: What is it and how to avoid it34:04 - How should we compare and evaluate downtowns?35:45 - Vibe-Oriented Development43:51 - On Fire DepartmentsLinksMany Cities Fear the 'Doom Loop' (WSJ - The Journal)Why the CRE Urban Doom Loop May Still Be Coming (Odd Lots)On Fire Departments (Thesis Driven)

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 taxpayers25:19 - Changes to Appraisal District board composition46:18 - Zoning reform is coming to TexasLinksY'allitics Episode 267Dunning-Kruger EffectTexas Tribune article on prospective zoning reforms (Texas Tribune)

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: yea or nay?30:00 - Baseball's back35:33 - College vs Pro Sports in the DFW region37:19 - Mowing szn38:20 - Signing off

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 principles we can lean on to identify when a problem should be addressed at a regional or state level instead? A difficult devil's advocate conversation ensues, and we'd love to keep the conversation going with you!

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 The Journal)(29:30) We wrap up with an unplanned chat about the need for a city working group to define software interoperability standards so that cities can wrest power back from ERP and other software vendors.

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 walkability?42:30 - College football and third placesLinks Nicolas Cage Filmography (IMDB) Why retail stocks are suffering (The Street) Where did Trick-or-Treating come from? (Stuff You Should Know) Peaches Song (Mario Movie) Mike Leach on Halloween Candy (YouTube)

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 (Alain Bertaud) Order Without Design (Alain Bertaud)

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 (Texas Comptroller)

Not a Stranger, Not a Friend (Strong Towns) Internet of S*** (Twitter account) ChatGPT

First Errands (99% Invisible) This Way and That Way

3:00 - Local control and California's housing programs The Rise of the Single-Family Home (The Daily by the New York Times)27:25 - Strong Towns podcast on customer service What Customer Service Should Mean for a City (Strong Towns Podcast)46:20 - Quick return to California 4630 - reels clip57:40 - Cities preparing for recession US Cities are Preparing for Recession (Bloomberg) US Cities Prepare for Recession (Fortune, paywall) All the (Unemployed) Young Dudes (The Fifth Column podcast)

Creed's Thanksgiving Day performance, November 2001 The Four Chords of Pop Music Why does the Four Chord Pop Song sound so good? (clean) Axis of Awesome - 4 Chord Song (explicit) NYT Daily - The Rise of the Single Family Home Strong Towns Podcast - What Customer Service Should Mean for a City

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

RIP Queen Elizabeth II Tennis serves vs Baseball pitcheswww.humanbenchmark.com Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley's recent interview "How Dense is Too Dense" in Fort Worth's Crockett Row? Fifth Circuit strikes down restrictive short-term rental rules

The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score (NYTimes article) The Rise of Workplace Surveillance (The Daily podcast by NYT about the article we discuss)

Analysis: Property tax relief that doesn't lower your tax bill

American Consumers Are Starting to Hit Their Breaking Point Bachelor Tax Why Doesn't California Solve Its Housing Crisis By Building Some New Cities? Grapevine council grills manager over ex-staff's spending abuses: ‘We have to know more' Plano City Council Rap

Why the 2020 census has 9 fake people in a single house (Full Stack Economics) Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 DNS Resolver What is a VPN? (Forbes) How Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did (Forbes)

GASB 96

Comptroller's October sales tax announcement Austin's Prop A Ryan Peterson's port-related Tweetstorm Zach Klein's guerrilla speed bump installation Tweetstorm

UMANT Strong Towns event (Sep 24, 2021) TML Conference Houston (Oct 6-8, 2021)

In this episode, we assess the state of post-Covid sales tax recovery in Texas, talk about proposals to replace property taxes with a valuea added tax, and wrap up with a discussion about designing public spaces to delight.

Chuck Marohn Tweet thread National Infrastructure Bank Coalition GFOA - Cash is King "We have no idea who the good guy is" - Y'allitics Podcast

Beer? Money? States and cities offer incentives to get vaccinated (NYT) HB 4072 in-depth (ZacCast) HB 4072 Committee Version State sales tax revenue update for April 2021

HB 4072 (and the totally worthless/misleading fiscal note) Is it worth the time? - XKCD The Bonnen Tapes episode - ZacCast

On this supersized episode, more on the Dark Store appraisal theory, why we don't like property taxes, and is your organizational culture preventing you from hiring the best and brightest (using the University of Texas Athletic program as a proxy).

Texas cities have been fighting the state legislature over property tax revenue caps for years, but what if they've just been a symptom of the underlying problem? In this episode, we dig further into the problem with the commercial appraisal mechanisms, how they've shifted the tax burden to residential homeowners, and how the legislative response to that phenomenon continues to make the situation worse.

In this grab bag episode: parking violation snitching, poo in the river, endangered affordable housing, Texas' convoluted property tax system, the City of Denton sues Ercot, Walmart/Target, and how to properly bag groceries.

On Tuesday, March 2, Texas Governor Abbott has declared an end to state mask mandates and a near-complete reopening of Texas business. We discuss whether this makes sense at this time, and the impact it might have on local governments.

After a brief podcasting break, Patrick and Chad return for a semi-random discussion about whatever was on our mind. Topics include property tax analytics, the upcoming legislative session, lawsuits about the Oxford comma, daily news podcasts, Ted Lasso, and Pokemon cards.

After a brief hiatus, we're back with a somewhat meandering sales tax gameday. Join us as we dig into February sales tax allocations across the state of Texas and a whole lot more.