Even the best systems with the right amount of maintenance and support don’t last forever. Many local governments are now in a position where infrastructure that was built decades ago is obsolete and needs to be rebuilt or possibly rethought. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding is so attractive because it creates the opportunity to do just that—make a generational investment in bettering the community.

When looking at local government revenue systems, many of which were developed centuries ago, we must ask ourselves if we need to rethink our approach and whether that new approach will serve local governments well in the future. GFOA has started asking some of these questions as part of ongoing research from the Rethinking Revenue Initiative.

• Publication date: December 2021
• Author: Chris Morrill