Publications

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Report
County Salaries in North Carolina, 2023
County Salaries in North Carolina, 2023

County Salaries in North Carolina is a self-reported data repository of county salaries, sponsored by the School of Government. North Carolina counties volunteer to provide this information to benefit other public organizations and the general public. For questions about a particular county’s salary data, please contact that county’s human resources department.

This report is a...
Book
North Carolina Magistrates' Guide to Pretrial Release
North Carolina Magistrates' Guide to Pretrial Release

Guiding Principles

Upon arrest, a defendant must be taken without unnecessary delay before a judicial official, who MUST hold an initial appearance and set pretrial release (PTR) conditions except when a relevant statute prohibits release, restricts the officials who can set conditions, or requires the setting of certain conditions. G.S. 15A-511(f); 15A-533 (right to PTR determination)....
Report
Supporting Rural Workers: The Mixed-Methods Study to Create Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake
Supporting Rural Workers: The Mixed-Methods Study to Create Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake

In North Carolina, four out of five eligible tax filers receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for low-income workers. This means that roughly one million taxpayers are putting those critical funds, up to a maximum of over $6,900, back into their pockets. It also means that some eligible taxpayers are still missing out. Research on barriers to claiming the...
Report
Supporting Rural Workers: Creating Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake
Supporting Rural Workers: Creating Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake

In North Carolina, four out of five eligible tax filers receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for low-income workers. This means that roughly one million taxpayers are putting those critical funds, up to a maximum of over $6,900, back into their pockets. It also means that some eligible taxpayers are still missing out. Research on barriers to claiming the...
Report
report cover image
Supporting Rural Workers: Best Practices for Increasing Uptake of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit among Rural Populations in North Carolina
Supporting Rural Workers: Best Practices for Increasing Uptake of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit among Rural Populations in North Carolina

In North Carolina, four out of five eligible tax filers receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for low-income workers. This means that roughly one million taxpayers are putting those critical funds, up to a maximum of over $6,900, back into their pockets. It also means that some eligible taxpayers are still missing out. Research on barriers to claiming the...
Report
Expanding Affordable Housing Options in Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence
Expanding Affordable Housing Options in Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence

In September 2021, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) engaged the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) at the School of Government. DFI provided analysis to support NCORR's use of funds from the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery to...
Book
Introduction to Local Government Finance, Fifth Edition
Introduction to Local Government Finance, Fifth Edition

Finance—the acquisition, management, and expenditure of money and other financial resources—is critical to local government operations. How a local government approaches finance significantly affects how its officials and employees perform their duties and how it can serve its constituents. But North Carolina’s local governments do not operate with complete independence or at the sole...
Book
Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina
Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina

Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina provides social services board members with the information that they need to understand their roles and legal responsibilities within North Carolina’s social services system. It may also be a useful reference for county social services directors, social services attorneys, county commissioners, county...
Report
North Carolina Benchmarking Project Report 2023: Challenges and Innovations
North Carolina Benchmarking Project Report 2023: Challenges and Innovations

The North Carolina Benchmarking Project was established in 1995 so that participating municipalities could compare service data and performance trends. In 2022, the Benchmarking Project relaunched as Benchmarking 2.0 with a new emphasis on collaboration and relationship-building. Benchmarking 2.0 offers revised framework metrics, streamlined data collection, an interactive online dashboard,...
Book
Land Use Law in North Carolina, Fourth Edition
Land Use Law in North Carolina, Fourth Edition

This book provides a detailed legal analysis of development regulation. It addresses the types of regulations that may be employed and the scope of legal authority for each. The fourth edition incorporates legal developments through 2023. Topics include:

• Process for ordinance amendments,
• Spot, contract, and conditional zoning,
• Quasi-judicial procedures,
• Special use...
Bulletin
The Builders' Inventory Exclusion
The Builders' Inventory Exclusion

For years, home builders have been pushing to exempt their real property inventory from property taxes in the same fashion that personal property inventory held by traditional merchants and manufacturers is exempt under Chapter 105, Sections 275(32a), (33), and (34) of the North Carolina General Statutes (hereinafter G.S.).

