Commentary

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    5 ways local governments can prepare for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s effects on social services

    Medicaid and SNAP recipients will face more stringent eligibility requirements and more frequent verification. Communication, technology and partnerships can help governments adjust.  

    By Juan Cole • Oct. 31, 2025
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    How one county is benefiting from digital asset lifecycle management

    Lucas County, Ohio’s geographic information system-centered ALM system connects people, processes and data, greatly enhancing its infrastructure management and community development workflows.

    By Tina Mack and Michael Stormer • Oct. 27, 2025
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    Opinion // Economic Oppportunity

    4 strategies to help close the opportunity gap

    Millions of full-time workers can’t afford the basics. Reversing that trend will take local action, targeted investment and new models of collaboration.

    By Rodney Bullard • Oct. 23, 2025
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    Column // Green infrastructure

    From highway to haven: Lessons from D.C.’s 11th Street Bridge Park

    Community buy-in wasn’t just a box to check, says the park's founding director. Ongoing dialogue with residents helped build trust, ease displacement concerns and foster community ownership.

    By Scott Kratz • Oct. 2, 2025
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    Column // Economic Oppportunity

    Public-private partnerships can help local leaders do more with less

    You can share responsibility, combine resources and leverage private-sector capabilities to continue innovating even when times are tough.

    By Debra Lam • Sept. 12, 2025
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    A path with purpose: Encouraging students to explore public service roles

    Local government is the front line of public service. Though they play a crucial role connecting communities with essential support, state and local agencies are often chronically under-resourced, especially when it comes to supporting tech talent. 

    By Pasquale (Pat) Tamburrino Jr. • Aug. 15, 2025
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    Paper-based payments are gone for good: What state and local governments need to know

    Adopting digital payment methods such as digital wallets can have time and cost-saving benefits for resource-constrained local governments.

    By Jamie Rosenberg • July 28, 2025
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    Traffic-related fatalities continue to rise in multiple cities

    Are outdated government operations to blame for Vision Zero failures?

    By Wes Guckert, PTP • July 22, 2025
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    Building a resilient government starts with developing people

    Local governments are often where policy meets execution. That front-line responsibility requires skilled, adaptable teams ready to navigate change. That’s why investing in employee learning and development is essential.

    By Ray Resendez • July 2, 2025
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    AI could hold the key to help cities solve traffic issues

    By harnessing AI to optimize traffic flow and reduce congestion, cities are finding themselves in a far more advantageous position to create and maintain efficient and sustainable urban environments.

    By Wes Guckert • June 27, 2025
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    Making process improvement stick: A data-driven path to local government efficiency

    CPI is a structured, ongoing approach to identifying and eliminating inefficiencies in operations. For state and local governments, this means streamlining workflows, leveraging available data and technology, and continuously adapting to changing community needs.

    By Claire Collins, DeAndre Watson • June 12, 2025
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    Empowering public sector IT: Overcoming security, compliance and access challenges

    Public sector IT leaders need both an articulated road map for the future and effective, real-world solutions. By adopting virtualization technologies, these organizations can empower employees with secure remote access to essential tools and resources.

    By Prashant Ketkar • June 4, 2025
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    Strategic budgeting: Why it matters for every taxpayer

    Communities are shifting away from traditional budgeting models and adopting strategies that connect spending with tangible results.

    By Tom Amburgey, Mark Funkhouser, and Nick Mastronardi • May 21, 2025
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    Addressing data challenges in local government AI adoption

    As chief data officers continue to integrate AI technologies, a plan for identifying and standardizing data integrity throughout the extraction process can ensure that cleaned data is optimized for AI consumption.

    By Sarjoo Shah • May 16, 2025
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    Why many city and county fleets still lack the tools to truly manage total cost of ownership

    Without access to modern platforms that leverage artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning, municipalities face roadblocks in forecasting maintenance needs, managing vehicle life cycles and optimizing asset usage.

    By Ian Gardner • May 12, 2025
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    How training and a broader talent pool can help local governments combat escalating cyber threats

    By building a strong culture and commitment to cybersecurity through training and engaging a robust talent pipeline, state and local governments can create a foundation for the future now.

    By Max Shuftan • May 9, 2025
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    State/county legacy systems vs. modern solutions: Is the mainframe era over?

    Local governments need to maintain robust, secure and responsive infrastructure that can adeptly support the demands of citizens and businesses. Through careful planning, modernization efforts can achieve both operational efficiency and public confidence in government infrastructure.

    By Jennifer Nelson • May 7, 2025
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    ASCE recap: Local and state government should start reporting regularly on infrastructure success

    While the report card provides valuable information to track progress, government leaders should take the initiative to develop their own measurement systems.

    By Jennifer Perkins • May 2, 2025
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    Mission possible: How cities and counties can innovate to overcome fiscal challenges

    Cities and counties will need to draw on lessons learned and engage with partners to succeed.

    By Andrew Kleine • May 1, 2025
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    Smarter infrastructure: How rural and suburban counties can leverage advanced GIS data

    The data gives us visibility into underlying infrastructure, which helps us take proactive maintenance and repair actions, improve efficiency and be mindful of our budgets through careful planning.

    By Matt Fox • April 30, 2025
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    Small cities, big scandals: Why smaller cities are at greater risk of fraud

    The financial impact of fraud can be devastating for a smaller city. Investing in prevention protocols is vital to protect public funds and ensure financial stability for the future.

    By Patricia Castro and Shannon Castillo • April 28, 2025
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    The urgency to evolve enterprise risk management in local governments

    Local governments are facing escalating threats that extend beyond traditional risk management. Enterprise risk management is a holistic strategy that enables municipalities to identify, assess and mitigate risks across all sectors, fostering resilience and safeguarding communities.

    By Steve Monaghan • April 25, 2025
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    The power of checkpoints: Protecting first responders’ emotional health

    As assistant chief at the Dallas Police Department, I saw firsthand how a lack of mental health support could erode officer morale and effectiveness. These experiences led me to develop Checkpoints.

    By Reuben Ramirez • April 25, 2025
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    Ransomware in 2025: Understand and prepare for the four stages of attack

    To protect government agencies from the financial, operational and reputational damage of ransomware, implement a zero-trust security model.

    By Adam Ford • April 24, 2025
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    Special districts: The forgotten districts of local government

    Special districts and special purpose districts are a vital yet often underrecognized component of local government and the community at large. It’s important to educate the public about them, the challenges they face and how to navigate them.

    By Brenden Elwood • April 23, 2025