ZacCast

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Aug 2025

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About the show

The official podcast for local government nerds, from the folks behind ZacTax. We talk about everything from sales tax to city management to college sports, and bring you stories from the front lines of local government administration.

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60 recent

August 28, 20251 hr 0 min

Throwing the kitchen at SB10

In this episode, Patrick and Chad discuss the latest twists in SB 10 and what a proposed 1% property tax cap could mean for Texas cities. They break down how appraisal methods are quietly shifting more of the tax burden onto homeowners, why the Legislature’s “populist” fixes may actually worsen the problem, and what cities can do to prepare. From the looming pressure to fee out basic services, to the long-term need for more housing supply, they explore the fiscal tradeoffs facing local governments—and why telling a clearer story to residents and legislators is key to surviving the next round of reform.Timeline00:00 - Summer Reflections and Family Adventures06:15 - Legislative Updates: SB 10 and Property Tax Changes12:53 - Navigating Local Government Challenges18:13 - The Burden Shift: Residential vs. Commercial Property Taxes25:32 - The Future of Housing and Urban Development34:31 - Impact of Prop 13 on California's Housing Market40:39 - Understanding Tax Burden and Housing Development41:09 - It's College Football Season, Baby!

April 16, 202559 min

Will the voucher debate spare Texas cities this session?

In this episode, Chad and Patrick discuss innovations in local government presented at the AFI conference last week, and check in on the Texas Legislature as the session is kicking into high gear. Timestamps00:00 Legislative Updates and AFI Innovations11:05 The Voucher Debate in Texas Politics21:02 Local Government Legislation and Its Implications32:19 Impact of Corporations on Local Economies34:04 Legislative Challenges and Political Interests36:11 Property Tax Legislation and Its Implications40:10 AI in Economic Development: Innovations and Applications54:38 Building Secure AI Models for Confidential Data

April 4, 202546 min

This is an April Fools joke, right?

In this episode, Chad and Patrick discuss the current state of the economy, focusing on market uncertainty and the challenges faced by city managers in forecasting sales tax revenues. They explore the importance of data-driven decision-making and the use of leading indicators to understand consumer behavior. The conversation reflects on past economic crises and emphasizes the need for caution in navigating current economic challenges, advocating for a measured approach to decision-making during uncertain times.00:00 - Market Uncertainty and Economic Indicators07:28 - Forecasting Sales Tax in Uncertain Times16:38 - Probabilistic Approaches to Budgeting23:39 - Leveraging Data Science for Economic Predictions25:02 - Analyzing Consumer Sentiment and Sales Tax Predictions30:15 - Historical Context: Lessons from Past Economic Downturns33:35 - Navigating Current Economic Uncertainty38:18 - Making Informed Decisions in Times of Crisis41:37 - Finding Balance: Optimism vs. Pessimism in City Management

March 5, 20251 hr 17 min

What happens in Austin doesn't always stay in Austin

In this episode, Chad and Patrick highlight 5 bills pending in the Texas House. What are they, and what might they mean for local governments across the state? Join us to find out!Timestamps00:00 Greetings07:13 On to the legislative session14:23 HB 25016:33 HB 41630:18 HB 21737:18 HB 143352:21 HB 92456:21 School funding and wrap-up

January 16, 20251 hr 10 min

Hold onto your butts... (property tax edition)

In this first episode of 2025, Pat and Chad hit a wide range of topics and do our best to avoid derailing the conversation with too much college football.Timestamps04:25 - TPPF Property Tax Proposals29:51 - TPPF on "Home Sharing"40:16 - Congestion pricing in New York City54:12 - Texas AG sues Allstate67:48 - Comptroller's Biennial Revenue Estimate for 2025-26LinksAsterisk (Merriam-Webster)15 Ways to Improve the M&O Property Tax (TPPF)Defending Home-Sharing is About Protecting Basic Freedoms (TPPF)Paxton files suit against Allstate, alleges company secretly collected driver's data to raise rates (Houston Chronicle)Biennial Revenue Estimate for 2025-26 (Texas Comptroller)

December 5, 202451 min

The earth's axis vs groundwater

In this (probably) final episode of 2024, Pat has a couple of water related articles to discuss. Join us as we talk about how groundwater use is affecting the earth's axis; how bottled water may be way less healthy than tap water; and of course, as we recap the return of Texas vs A&M after 13 long years.00:00 - Welcome back... 01:37 - Patrick makes excuses for A&M's performance against Texas05:26 - National Signing Day updates11:06 - Are we changing the earth's rotation via groundwater usage?26:14 - Is bottled water even healthy for us?35:17 - Unpinning an earlier item36:46 - Remembering a friend of ZacTax38:00 - Wrap upLinksEarth tilted 31.5 inches, a study finds. So whose fault is that? Humans, of course. - USA TodayDrinking bottled water is much worse for you than water from a tap - Science Focus MagazineFact-checking Patrick"Hats off to Texas ... they physically annihilated us" - Texas A&M Coach Mike ElkoGunnar Helm disputes the idea that Kyle Field is super loud - TwitterWill Anderson says Texas "Hardest Game I've Ever Played In" - Sports Illustrated