Home builders got their wish, sort of, for a few years. In 2010...
Bulletin
2023-24 Finance Calendar of Duties for City and County Officials
2023-24 Finance Calendar of Duties for City and County Officials

The annual School of Government publication, Finance Calendar of Duties for City and County Officials (2023–2024), identifies the timeline throughout the fiscal year for the principal accounting, financial reporting, and budgeting duties of city and county officials. This calendar is part of the Local Finance Bulletin series.
Book
Arrest Warrant and Indictment Forms, 2023 Edition
Arrest Warrant and Indictment Forms, 2023 Edition

This publication provides arrest warrant and indictment forms for selected North Carolina criminal offenses. It includes charging language and sample charges for several hundred felonies and misdemeanors. Offenses are selected for inclusion based on how serious they are and the frequency with which they are charged, among other factors.
Bulletin
Juvenile Law Related to the Investigation of Delinquent Acts
Juvenile Law Related to the Investigation of Delinquent Acts

Investigations of offenses that are subject to juvenile jurisdiction often require an understanding of both criminal law and juvenile law. Because juveniles have constitutional due process rights in the context of delinquency proceedings, much of the criminal law related to search and seizure also applies in juvenile matters. In addition, juvenile law contains some legal requirements that are...
Bulletin
From Starting to Sustaining: What Actions are Local Governments in North Carolina Taking to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
From Starting to Sustaining: What Actions are Local Governments in North Carolina Taking to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Many local governments are recognizing the importance of building more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces and communities. Municipal and county administrators and elected officials are increasingly interested in learning about the steps they can take and the steps other local governments are taking. In response, the coauthors conducted a study to understand how North Carolina local...
Report
Lessons from a Team of Bloggers on Community Engagement
Lessons from a Team of Bloggers on Community Engagement

In December 2014, a group of twelve people started the Community Engagement Learning Exchange (CELE) blog to explore different experiences and views related to community engagement. Unlike blogs that advocate on behalf of a community or organization or that focus on specific social or political issues, this effort was designed to offer...
Report
Affordable Housing Digest for the Town of Boone
Affordable Housing Digest for the Town of Boone

At the request of the Town of Boone (hereinafter Town), the School of Government conducted the first of two in- person workshops on the topic of affordable housing. The workshop was conducted by Development Finance Initiative (DFI) Assistant Director Sarah Odio and DFI Real Estate Development Analyst Frank Muraca on February 20, 2023.
Bulletin
Building a Better System for Today and Tomorrow: Municipal Performance Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Building a Better System for Today and Tomorrow: Municipal Performance Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Local government managers know that management is never easy. In recent years, however, they have faced situations in which “never easy” has become “almost impossible.” Job turnover and workforce transformation, social unrest, natural disasters, and a global pandemic have presented substantial new challenges. Proactive public managers need to prepare their organizations to handle unexpected...
Bulletin
Local Elected Officials' Leadership Derailment
Local Elected Officials' Leadership Derailment

What Is This Study About, and Why Does It Matter?

Although many studies examine effective leadership in the public sector, including in local government, little is known about behaviors that derail public leaders. Yet understanding this topic is important. When local elected officials are derailed they are not the only ones who pay a price. Trust in government, the legitimacy of the...
Bulletin
Buy American? Buy America? Build America? An Introduction to Domestic Procurement Preferences in Federal Financial Assistance for North Carolina's Counties and Municipalities
Buy American? Buy America? Build America? An Introduction to Domestic Procurement Preferences in Federal Financial Assistance for North Carolina's Counties and Municipalities

Many of North Carolina’s local governments have been awash in federal funding since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the complexity and quantity of rules applicable to the expenditure of those monies has not decreased since the pandemic began. Federal funds arrived in local government coffers, as they always have, with significant “strings attached.”

