Fiscal analysis dashboard a new resource for counties

A new Web-based dashboard on County and Municipal Fiscal Analysis is now available to help any local government in North Carolina analyze its current financial condition.

The tool, online at www.nctreasurer.com/dsthome/StateAndLocalGov/lgcreport, was announced by State Treasurer Janet Cowell on July 19. A collaborative effort between the School of Government and the Department of State Treasurer, this new resource is available without charge or subscription.

The dashboard enables a search of five years of financial data, and it provides a comparison with selected peers.

In preparation for using this new tool, the School of Government is offering a series of one-day training sessions at six locations across North Carolina. The workshop introduces the financial condition model being used by North Carolina local officials to analyze the fiscal strength of their organizations. Participants will learn how to interpret and communicate their data and how the model can be used to make more informed policy decisions in local government.

The sessions will be held:

• Sept. 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk (Dare County);
• Oct. 20 at the Sheraton Imperial in Research Triangle Park (Durham County);
• Oct. 28 at Embassy Suites in Winston-Salem (Forsyth County);
• Nov. 4 at the Biltmore Doubletree in Asheville (Buncombe County);
• Nov. 18 at Embassy Suites in Concord (Cabarrus County); and
• Dec. 9 at the Hilton Riverside in Wilmington (New Hanover County).

For program details and to register online, visit www.sog.unc.edu/courses/0484. For more information, contact Program Manager Deidre Lewis at djlewis@sog.unc.edu or (919) 966-4171.

School of Government Associate Professor William Rivenbark will lead a workshop, "Financial Condition Dashboard: Don’t Wait for the Warning Lights to Come On," on Friday, Aug. 27, from 10:45 a.m. – noon during the NCACC’s Annual Conference.