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Current Blog Posts
Costs, Benefits or Function – What really drives water reuse?
Guest Post by Lars Hanson For utilities across the country, water reuse has been attracting a great deal of attention recently, and with good reason. As utilities and the communities they serve grow and mature,…
Four Keys to Creating a More User-Friendly Financial Statement
There will probably never be a time that financial statements, like Comprehensive Audited Financial Reports (CAFRs) and Annual Financial Reports (AFRs), are going to be as exciting as the New York Times latest bestseller. They…
The Name’s Bond, General Obligation Bond
On November 3rd, 2015 the Town of Chapel Hill, NC passed a bond referendum that appropriated $5.2 million for solid waste facilities and $5.9 million for stormwater improvements. Both were General Obligation (GO) bonds where…
Paying for Unused Capacity: Interlocal Agreements using Capacity Allocations
Constructing, maintaining, and upgrading water infrastructure entails large costs for local governments that can end up impacting budgets for years. The long lifespan of these projects often require development to be based on needs projected…
Three Strategies for Water Utilities with Aging Infrastructure
Last month, as part of our Smart Management for Small Water Systems project, I traveled with Glenn Barnes, Senior Project Director at the Environmental Finance Center at UNC Chapel Hill, to visit a small water system…
4 Keys to Creating a Useful Utility Rate Sheet
A customer calls and wants to know the water and sewer rates in his town. What do you say? Do you direct him to your website? Tell him to swing by town hall or your…
Are Key Financial Indicators a Crystal Ball? Three Lessons from Detroit
After years in a continuous loop of population decline and higher taxes on a decreasing tax base, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history was filed by the City of Detroit in July 2013. After…
The Blue Economy: Linking Water to Economic Revitalization
Over the last several decades, the economy of North Carolina has undergone major transitions. Once home to thriving tobacco, furniture, and textile industries, we’re seeing more and more emphasis on high tech solutions to modern…