Since at least...
Book
Human Trafficking: Mandated Reporting and Agency Response
Human Trafficking: Mandated Reporting and Agency Response

The purpose of this primer is to explain North Carolina reporting laws as they apply to human trafficking so that any person can understand when they are required to make a report, how to make a report, and where the report must be made. A brief explanation of how an agency receiving a report handles the report is provided. This primer is not meant to be a tool for how to screen for human...
Book
Protections for Military Servicemembers in North Carolina Power of Sale Foreclosures
Protections for Military Servicemembers in North Carolina Power of Sale Foreclosures

At a hearing on a power of sale foreclosure before the clerk of superior court, the clerk’s authority is limited to six legal findings. Chapter 45, Section 21.16(d) of the North Carolina General Statutes (hereinafter G.S.). The purpose of this publication is to provide guidance to clerks related to one of these legal findings: military service of the respondent. There are both federal and...
Book
North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Vol. 1 Family Law, 2021 (paperback)
North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Vol. 1 Family Law, 2021 (paperback)

The North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Vol. 1, Family Law, 2021 is a comprehensive legal reference created for North Carolina district judges published in two parts, Part A and Part B. This volume provides summaries of North Carolina law governing cases routinely heard in district court. Chapters cover topics including equitable distribution, child...
Book
North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Vol. 1, Family Law, 2021 (digital edition)
North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Vol. 1, Family Law, 2021 (digital edition)

The North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Vol. 1, Family Law, 2021 is a comprehensive legal reference created for North Carolina district judges. It provides summaries of North Carolina law governing cases routinely heard in district court. The School of Government offers Volume 1, Family Law and its individual chapters for sale in a print and PDF format. Chapters cover...
Book
Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina, Sixth Edition, 2021
Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina, Sixth Edition, 2021

This edition covers the legal rules that govern an officer’s authority to enforce laws and to investigate criminal offenses. It also covers the basic rules of evidence in criminal cases. Supplementary material is placed in footnotes at the bottom of the text, and relevant case summary sections are located at the end of each chapter (for chapters 2–5). Footnotes to the text and case summary...
Book
Annexation Law, 2023 Edition
Book
Quasi-Judicial Handbook: A Guide for Boards Making Development Regulation Decisions, Second Edition
Bulletin
Significant Changes to Infant Safe Surrender Laws, Effective Oct. 1, 2023
Book
2015 Punishment Chart for North Carolina Crimes and Motor Vehicle Offenses
2016 Supplement to the 2015 Punishment Chart for North Carolina Crimes and Motor Vehicle Offenses (Free PDF)
2016 Supplement to the 2015 Punishment Chart for North Carolina Crimes and Motor Vehicle Offenses (Free PDF)

 

 

 

See below for a free PDF download of the 2016 Supplement.
Book
2021 June Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Cases
2021 June Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Cases

 This is an update to the 2020 edition of North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Cases. 
Book
Emerging Issues in Confrontation Litigation: A Supplement to Crawford v. Washington: Confrontation One Year Later 2007
Emerging Issues in Confrontation Litigation: A Supplement to Crawford v. Washington: Confrontation One Year Later
Emerging Issues in Confrontation Litigation: A Supplement to Crawford v. Washington: Confrontation One Year Later

Designed as a reference for North Carolina judges and litigants, this supplement discusses Davis v. Washington, the United States Supreme Courts first decision interpreting Crawford; describes a number of key issues that remain open even after Davis; and summarizes significant Crawford cases decided since publication of Crawford v. Washington: Confrontation One Year Later
Book
June 2020 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Cases
June 2020 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Cases

 This is an update to the 2019 edition of North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Civil Cases.
Book
Cover of 2020 Supplement to Pattern Jury Criminal Cases
June 2020 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases
June 2020 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases

 This is an update to the 2019 edition of North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases.
Book
Cover of 2020 Supplement to Pattern Jury Motor Vehicle Cases
June 2020 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Motor Vehicle Negligence Cases
June 2020 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Motor Vehicle Negligence Cases

 This is an update to the 2018 edition of North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Motor Vehicle Negligence Cases. 
Book
June 2021 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases
June 2021 Supplement to North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases

