2023 Annual Conference Sessions: Economic Development
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Sessions for Sunday, May 21
An Introduction to Affordable Housing Finance
Housing that is safe, decent, and affordable is a key component of a thriving community, and in many communities today, it is in short supply. At this session, you will be introduced to the various types of private, federal, state, and local resources that governments can use to develop affordable housing. Panelists will also outline the challenges associated with building and preserving affordable housing and how finance officers can help address some of those challenges.
Sessions for Monday, May 22
Putting Assets to Work: Unlocking Value from Publicly-Owned Real Estate
An Urban Wealth Fund is a mechanism for creating ongoing revenue streams from underutilized public sector assets without privatizing the asset. The goal is to create new revenue streams to address our most persistent challenges, such as affordable housing, climate resiliency, and reinvigorating our cities’ infrastructure. Over the last year, GFOA’s “Putting Assets to Work” policy incubator, worked alongside six local governments to assess opportunities and develop policy tools to adapt the “Urban Wealth Fund” concepts common in European and Asian cities for GFOA members. Participants in the incubator will share their experiences and highlight exciting new opportunities for local governments to derive greater value from their assets. We’ll also discuss how your government can get involved in the next incubator as we build on the successes of our first participants.
Are You Losing Revenue from Inaccurate Property Tax Assessments? Unpacking Issues of Equity and Efficiency
The property tax is the most important revenue stream for local governments. However, research has shown the most significant determinant of property tax for individuals–the assessed value of property–can often have large and systematic inaccuracies. These errors can result in millions of dollars in lost revenue for local governments and shift the tax burden to low-income property owners. In this session, we will examine this problem, the solutions, and what you can do about it, even if you don't have direct responsibility for property assessments.
