Category Archives: Top Story

Reform of Local Public Finance in Virginia

Posted on July 14, 2009 by matt ohern

Virginia’s system of local public finance provides an indirect subsidy to development and harms efforts to preserve open space. This, the first part of a series on the topic, looks specifically at how educational funds are distributed and the perverse incentives the method creates. Continue reading →

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Establishing Transparency’s Bottom Floor for Virginia’s Localities

Posted on June 30, 2009 by matt ohern

Last week we introduced the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s transparency project and pointed out a couple of innovative transparency project being undertaken online. In Part II of our series on transparency we look to define the baseline levels of financial openness Virginia’s local governments should provide. Continue reading →

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Shining a Spotlight on Transparency

Posted on June 16, 2009 by matt ohern

The first in an evolving series highlights an upcoming study, what Virginia does well and not so well and looks at some innovative approaches worth emulating. Continue reading →

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Doing More with Less: From Fairfax to the Feds

Posted on June 2, 2009 by matt ohern

Fairfax County needs to follow the lead of states and municipalities from far and wide and begin to apply a Yellow Pages test to its own operations. Continue reading →

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Reforming the Dollars by Weighting the Funding

Posted on May 12, 2009 by matt ohern

Weighted Student Funding formulas can force school systems to take a hard look at how they are spending money. A new study shows that such formulas have helped schools facing budget shortfalls make up the difference while minimizing the cuts to classrooms. Virginia should take a look at this new way of spending our education dollars. Continue reading →

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