Municipal Equation Podcast

How do we keep our online systems, and by extension our communities, safe as cyber threats constantly advance and evolve? Yes, we can have all the best security software and so on. But it's also about human behavior, planning and response. On this episode, we talk with NCLM's director of information technology, Sunil Rajan, about the kinds of cyber threats that local governments, vendors and organizations face today, how these threats have evolved, and how to stay ahead of them.

If you're a local elected official, it's important to understand the legal framework of the role and that of the governing board — what you can do, and what you can't, by law -- and it's not always handy, common knowledge. Attorneys at NCLM and in-house with cities and towns across the state specialize in these points, though, and so we've brought NCLM Senior Assistant General Counsel Ben Mount to the podcast to go over the basics and lesser-knowns. Here, we discuss five legal topics we think every elected local official should know in their service. This is a great episode for municipal leaders of all kinds — newly elected and experienced alike. (Mount recently wrote about these five topics in Southern City magazine, which inspired this deeper-look episode.)

Helping your community's young people feel connected with their local government can go a long way, according to multiple local government leaders we talk with on this episode. Gibsonville Mayor Bryant Crisp, Dallas Mayor Hayley Beaty, Albemarle Mayor Pro Tem Martha Sue Hall (NCLM's 2025-26 president) and more share perspectives and personal stories of programs, initiatives and mentoring efforts that link youths and city halls for rippling mutual benefit. The "Mayor For a Day" concept, municipal youth councils and more are in focus here. PLUS: An update on the ADA digital-government deadlines (the subject of Episode 104), which have been pushed back.

Data centers have made frequent headlines as communities have taken varying positions on them. For some, concerns about environmental impact, energy consumption, noise, property values and other angles have led to leaders to say their town is not the place for them, while other communities have worked with data center developers and granted approvals for their development after exploring the essentials. On this episode, we talk with Statesville City Manager Ron Smith about the conversation and steps taken in his community with regard to a data center slated for a near-future groundbreaking and what advice he has for other local governments as the topic continues to make rounds.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, is the federal legislation requiring equal access to jobs and public places for people with disabilities. It also applies to the public digital realm, like with government websites and apps -- and deadlines are coming up for local governments to get into compliance. The League has been putting out info to help municipalities understand and meet the federal requirements ​and has a hub on its website with resources and explanations​. For this episode, we've put it into conversational form with an expert answering common questions and offering tips to understand the why, how and when.