Public Money Pod

Center for Municipal Finance
  • 4.6 (19)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Public Money Pod

Each year state and local governments spend $4 trillion dollars. Where does that money come from? Where does it go? Who manages it? And what do citizens and taxpayers have to show for it? In this podcast we explore the budgets, bonds, and bureaucrats at the heart of state and local public finance. The Public Money Pod is a production of the University of Chicago's Center for Municipal Finance. It is co-hosted by Liz Farmer and Justin Marlowe.

  1. MAR 17

    The Local Power of Education Finance, with Marguerite Roza

    In this week's episode, we're talking to Dr. Marguerite Roza, Professor and Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. We asked Dr. Roza to help distill the complex state-level funding formulas that determine where and how education dollars are directed, and the highly localized decisions that school districts make in spending the funds they receive. We also talked about post-pandemic trends in education, including an imbalance in staffing and enrollment, challenges to improving reading instruction, and the role of the federal government in education finance. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss a school funding formula change in New Mexico and shed some light on why these formula changes are so rare.

    55 min

  2. MAR 10

    Keeping Public Servants in Public Service, with Caitlin Lewis

    This week, we spoke with Caitlin Lewis, Executive Director of Work for America. Amid large-scale reductions in the federal workforce, we asked about what state and local governments are doing to attract these talented public servants, and how programs like Civic Match are helping these workers find new positions. We also discuss the true extent of the federal workforce across all facets of life, and what is lost when we privatize the public sector. In Ripped from the Headlines, we talk about how cuts to the federal workforce have impacted the local financial outlook of the District of Columbia.

    55 min

  3. FEB 17

    Government Efficiency at the State and Local Level, with Eric Schnurer

    Government efficiency is a trendy topic these days, but Eric Schnurer, president of Public Works LLC, has dedicated his career to it. We wanted to speak to an expert on what it looks like to assess state and local government performance and spending. He shares examples of his approach and makes the case for why it's worth investing the time in speaking directly to employees, and how that leads to better short- and long-term government performance. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss a story looking at government efficiency efforts being led in statehouses across the country.

    57 min

  4. FEB 10

    The Playbook for Thriving Transit, with Kevin Willens

    It's no secret that the pandemic changed our commuting patterns and how we use transit. How have transit systems found success in re-gaining ridership and financing capital improvement projects? We sat down with MTA CFO Kevin Willens, who talked to us about how the MTA has navigated a wide array of strategies, including mitigating fare and toll evasion and balancing its budget through 2026. We also asked about congestion pricing and what the early data can tell us about its potential to be rolled out elsewhere. In Ripped from the Headlines, we take a look at transit in Chicago and a proposal by the CTA to combine Chicagoland's three transit providers into one entity.

    54 min

  5. JAN 31

    Emergency Episode: Making Sense of the Federal Funding Freeze

    On the heels of a dizzying week in which the White House ordered—then rescinded—a freeze on federal funds, we wanted to discuss what this all could mean for state and local governments. To help us make sense of it all, we're thrilled to welcome Carolyn Bourdeaux, former U.S. Representative from Georgia's 7th district and Senior Visiting Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Public & International Affairs; Lisa Washburn, Chief Credit Officer and Managing Director at Municipal Market Analytics; and Noah Winn-Ritzenberg, Senior Director of Public Finance at the Volcker Alliance.

    47 min

  6. JAN 20

    The Role of Place in Building Community, with Bill Fulton (100th episode!)

    We kick off our 100th episode with some Public Money Pod trivia! Then, we speak to Bill Fulton, Founder of the William Fulton Group. With an extensive background in urban planning and economic development, Bill talks to us about connecting fiscal policy and urban planning, the role of "place" in promoting community development, and rethinking how we utilize real estate in a post-pandemic world. We also talk to Bill about the potential fiscal and policy impacts of the Los Angeles wildfires. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss the connection between natural disasters and the affordable housing crisis, and what potential solutions exist to mitigate these issues in the future.

    1h 2m

  7. JAN 13

    Strengthening Local Government Finance, with Joshua Franzel

    This week, we welcome back to the pod Joshua Franzel, Senior Executive and Director of Research & Data Analysis at the National League of Cities (NLC), as well as one of our first ever guests from Season 1. We talk about NLC's recent centennial tour, which wrapped in November 2024 after touring 130 cities across the country. We also discuss the NLC's City Fiscal Conditions Report, along with how NLC works to improve communications and foster civil discourse between elected officials and their residents. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss the implications of a new law in Arizona that forbids cities from charging taxes on rent. The NLC's City Fiscal Conditions Report for 2024 is available here: https://www.nlc.org/resource/city-fiscal-conditions-2024

    42 min

  8. JAN 6

    Building Community Wealth in Mid-Sized Cities, with Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam

    We're joined this week by Hartford, Connecticut Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. We spoke with Mayor Arulampalam about the challenges Hartford faces as a mid-sized city that serves a much larger metro area, along with growing Hartford's tax base and funding public health and violence prevention programs. We also asked the mayor about the post-Covid challenge of utilizing downtown commercial real estate, including the complexities of converting office spaces for residential and other uses. In Ripped from the Headlines, we discuss the city of Missoula, Montana, and the challenges the city faces in addressing rising homelessness.

    48 min
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    4.6
    out of 5
    19 Ratings

    About

    Each year state and local governments spend $4 trillion dollars. Where does that money come from? Where does it go? Who manages it? And what do citizens and taxpayers have to show for it? In this podcast we explore the budgets, bonds, and bureaucrats at the heart of state and local public finance. The Public Money Pod is a production of the University of Chicago's Center for Municipal Finance. It is co-hosted by Liz Farmer and Justin Marlowe.

    Information

    • Creator
      Center for Municipal Finance
    • Years Active
      2022 - 2025
    • Episodes
      105
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © Copyright 2025 Center for Municipal Finance
    • Show Website
      Public Money Pod

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