October 8, 202448 min

The case for public space

This week's episode centers on a Texas Monthly piece titled "Why does Texas have so little public land?" Pat and Chad talk about the article and discuss whether cities can improve their development patterns and fiscal health by emphasizing the acquisition of more public space.Topics00:52 - Why does Texas have so little public land?04:28 - Patrick proposes using public land acquisition to combat fiscally unproductive sprawl07:54 - Distinguishing local parks and green space from urban growth boundaries08:20 - Why do cities cede the public realm of our neighborhoods to the developer?11:07 - Why is public space in single family neighborhoods often so non-functional?13:25 - Life, then spaces, then buildings14:34 - We've moved public amenities to the private realm17:01 - To each his own, sans subsidy17:32 - Should federal land be used for housing?18:47 - Time to debate urban growth boundaries25:08 - What causes us to ignore the pain points in our feedback loops?29:16 - Putting odds on the State of Texas taking a role in growth boundaries35:52 - Obligatory CFB talkLinksWhy does Texas have so little public land (Texas Monthly / AppleNews)Carlton's LandingJan Gehl - First life, then spaces, then buildings

September 26, 20241 hr 36 min

The housing trap with Chuck Marohn

On this epic episode, we welcome Chuck Marohn, founder and president of Strong Towns. Chuck's bestselling new book, Escaping the Housing Trap, kicks off the conversation, which winds its way through a variety of important issues facing cities today. Topics02:33 - What is the housing trap?04:05 - Pre-Depression era housing finance08:00 - Government response to Depression vs the 2008 Housing Crisis13:15 - Supply and Demand vs Finance as causes of the housing crisis16:04 - Did we get here via High Modernism or hot fixes? 23:16 - When did we cross the Housing Trap Rubicon?26:36 - What role does the finance market play in the housing shortage?33:15 - Why doesn't the housing market doesn't respond to consumer needs like other markets?35:37 - What's wrong with demand side approaches to affordability? 38:55 - The Strong Towns approach to addressing the housing trap45:21 - How do we sell the Strong Towns approach to our community? 1:01:56 - Budgetary forests and trees1:04:19 - Chuck's has beef with sales tax1:18:17 - Why sales tax creates a higher burden for understanding your city's finance1:24:38 - What role should state government's play to help city's improve their fiscal health?Links and NotesEscaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing CrisisStrong TownsStrong Towns EventsEscaping the Housing Trap TourSeeing Like a State by James Scott (Amazon)The case study on hotel supply Chuck mentioned (Twitter)Parkinson's Law of Triviality (Wikipedia)

September 18, 20241 hr 10 min

The tizzy

On this somewhat feisty episode of ZacCast, Patrick and Chad discuss the built-in assumptions behind our development patterns, compare development in DFW and Houston, talk traffic planning, and talk about the problems with the electricity rate-making process in Texas. Stay tuned for a semi-lighting round at the end.03:58 - Do we have some built-in assumptions about how cities grow?21:39 - DFW vs Houston: development showdown26:55 - Pre-approved development plans, yea or nay?28:59 - RE: thoroughfare planning34:40 - Electric rate-making woes58:53 - Lightning round begins!58:59 - Calling your shot on interest rate cuts60:01 - Will the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns go undefeated?LinksOne of Collin County’s largest undeveloped tracts sold for massive mixed-use project (Dallas Morning-News)Plano firm buys land for 2,200 homes in fast-growing northern D-FW (Dallas Morning-News)Definition of Tizzy (Google)

September 5, 20241 hr 0 min

The appraisal district drama

In this episode, Patrick and Chad drop some hot takes on the appraisal changes recently approved by the Tarrant Appraisal District. We talk about addressing the symptoms of the property tax system in Texas versus addressing the illness. We discuss the upcoming September sales tax allocation. And college football is back, so we spend some time talking about week 1 to wrap up the episode.01:15 - Tarrant Appraisal District goes its own way26:28 - Are split tax rates a way to address the illness of the Texas property tax system?32:50 - Is building enough housing a way to address the illness? 38:04 - Sales tax update41:45 - What to expect if you see Patrick at a restaurant bar52:30 - Come see us at a conference near you!53:44 - College football is back!