Some local government leaders are dealing with the same types of budget challenges as Perdue and her legislative counterparts. A new John Locke Foundation Regional Brief explains that many of those local government leaders can blame themselves for their current problems. Joseph Coletti and Dr. Michael Sanera, Research Director and Local Government Analyst, document that most large cities and almost every county raised government revenues from 2002 to 2007 at rates faster than inflation and population growth would dictate. Sanera explained the report’s details to Tara Servatius on WBT Radio’s afternoon show, and he discussed the report’s findings with the Chapel Hill Herald. One of the ways in which local governments spend taxpayer resources poorly involves the overuse of outside consultants. WRAL Television interviewed Sanera this week about a case involving Raleigh’s hiring of an outside consultant for a $250,000 traffic study.