Public Money Pod

This week, we're joined by Joe Snyder, CFO of Rochester Hills, Michigan, to talk about what happens when citizen engagement moves from less frequent public hearings to a year-round digital portal. We discuss the city's AI budget assistant, hearing from the "silent majority" instead of the vocal few, and how resident feedback shaped the FY2027 budget.

In this special summer break episode, we're live from the GFOA conference in Chicago with Dean Mead, Partner and Government & Public Sector Sub-Line Leader at Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI). Drawing on 25 years at the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, Dean walks us through what people most often misunderstand about governmental accounting, who actually reads and uses financial statements, and whether GAAP compliance is too heavy a lift for the tens of thousands of very small governments across the country. We also discuss the real cost of cash-basis reporting and what made some GASB standards so hard to implement.

As we wrap up season 4, we look back at some of the themes that dominated the season. These key themes include federal funding cuts, increased fiscal restraints on local government, disaster funding shifts, property taxes, and the "next big thing": data centers and Advanced Air Mobility.

In the Season 4 finale, we sit down with Lavera Alexander, Chief Growth Officer at Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, to explore what it takes to bring large-scale development projects to smaller and rural communities. We discuss the role of public and private financing, the challenges of funding aviation infrastructure, and how thoughtful investment can drive economic growth while improving residents' quality of life. Tune in for an insightful conversation on building stronger communities through strategic development and sustainable financing.

In this week's episode we discuss the means and tools available to municipalities to collect property taxes owed and the case of Pung v. Isabella County with our guest Adam J. Cohen, chair of the Municipal Law and Community Associations section at Pullman & Comley. Oral arguments were heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2026, but a decision has yet to be handed down. The outcome is expected to have significant implications for property tax foreclosure law nationwide.

Mark Funkhouser spent decades in government service, first as a municipal auditor, then as Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri and he discusses how the role of local governments has changed and who they really serve. Now leading Funkhouser & Associates, he brings that experience to bear on local government accountability, the rise of private equity in essential services, and what monopoly control means for the communities that have no choice but to pay up.

This week, we sit down with Caitlin Lewis, Founding Executive Director of Work for America, to explore the shifting landscape of public sector employment. We discuss how her organization is helping workers navigate the transition from federal to local government amid ongoing federal restructuring, what it takes to fix a hiring process that too often drives talented people away, and why working in government deserves a serious rebrand. Caitlin also shares her thinking on how to inspire the next generation to see public service as a meaningful and exciting career path.