Chad Janicek
Former city manager, current local government nerd. I build fun stuff that helps cities make better decisions @zactax
Appears in 83 Episodes
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 sessi...
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 sal...
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...
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:...
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 ...
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...
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 conversati...
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, ...
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 sympto...
What's the deal with the economy?
Summer break is over and ZacCast is back at full strength. Today's episode is all about the economy. From macro to micro, how can cities prepare for what's next?01:04 ...
The Vacation Episode
Join us as we catch up and chat about life and cities in this grab bag episode:00:10 - Patrick's waterpark excursions02:53 - Patrick reviews Kalahari01:40 - Is Schlitt...
The kind of problem a city is
In this episode, Patrick and Chad look at the Scottie Scheffler arrest and subsequent dismissal of charges from the perspective of a city manager. What went wrong and ...
Liability Lane
In this episode, Pat and Chad talk about inflation remaining stubborn and how cities can/should better report their infrastructure liabilities.00:00 - on pets01:55 - o...
The world's most expensive bathroom
On this episode, we talk about:The world's most expensive bathroom, the regulations that led to it, and how can we be better in our own cities?Houston is broke, but wh...
The Doom Loop
In this episode, Chad and Pat debrief from the Utah City Managers Association conference and talk about differences in management cultures among these United States. W...
Amazon lockers, appraisal boards, and zoning reform
In this episode, we talk about:The sales tax implications of Amazon lockers and whether remote taxpayers should be subjected to detailed audits to verify that their ta...
The episode about nothing
Fresh off of Spring Break and without a lot of hard hitting topics to discuss, Pat and Chad bounce between friendly and city topics. 00:12 - Intro00:42 - Spring Break ...
The Great Reversals
In this episode, Pat and Chad talk about a couple of big reversals. First, March sales tax allocations in Texas appear to have unwound all of the audit adjustments fro...
The (audit) adjustment bureau
A major sales tax audit adjustment hit cities across the state of Texas in February. Chad and Patrick talk about the adjustment and some issues it highlighted. We foll...
The mo is slow
In this episode:(01:20) Sales tax momentum has been slowing for some time now. We dig in to the numbers and issue a red flag warning as cities head into mid-year budge...
The Gourmet Underwear
Pat and Chad are back for the first episode of 2024. After some throat-clearing chit chat, we discuss:What do you do when a local news report or social media post gain...
Retail sales and leases
In this episode, Patrick and Chad talk about softening retail sales figures and changes to the retail real estate landscape. We finish with a March Madness style Chris...
The Holiday Episode
On today's episode, Pat and Chad talk about the holidays, from retail sales forecasts to planning holiday events to the appropriate time to start decorating. And becau...
The Drive-Through
Newest TeamZac member Maria Skrut joins the show as we talk about a recent NY Times article on the future of drive-throughs. Where does the drive-through rank on the h...
The shrinking savings
Household savings skyrocketed during the pandemic. Now that they're falling back to Earth, will retail sales come down with them? What other headwinds might stand in t...
The Segue
Come for the best natural segue Patrick has ever managed... stick around for a discussion about the Texas Legislature's current struggles with property tax reform and ...
The formerly home-ruled 15-minute city
A bill in the Texas Legislature could have a chilling effect on the home-rule status of Texas cities; SB2's property tax reforms could have significant implications fo...
The Urban Vitality of Costco
Patrick and Chad discuss a proposed Costco/apartment complex in South LA, how multi-family can be better integrated into suburban areas, and give an update on the 2023...
The neighborly, the cloudy, the nice, and the naughty
Pat and Chad talk about the missing second-ring relationship, whether computers are taking over too much, and which city functions deserve to get a lump of coal in the...
The Bicycle
Pat and Chad are joined by Milford John-Williams for a wide ranging discussion about bicycle infrastructure (or in some cases, the lack thereof) and the many, many ele...