The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has resulted in many people deciding to “self-quarantine” out of an abundance of caution. Many are considering working from home, if not doing so already, while others are reviewing upcoming...more
This post continues our ongoing series on issues facing municipalities in 2020.
Should municipalities be on the hook for the plummeting value of taxi medallions in today’s era of ride sharing?
Over the years, the MuniBlog...more
This post is part of our ongoing series on issues that municipalities may face in 2020.
Will digital streaming services such as Netflix become a source of revenue for municipalities this year? Recent legal decisions may...more
2/7/2020
/ Digital Service Providers ,
Hulu ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Municipalities ,
Music Streaming ,
Netflix ,
Sales Tax ,
South Dakota v. Wayfair ,
Spotify ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Revenues ,
Video Streaming Tax
The MuniBlog will publish an ongoing series on issues that may face municipalities in 2020. This posting is part of that initiative.
What happens when a seemingly legitimate request becomes a million-dollar mistake?...more
As a resource for municipalities and school districts, the MuniBlog has explored evolving issues including changes in technology, finance, and recovering from natural disasters. These issues have confronted municipalities in...more
In a previous post, we covered a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court involving a cross on government property intended to honor those killed during World War I. In Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission...more
As MuniBlog readers may be aware, public access television airs programs ranging from school district and municipal government meetings to publicly hosted programs. Sometimes a program may offend viewers or be critical of...more
6/21/2019
/ Appeals ,
Cable Television Providers ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Independent Films ,
Manhattan Community Access Corp v Halleck ,
Nonprofits ,
Private Actors ,
Public Access Television ,
Public Forum ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
State Action Doctrine ,
State Actors ,
State Contracts ,
Suspensions ,
Time Warner ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
Grab your umbrellas...we're going on a rainy recap! (But there's some brighter news ahead.)...more
Municipalities that rely on chalking cars and sidewalks as part of their parking enforcement should change their practices after a recent ruling....more
Technological innovations are creating ways to re-use, and in some cases profit from, materials recycled and materials discarded in waterways.
...more
...Federal, state and local governments spent $440 billion on transportation and water infrastructure in 2017, according to the Congressional Budget Office. In September 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)...more
In September 2018 Hurricane Florence made landfall as a Category 1 storm along the southerly coast of North Carolina. Within North Carolina alone, the storm left up to three feet of rain in places and a reported 10-foot storm...more
...In August 2017 Hurricane Harvey, the year’s deadliest storm, hit Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. Harvey tied in rank with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone on record with $125 billion in damage, largely...more
The MuniBlog has previously posted regarding municipal camera programs; and the need for written policies and procedures for operations of these systems, including storage and retrieval. These video surveillance systems...more
Last year, we wrote a post to mark the sixth anniversary of “Superstorm Sandy,” a Category 1 storm that made landfall in October 2012. We also shared a preview of this year’s series of posts on extreme weather, and its impact...more
1/11/2019
/ Construction Industry ,
FEMA ,
Flood Insurance ,
Flooding ,
HUD ,
Hurricane Sandy ,
Municipalities ,
Natural Disasters ,
Property Owners ,
Severe Weather ,
Waterfront Properties
In 2018, is a cross on government property an endorsement of Christianity, and a violation of the First Amendment? Or is it secular in nature if part of a war memorial? This question may find an answer in the Supreme Court's...more
For some time, the MuniBlog has been following the change in federal tax law regarding a cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions. While litigation regarding the cap is ongoing, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently...more
As we previously reported, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) has been redrawing, “for the first time in three decades,” flood maps in the state of New York. With more than 500 miles of coastline and billions of...more
Earlier today July 17, 2018 New York State was among four states to sue the federal government over State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions being capped at $10,000 as part of recent federal tax law changes. Joining New York in...more
In a prior MuniBlog posting we covered a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court involving a Colorado baker and concerns about non-discrimination laws and religious objections. In Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil...more
While many MuniBlog readers may be waiting on a decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, Municipal, and County Employees, on May 21 the Supreme Court rendered a decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis should not be...more
5/30/2018
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Epic Systems Corp v Lewis ,
Ernst & Young v Morris ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Murphy Oil v NLRB ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Savings Clause ,
SCOTUS
There is evidence of a turn-around for municipalities recently struggling to stay afloat. We have posted on several occasions about the fiscal challenges facing municipalities nationwide, from Detroit and Chicago in 2015 and...more
In a February 27 MuniBlog posting we described a case pending before the United States Supreme Court on whether the provider of email services, Microsoft, must provide electronic communications stored outside the United...more
4/19/2018
/ CLOUD Act ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Email ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
International Litigation ,
Mootness ,
New Legislation ,
Search Warrant ,
Stored Communications Act ,
Subpoenas ,
US v Microsoft
Location, Location, Location. While it is often used to describe a key to selling real estate, the location of a server may be just as important. The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on February 27, 2018, on...more
2/28/2018
/ Cloud Storage ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
International Litigation ,
Ireland ,
Popular ,
Right to Privacy ,
SCOTUS ,
Search Warrant ,
Stored Communications Act ,
Subpoenas ,
US v Microsoft
An increase in bike paths and lanes could lead to an increase in claims against municipalities. Bike riding may have many benefits for the rider and for the environment. However, as recently reported in The Los Angeles...more