Property Tax
With 90 percent of its usual commuters still working from home and a full return to the office highly unlikely, what will become of New York City's towering office buildings?
The New York Times
The example of Philadelphia shows how a land value tax could provide relief to residents and the city's finances.
WHYY
A $7 billion transit investment plan for Austin would include $300 million toward preventing displacement of communities in neighborhoods located near planned transit investments.
KUT
Dallas will need voter approval to overcome tax increase obstacles put in place by the Texas State Legislature.
The Dallas Morning News
A property tax shake up is coming to the state of Delaware. Some will pay more, and some will pay less as the ruling forces assessments to come in line with reality.
Delaware News Journal
SB 50 was often viewed as an attack on wealthy, single-family homeowners, but housing justice advocates also had issues with the legislation.
Curbed
More online shopping means fewer consumers are spending money at brick-and-mortar stores, with suburban malls hit especially hard. But municipalities are looking for creative strategies to navigate a post-mall world.
Land Lines
A new law, signed by Governor Kim Reynolds this week, will require extra steps of local officials before they can raise property taxes in the state of Iowa.
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who took office on Jan. 7, wants to hike the state's 28.6-cents gas tax, 15% lower than the national average, so cities like Duluth won't have to ask voters to pass sales tax increases to fund local road repairs.
KBJR
Pittsburgh is considering a gentrification and displacement prevention measure for longtime residents of rapidly changing neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The New York Times takes a deep dive into the "dark store theory" costing local municipalities millions, and potentially more, in property tax revenues all over the country.
The New York Times
Susana Mendoza, a Chicago mayoral candidate, reconsidered her plan for a graduated property tax after receiving pushback.
Crain's Chicago Business
A new bill proposed in the California legislature would cut back on the number of Prop. 13 property tax breaks handed down to heirs—who then live somewhere else.
Los Angeles Times
"Dark store theory" argues that nearby depreciated properties should figure into property valuations. The resulting property tax cuts mean local municipalities end up taking a huge hit.
CityLab
An inheritance tax benefit, along with Proposition 13, has resulted in lower tax rates passing down through generations and billions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Los Angeles Times
St. Louis politicians are embroiled in controversy over the city's use of tax abatements, which come at the expense of funding for the city's school district. A map is seen as part of the solution.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The proposed property tax would double the county's stormwater capture capacity.
LAist
A ballot measure to enable older homeowners in California, particularly empty nesters, to downsize without losing their tax benefits granted to them by the 1978 Proposition 13, has qualified for the November ballot.
Los Angeles Times
Voters looking for a reason to vote against Prop 72, which provides a tax break for homeowners who install rainwater capture systems, won't find one. None were submitted. Proponents of measures for parks, climate, and transportation are not so lucky.
KQED Science
Affordable housing developers are increasingly asked to build middle-income units, but can't afford to do so.
Mercury News