ZacTax: How To Build Financially Healthy Cities

ZacTax: How To Build Financially Healthy Cities

Author: Strong Towns May 12, 2025 Duration: 54:12
ZacTax is a financial analysis firm that helps city officials understand their revenue streams and make smarter financial choices. Today, Chuck is joined by its founders, Chad Janicek and Patrick Lawler. They explain how they work effectively with local governments and how their work is helping drive a cultural shift toward stronger and more productive cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about ZacTax: Website LinkedIn Connect with Chad and Patrick: Email: chad@zactax.com || patrick@zactax.com LinkedIn: Patrick Lawler Learn more about the Strong Towns approach to finance. Chuck Marohn (Substack)

Each week, Charles Marohn guides a discussion that feels less like a formal lecture and more like a thoughtful chat with a knowledgeable neighbor. The Strong Towns Podcast digs into the practical, often overlooked details that determine whether a community thrives or just struggles along. The conversations here consistently connect the dots between sensible budgeting and the physical shape of our streets, parks, and neighborhoods, arguing that true resilience comes from this intersection. You’ll hear specific examples of how towns and cities can make incremental, affordable investments that build long-term wealth and stability, moving beyond short-term fixes. Rather than offering abstract theory, this podcast focuses on actionable ideas for local leaders and engaged citizens alike, exploring how everyday decisions about infrastructure and land use directly impact a place's financial health. It’s a grounded perspective on creating communities that are not only more solvent but also more welcoming and livable. The ongoing dialogue reinforces the core idea that a strong town is built from the bottom up, one block at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Strong Towns Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Keys to a Healthy City Finance Department With Shayne Kavanagh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:21
This week, Chuck is joined by Shayne Kavanagh, senior manager of research for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The GFOA provides training and resources to city finance officers. In his role, Kavanagh d…
How To Finance Housing in a Smart and Local Way: A Housing Q&A [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:45
What cities have successfully financed housing at the local level? How does tax increment financing work? When should cities stop subsidizing large-scale housing projects? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn answers all…
These 6 Code Reforms Will Bring More Housing to Your City [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:56
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about housing development and zoning code reform with Seth Zeren, a neighborhood real estate developer in Providence, Rhode Island. They dive into the six code ref…
America Needs a New Housing Bargain. Here’s Why. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:40
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explores the flawed nature of North America’s current “housing bargain,” where most neighborhoods are allowed to stay exactly the same as long as some neighborhoods — us…
Bonus Episode: Lessons From 9 Strongest Town Contest Winners [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:12
This special episode of the Strong Towns Podcast explores the Strongest Town Contest, including what cities can learn from previous winners, what it means for cities to participate, and a preview of this year's Contest.…
Ben Hunt: Surviving the Widening Gyre Through Hope and Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:52
Today, Chuck is joined by Ben Hunt, the creator of Epsilon Theory. Their conversation revolves around the concept of the Widening Gyre, a “profound social equilibrium where bad people and bad ideas drive out good people…
How Do You Build More Housing When No One Wants Neighborhood Change? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:03
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses housing with Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. They talk about why there is so much resistance to new d…