Fiscal Literacy Course: Call for Collaborators

This course will consist of a series of asynchronous learning modules with recorded video content from one or more SMEs and self-paced assignments for enrollees. Collectively, these learning modules would provide a high-level introduction to interrelationships between government finance and planning. Each module should take the average participant about one hour to complete, with approximately 30 minutes of video and 30 minutes of interactive exercises. 

Module Descriptions

Potential component modules would cover the following topics:

• The ways that local and regional planning agencies pay for their work
• The effects of municipal fiscal structures on local land use and development patterns (e.g., fiscal zoning)
• The fiscal impacts of specific development projects
• The effects of local plans, policies, and procedures on development feasibility

Module 1: Paying for Planning

This module should examine the ways that local and regional planning agencies pay for their work. It should cover the following subjects:

• The most common local government and regional agency revenue sources and expenditure categories
• The pros and cons of paying for planning work through “general fund” sources (e.g., property taxes) versus dedicated sources (e.g., development services fees)
• Distinctions between program (i.e., ongoing) versus project (i.e., time-limited, deliverable-driven) funding 
• Two or three promising but less-commonly used revenue sources (e.g., urban wealth funds).

And it should provide instruction on the following methods:

• Analyzing local government/agency budgets
• Evaluating alternative revenue sources

Related APA Resources:

• The Planner’s Paycheck: Where the Money Comes From (APA Blog) 
• The Planner’s Paycheck: A Foundation Based on Disruption (APA Blog) 
• The Planner’s Paycheck: Where We Go From Here (APA Blog) 
• Planning and Local Revenue Sources (PAS QuickNotes) 
• Is It Time to Rethink the Property Tax? (Planning) 

Module 2: Fiscal Sustainability

This module should examine the effects of municipal fiscal structures and public finance mechanisms on local land use planning and economic development priorities and outcomes. It should cover the following subjects:

• The most common “fiscal zoning” techniques that local jurisdictions use to maximize revenue and minimize service costs (e.g., extensive commercial zoning near jurisdiction boundaries and large-lot residential zoning).
• The fiscal benefits of compact, mixed-use development
• The pros and cons of different public finance mechanisms for housing, infrastructure, and public facilities

And it should provide instruction on the following methods: 

• Calculating revenue per acre for different parcels or areas of a jurisdiction
• Analyzing the costs of community services by land use 
• Evaluating alternative public finance mechanisms 

Related APA Resources:

• The Nexus Between Land Use and Fiscal Balance (Zoning Practice)
• The Call for a New Fiscal Architecture (Planning)
• Fiscal Impact Analysis: Methodologies for Planners (PAS Report)

Module 3: Fiscal Impact Analysis

This module should examine how to analyze the fiscal impacts of proposed development projects and policy proposals (e.g., future land use plans or zoning regulations). It should cover the following subjects:

• The differences between project-specific and areawide fiscal impact analysis.
• The average cost approach to fiscal impact analysis
• The marginal cost approach to fiscal impact analysis
• Balancing fiscal impacts and non-fiscal benefits

And it should provide instruction on the following methods: 

• Analyzing the fiscal impacts of specific project proposals
• Analyzing the fiscal impacts of proposed land use policies

Related APA Resources:

• Fiscal Impact Analysis: Methodologies for Planners (PAS Report)
• The Nexus Between Land Use and Fiscal Balance (Zoning Practice)

Module 4: Development Feasibility 

This module should examine the effects of local plans, polices, and procedures on development feasibility. It should cover the following subjects:

• The effects of land use plans, zoning standards, impact fees/concurrency requirements, and regulatory incentives on development costs
• The relationship between regulatory permitting and entitlement processes and development finance
• Core development finance concepts (e.g., time value of money and cash flow analysis)
• The availability and limitations of different gap funding sources for development projects

And it should provide instruction on the following methods:

• Analyzing development pro formas
• Analyzing the effects of alternative zoning standards on development feasibility

Related APA Resources:

• Development Review as Economic Development (Zoning Practice)
• Market Analysis: A Zoning Necessity (Zoning Practice)