Commentary: Page 2

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    Building resilient supply chains: Strategies for state procurement success in times of disruption

    State procurement offices are at the forefront of developing new strategies to maintain business continuity in times of unpredictability.

    By Rebecca Montaño-Smith • March 21, 2025
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    How cities are prioritizing transparency to combat climate change

    City leaders are creating climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans and turning to technology to help them stay on track and keep themselves accountable.

    By Francisco J. Conteras and Elizabeth Steward • March 19, 2025
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    Top govtech trends for 2025

    Amid rising economic pressures, workforce shortages and shifting citizen expectations, emerging technologies and approaches like AI and network-powered procurement will redefine what's possible for state and local governments in the year ahead.

    By Tom Amburgey • March 18, 2025
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    Cybersecurity challenges faced by local governments in 2025

    While no two incidents are the same, city and county governments often face similar challenges during and after cyberattacks. By taking proactive steps, you can empower your local government to be more in control of its cybersecurity.

    By Phillip Harmon • March 14, 2025
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    Stronger together: The power of collaborative community solutions

    When local governments, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and private companies come together with a shared vision, they can tackle complex problems in ways that communities alone cannot.

    By Katie O'Connor and Jamal Lewis • March 11, 2025
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    Competitive mass transit: Using technology and data to revolutionize city commutes

    Congestion pricing serves as a compelling case study for cities facing similar challenges, demonstrating how data-driven strategies can truly reshape urban mobility.

    By Timothy Menard • March 7, 2025
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    Maryland launches cybersecurity training program through community colleges

    The Cyber Workforce Accelerator could represent a viable model for other states and municipalities to follow, providing community college students with hands-on experience needed to fill the talent gap in the cybersecurity industry.

    By Steve Spector • March 5, 2025
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    Simulated wildfire evacuations could help save lives

    Evacuation simulation can accurately predict how long it will take to clear neighborhoods, informing emergency managers and law enforcement how much notice is needed for safe egress.

    By Bowen Kyle • Feb. 28, 2025
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    Opinion

    Energy bills are crushing low-income families. Here’s how state and local policymakers can help.

    Recent research found that a quarter of low-income households in the U.S. spend more than 15% of their income on energy bills, compared to the overall median of just 2.9%.

    By Roxana Ayala • Feb. 28, 2025
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    Urban renewal: How reality capture data is supporting Detroit’s revitalization

    A “map everything” approach uses mobile mapping technology to create a comprehensive 3D digital twin of the city that supports future planning and daily operations.

    By Linda Duffy • Feb. 25, 2025
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    A strategy for boosting local government efficiency and meeting citizen needs with a dwindling budget

    Many state and local agencies are grappling with budget challenges and hiring holds going into fiscal 2025. They are tasked to reduce spending, but not services—and the standout strategy for that is outsourcing.

    By Dennis DuFour • Feb. 13, 2025
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    How streamlined verifications can support public housing agencies amidst the affordable housing crisis

    Technology and data can help reduce manual efforts for public housing agencies working to more quickly get affordable housing to eligible people.

    By Benjamin Carlson • Feb. 10, 2025
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    Expanding housing choices: Local governments work together to help homeowners build ADUs

    Several California regions are replicating an inspirational collaborative model to create new housing and greater affordability by making it easier to build accessory dwelling units.

    By Anna Alekseyeva, David Driskell and Scott Johnson • Feb. 6, 2025
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    How public works can get help paying for PFAS cleanup in wastewater

    City and county water and wastewater plants are now in a prime position to help clean up the pollution—but that doesn’t mean they should be stuck paying for it.

    By Mike DiGiannantonio and Ken Sansone • Feb. 4, 2025
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    How ERP automation is helping local governments tackle regulatory change

    ERP automation simplifies compliance by unifying operations, generating accurate reports and reducing human error.

    By Matt Parks • Feb. 3, 2025
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    Engineering modifications meet unique challenges of tunnel lighting

    Tunnel lighting is a unique subset of roadway illumination that must address complex safety challenges.

    By Michael Brereton • Jan. 31, 2025
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    Securing state and local elections: The critical role of data protection

    Candidate websites, voter registration databases and other political resources may be vulnerable to cyberattacks. To mitigate these risks, agencies must fortify their cybersecurity frameworks with zero-trust principles, encryption, security service edge solutions and mobile endpoint detection and response.

    By Jim Coyle • Jan. 29, 2025
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    Water quality protections now depend on state and local governments—and voters

    A recent Supreme Court decision and plans outlined in Project 2025 are likely to weaken federal water protections, particularly for wetlands. Now the action moves to the state and local level. 

    By Royal C. Gardner • Jan. 28, 2025
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    Smart snow removal: How AI is transforming urban winter management

    Snowplow signal prioritization technology allows snowplows to navigate through intersections more efficiently, ensuring rapid snow clearance and safer travel for community members.

    By Timothy Menard • Jan. 27, 2025
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    5 critical elements of effective human-centered design in the public sector

    A growing number of government agencies are looking to leverage human-centered design principles to improve services for their constituents, increase awareness of those services and give people the tools to access them.

    By Allison Torpey and Rose Barcklow • Jan. 24, 2025
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    Transforming transportation through Complete Streets

    What started as a movement in cities and urban environments in the early 2000s has now blossomed into a nationwide network of more than 1,700 policies across states, cities, towns and counties.

    By Dr. Calvin Ball • Jan. 23, 2025
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    Why public safety is turning toward AI and 5G

    In 2025 and beyond, it is expected that public safety professionals will prioritize both reliability and data-driven, real-time insights.

    By Maggie Hallbach • Jan. 8, 2025
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    Network-powered procurement: The future of public sector procurement

    Network-powered procurement leverages peer collaboration, supplier networks and full-cycle solutions to enhance efficiency and innovation.

    By Anthony Berry • Jan. 6, 2025
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    GenAI expands the race for search and meaning, with implications for society and government

    Regardless of how you feel about generative AI, it is here to stay. Any success will depend on the quality of its data and sources.

    By Alan R. Shark • Feb. 15, 2023