Suppose the North Carolina General Assembly is considering a bill that would affect cities, and suppose the town council of a particular city decides to lobby against the bill.  Can the council spend money from its tax resources for that purpose?  Can it, for example, send the city manager to Raleigh to talk to legislators and pay for his expenses?  Could it send a busload of city employees to Raleigh to fan out through the legislative halls?

Suppose the North Carolina General Assembly is considering a bill that would affect cities, and suppose the town council of a particular city decides to lobby against the bill.  Can the council spend money from its tax resources for that purpose?  Can it, for example, send the city manager to Raleigh to talk to legislators and pay for his expenses?  Could it send a busload of city employees to Raleigh to fan out through the legislative halls?

As discussed in a previous post, a North Carolina municipality may establish a special tax district that encompasses its central downtown area to raise money to fund “downtown revitalization.” See G.S. 160A-536(a)(2). The special tax district is commonly referred to as a Business Improvement District or BID.

As discussed in a previous post, a North Carolina municipality may establish a special tax district that encompasses its central downtown area to raise money to fund “downtown revitalization.” See G.S. 160A-536(a)(2). The special tax district is commonly referred to as a Business Improvement District or BID.

Carolina County has just awarded a contract for uPad tablet computers. Bill Goats, the purchasing officer for Carolina County, is having lunch with his friend in the public works department, Steve Jabs. Bill mentions the contract to Steve. “My daughter won’t stop talking about those uPads,” Steve says. “She really wants one.”  “Yeah, my son wants one, too,” says Bill. “Wait a minute,” Steve says excitedly, “could we buy uPads off of the County’s contract for our kids?

Carolina County has just awarded a contract for uPad tablet computers. Bill Goats, the purchasing officer for Carolina County, is having lunch with his friend in the public works department, Steve Jabs. Bill mentions the contract to Steve. “My daughter won’t stop talking about those uPads,” Steve says. “She really wants one.”  “Yeah, my son wants one, too,” says Bill. “Wait a minute,” Steve says excitedly, “could we buy uPads off of the County’s contract for our kids?

[Update: In 2013 the federal government issued new regulations concerning this issue. See this blog post for more details.]

[Update: In 2013 the federal government issued new regulations concerning this issue. See this blog post for more details.]

Did your local government receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants? Or Community Development Block Grants? Or do you ever use other federal grants to pay for goods and services? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes” or “I don’t know,” read on! Although no two grants seem to have the same requirements, there is a set of regulations called the Grants Management Common Rule (the “GMCR”) that applies to almost all federal grants (including ARRA grants and CDBG grants), and if you don’t comply with the GMCR, you risk losing your grant funding.

Did your local government receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants? Or Community Development Block Grants? Or do you ever use other federal grants to pay for goods and services? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes” or “I don’t know,” read on! Although no two grants seem to have the same requirements, there is a set of regulations called the Grants Management Common Rule (the “GMCR”) that applies to almost all federal grants (including ARRA grants and CDBG grants), and if you don’t comply with the GMCR, you risk losing your grant funding.