 This is an update to the 2020 edition of North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions for Criminal Cases. 
Book
Update to Economic Development Law for North Carolina Local Government (Free PDF)
Update to Economic Development Law for North Carolina Local Government (Free PDF)
Book
Update to Incorporation of a North Carolina Town, Third Edition (Free PDF)
Update to Incorporation of a North Carolina Town, Third Edition (Free PDF)
Book
Update to Local Government Revenue Sources in North Carolina (Free PDF)
Update to Local Government Revenue Sources in North Carolina (Free PDF)

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Results: 793
Book
Quasi-Judicial Handbook: A Guide for Boards Making Development Regulation Decisions, Second Edition
Book
Annexation Law, 2023 Edition
Bulletin
Significant Changes to Infant Safe Surrender Laws, Effective Oct. 1, 2023
Report
County Salaries in North Carolina, 2023
County Salaries in North Carolina, 2023

County Salaries in North Carolina is a self-reported data repository of county salaries, sponsored by the School of Government. North Carolina counties volunteer to provide this information to benefit other public organizations and the general public. For questions about a particular county’s salary data, please contact that county’s human resources department.

This report is a...
Book
North Carolina Magistrates' Guide to Pretrial Release
North Carolina Magistrates' Guide to Pretrial Release

Guiding Principles

Upon arrest, a defendant must be taken without unnecessary delay before a judicial official, who MUST hold an initial appearance and set pretrial release (PTR) conditions except when a relevant statute prohibits release, restricts the officials who can set conditions, or requires the setting of certain conditions. G.S. 15A-511(f); 15A-533 (right to PTR determination)....
Report
Supporting Rural Workers: The Mixed-Methods Study to Create Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake
Supporting Rural Workers: The Mixed-Methods Study to Create Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake

In North Carolina, four out of five eligible tax filers receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for low-income workers. This means that roughly one million taxpayers are putting those critical funds, up to a maximum of over $6,900, back into their pockets. It also means that some eligible taxpayers are still missing out. Research on barriers to claiming the...
Report
Supporting Rural Workers: Creating Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake
Supporting Rural Workers: Creating Community-Designed Approaches for Federal EITC Uptake

In North Carolina, four out of five eligible tax filers receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for low-income workers. This means that roughly one million taxpayers are putting those critical funds, up to a maximum of over $6,900, back into their pockets. It also means that some eligible taxpayers are still missing out. Research on barriers to claiming the...
Report
report cover image
Supporting Rural Workers: Best Practices for Increasing Uptake of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit among Rural Populations in North Carolina
Supporting Rural Workers: Best Practices for Increasing Uptake of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit among Rural Populations in North Carolina

In North Carolina, four out of five eligible tax filers receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for low-income workers. This means that roughly one million taxpayers are putting those critical funds, up to a maximum of over $6,900, back into their pockets. It also means that some eligible taxpayers are still missing out. Research on barriers to claiming the...
Report
Expanding Affordable Housing Options in Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence
Expanding Affordable Housing Options in Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence

In September 2021, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) engaged the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) at the School of Government. DFI provided analysis to support NCORR's use of funds from the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery to...
Book
Introduction to Local Government Finance, Fifth Edition
Introduction to Local Government Finance, Fifth Edition

Finance—the acquisition, management, and expenditure of money and other financial resources—is critical to local government operations. How a local government approaches finance significantly affects how its officials and employees perform their duties and how it can serve its constituents. But North Carolina’s local governments do not operate with complete independence or at the sole...
Book
Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina
Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina

Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina provides social services board members with the information that they need to understand their roles and legal responsibilities within North Carolina’s social services system. It may also be a useful reference for county social services directors, social services attorneys, county commissioners, county...
Report
North Carolina Benchmarking Project Report 2023: Challenges and Innovations
North Carolina Benchmarking Project Report 2023: Challenges and Innovations

The North Carolina Benchmarking Project was established in 1995 so that participating municipalities could compare service data and performance trends. In 2022, the Benchmarking Project relaunched as Benchmarking 2.0 with a new emphasis on collaboration and relationship-building. Benchmarking 2.0 offers revised framework metrics, streamlined data collection, an interactive online dashboard,...