1991
Launched by Richard Ducker and David Owens, Planning and Zoning Law Bulletin is a series of bulletins issued periodically to summarize recent legislation, litigation, and other topics of interest to planners and zoning officials in North Carolina.

Faculty members Frayda Bluestein and Jeff Koeze collaborate with attorneys from the Legislative Services Office and the Attorney-General’s Office to provide affordable, relevant, and convenient continuing legal education for state government attorneys. Held in Raleigh annually, the Public Law for Public Lawyers Conference enables public attorneys to fulfill their entire annual CLE requirement in a two-day program.

1992
John Sanders steps down as director of the Institute of Government after having served 24 years. Longtime faculty member Michael R. Smith becomes director.

Jim Drennan and Tom Thornburg help staff the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission in 1992-1993 and draft legislation. The Structured Sentencing Act substantially changes criminal sentencing from “fair sentencing” to structured sentences based on seriousness of offense and prior record; it also eliminates parole.

1994
Public Personnel Law Bulletin is launched by faculty member Cary Grant and continues today as the Public Employment Law Bulletin. Each issue discusses current topics of interest to state and local government personnel officers, city and county managers, and attorneys. The bulletin also summarizes legislative actions and analyzes court cases.

1995
The North Carolina Benchmarking Project is initiated in September 1995 by faculty member Jack Vogt. The goal is to provide a comparative basis for local governments to assess service delivery and costs. The Benchmarking Project is a joint undertaking of the School of Government and the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association, with support from the NC League of Municipalities and the Local Government Commission.

The Institute’s NCINFO Web site goes live in January 1995. Created in collaboration with the NC League of Municipalities and the NC Association of County Commissioners, the site provides information and links to resources for state and local governments and citizens. It also provides access to the Institute’s online publications and a calendar of courses.

The Mental Health Law Bulletin, compiled by Mark Botts, is an annual summary of North Carolina legislation affecting mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services.

Faculty Tom Thornburg and Jim Drennan help staff the Commission for the Future of Justice and the Courts in North Carolina, which issues a report calling for changes in judicial branch governance, 1995-1997.

In 1995-1997 Jake Wicker serves as a consultant to the Regional Wastewater Task Force in designing an authority for Onslow, Carteret, Craven, and Pamlico counties for financing and managing wastewater regionally.

1996
The Public Dispute Resolution Program is launched with the arrival of faculty member John Stephens.

Eighty public officials and Institute faculty attend a three-day Future Search Conference in Chapel Hill in September 1996. The participants reevaluate the ways in which the Institute serves North Carolina government and explore directions for the 21st century.

The Institute of Government Foundation is created to strengthen private and public support for the Institute, the Master of Public Administration Program, faculty and staff projects and programs, and professorships, scholarships, and general operating needs.

1997
The UNC MPA Program becomes an integral part of the Institute in July 1997. Faculty and program staff relocate their offices from the UNC-Chapel Hill Political Science Department to the Knapp Building and set up an IT lab for instructional and student use.

Faculty member Janet Mason serves as staff to the Juvenile Code Advisory Committee of the Governor’s Crime Commission on Juvenile Crime and Justice on a major review and rewrite of the state’s juvenile laws.

In late 1997 the Institute begins a collaboration with Handmade in America, an Asheville-based nonprofit organization, and six small western North Carolina towns to help the towns’ citizens plan and prepare for community leadership. The Small Towns Leadership Development Initiative grows out of an ongoing Handmade project in which consultants help town volunteers establish partnerships with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to revitalize their communities. Faculty member Anne Davidson and consultant Leslie Anderson work with the participating towns of Andrews, Bakersville, Chimney Rock, Mars Hill, and West Jefferson on team, project, and resource management.

1998
More than 75 friends and supporters help the Institute of Government kick off the renovation and expansion of the Joseph Palmer Knapp Building with a groundbreaking ceremony on June 15, 1998.

The first volume of the North Carolina Defender Manual is published in 1998, compiled by John Rubin and others.

The NC Civic Education Consortium is founded by a diverse group of stakeholders concerned about the lack of emphasis on civics in the state’s public schools. With grant support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Consortium is created to strengthen youth civic engagement through partnerships with schools, public officials, and community organizations.

Mike Smith, director of the Institute, co-chairs a committee that creates the University’s new Carolina Center for Public Service.

Faculty members Rich Ducker, Dave Owens, Bob Joyce, Steve Allred, Jill Moore, John Stephens, and Frayda Bluestein use teleconferencing to teach in distant parts of North Carolina. Course attendees gather at one of five or six sites around the state to participate in the programs, saving travel time and expense.

1999
The Project to Strengthen Nonprofit-Government Relationships begins in 1999, under the leadership of Gordon Whitaker and with support from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Later known as the Public Intersection Project, Whitaker and associate directors Margaret Henderson and Lydian Altman-Sauer use community assistance, training, publications, and a Web site (http://www.sog.unc.edu/programs/nplgrelate/publicintersection.htm) to help North Carolina local governments work together more effectively.

Editor John Rubin oversees a redesign of Popular Government to keep pace with the interests and needs of public officials.