Development Finance Toolbox
- OnlineDecember 2 - 4, 2025
A survey of local government financing tools for community and economic development:
How do local governments use public-private partnerships for development? What finance tools are available to local governments to revitalize Main Street? North Carolina communities can select from a wide array of financing tools in their efforts to attract and grow businesses, improve real estate, and build community assets. In order to select the right approach for your development project, it helps to understand the options.
Participants in this course will learn the basics of development finance tools used by North Carolina local governments to achieve their community and economic development goals.
Program Topics:
- Federal tax credit financing
- Public-private partnerships for redevelopment
- Local government capital financing
- Tax increment financing (TIF) and synthetic TIF
- Business improvement districts
- Attracting private investment to Main Street
- Grant identification and management
- Fundamentals of developer real estate financing
Attendees: Elected officials; city and county managers, assistant managers, and clerks; and community and economic development professionals seeking a greater understanding of the development finance options available to North Carolina local governments.
Additional information
This class is a LELA 301 level of training as part of the LELA curriculum and is open to all local elected officials, including all county, municipal, school board and tribal council officials. Those who are earning credits towards the various levels of LELA recognition will receive 6 credits for attending the class. The NCACC provides registration discounts for county commissioners who attend the class.
AICP Credit: This course qualifies for 12.5CM (including 1CM of Legal)
- OnlineDecember 2 - 4, 2025View Cancellation PolicyCourse participants who cancel their registration on or before November 24, 2025 will receive a full refund. No refund will be made for cancellations on or after November 25, 2025, but you will receive a transferrable credit to be used within 12 months. Click here to view the School’s full cancellation and refund policy.$370.00Registration and payment for this course grants access for a single attendee. In order to register a group of attendees, please register each person individually. If you have questions, please contact our registration office at registration@sog.unc.edu or 919.966.4414.
All course materials and other logistical details are provided in Canvas, a learning management system. Please click the link below for detailed instructions on setting up your Canvas account. If you've already set up an account for this or another School of Government course, click HERE to log in to Canvas. Click HERE for Canvas Instructions.
Information to help you prepare:
- Zoom: Registrants will receive a link to join the Zoom sessions via email. You must join from a device equipped with a camera and microphone. Phone attandence is not permitted.
- Agenda: Please view the 2023 agenda HERE. 2025 agenda TBA.
- Attendance: You must attend all 3 days of class to receive a complete in the course.
- Supplemental Resources: An excellent resource is the School of Government text, Introduction to Local Government Finance. Reading the following chapters authored by Kara Millonzi, Connor Crews, Crista Cuccaro, and Tyler Mulligan will be helpful to attendees but is not required: Chapters 1, 4, 7, 11, and 15. The 5th edition of the book was released in 2023 and can be purchased here: Introduction to Local Government Finance, 5th Ed.
Susan Hutchinson
