How do local governments create green jobs? Here’s one idea.

<p>Tyler Mulligan is a School of Government faculty member.</p> <p>Have leaders in your community been using words like “green economy” and “green jobs?” What role can a local government play in enhancing the local green economy and creating some green jobs? This post explores one possible role: local governments could enact a comprehensive local program around energy efficiency and renewable energy. I’ll propose the outlines of such a program at the end of this post.</p> <p>What got me thinking was an informative blog post written by my faculty colleague Kara Millonzi. Kara writes about new ways for a North Carolina local government to directly finance energy efficiency initiatives and renewable energy projects—even when those projects are affixed to private property.  These energy projects could range from installing solar electric panels, to upgrading lighting, to adding or improving insulation, to installing more efficient heating and cooling systems, to installing reflective roofs.</p> <p>The new financing mechanisms don’t necessarily involve exhausting a local government’s general fund. One mechanism is a revolving loan fund, which requires an initial infusion of funds but should be self-sustaining over time. The other relies on the newly-enacted special assessment authority, which permits local governments to pay for energy projects by imposing assessments on improved property. When local governments use these mechanisms for the benefit of private property (as opposed to public property), Kara reminds us that we need to ensure that the expenditures serve a public purpose to avoid a constitutional problem.</p> <p>The public purpose concern probably doesn’t apply, however, when this activity is undertaken as a community [...]</p>