Commuter railroads scramble to meet 24% jump in liability insurance coverage requirements

Passenger railroads have until Sept. 4 to find new policies they can afford. If they can't, they may have to cease operating, an industry advocate warns.

By Dan Zukowski • Aug. 13, 2026

NYC luxury home tax moves ahead while courts review lawsuit

A Staten Island judge ordered a halt to the city’s rollout of a new “pied-à-terre” tax. The city’s appeal stayed the order.

By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 13, 2026

Online payments: 8 ways cities can make them easier and safer

Cities need to think beyond the payment portal to consider integration, security and user experience when implementing electronic payments, experts say.

By Vicky Uhland • Aug. 13, 2026

FTA grants $1.28B for Utah commuter rail

The 83-mile FrontRunner rail line connecting Ogden, Salt Lake City and Provo would get more trains and track, but federal funding questions could impact the project.

By Dan Zukowski • Aug. 12, 2026

Changes to HUD homelessness aid again blocked by court

The agency’s new criteria for access to $4 billion in funding for local governments to address homelessness failed to follow administrative procedures, a Rhode Island judge ruled.

By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 10, 2026

Cities need a new workforce strategy. Universities should be part of it.

Local governments facing labor shortages can build stronger talent pipelines and improve public services through deeper partnerships with higher education, a criminal justice professor says.

By Michael Birzer • Aug. 7, 2026

The American Dream has evolved. Cities need to catch up, a new report says.

Economic mobility depends on far more than income. Cities must also invest in health, jobs and community connection to help residents thrive, the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation found.

By Stephanie Kanowitz • Aug. 6, 2026

Reduced transportation funding approved by Senate in stopgap bill

Public transit faces a 20% cut and passenger rail an 83% cut in the Senate reconciliation bill, which funds the federal government until Dec. 11.

By Dan Zukowski • Updated Aug. 10, 2026

$20B in federal climate grants unblocked by appeals court

A divided court rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to reclaim Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants “based solely on a policy disagreement” with the Inflation Reduction Act. 

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 5, 2026

Smaller communities wary of proposed federal grant overhaul

The changes could discourage small cities from applying for federal funding and increase municipal budget uncertainty, College Park, Georgia, Mayor Bianca Motley Broom says.

By Vicky Uhland • Aug. 4, 2026

SNAP cuts could shift new costs onto cities, mayors say

Emergency services could be impacted, and the reduced federal food assistance and higher administrative costs will ripple through local economies, city leaders warn.

By Vicky Uhland • July 31, 2026

Boston’s $10B coastal resilience infrastructure plan wins access to billions in federal funding

The city qualifies for a 65% federal cost share following a U.S. Army Corps feasibility study, paving the way for more than 20 flood-protection projects expected to prevent $41 billion in damages.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • July 30, 2026

Washington Union Station renovation seeks private investment

The U.S. Department of Transportation will invest $24 million to develop a public-private partnership, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

By Dan Zukowski • July 29, 2026

HUD funding changes spur lawsuit from fair housing groups

Funding for more than 100 nonprofit fair housing organizations nationwide is in jeopardy following a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program revision, the lawsuit states.

By Ryan Kushner • July 28, 2026

Mass transit, bike lanes, EV infrastructure face substantial cuts in DOT proposal

Building and expanding interstate highways is a priority for the administration’s next surface transportation legislation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a letter to six Senate leaders.

By Dan Zukowski • July 27, 2026

$530M from state millionaire tax will go to Boston-area transit agency

The infusion from the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget will help cover the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s operating expenses.

By Dan Zukowski • July 24, 2026

Multiyear surface transportation legislation in doubt, experts say

The legislation that funds highways and mass transit appears stalled in the Senate after the House passed a bipartisan five-year bill.

By Dan Zukowski • July 21, 2026

This demographic shift could reshape cities, Urban Institute says

Shrinking birthrates could weaken local economies if cities don't make it easier for families to put down roots, according to a new report.

By Stephanie Kanowitz • July 20, 2026

Bike lanes, speed cameras removed from FHWA safety measures list

The Federal Highway Administration did not announce its decision to remove the measures. One member of Congress has asked it to explain.

By Dan Zukowski • July 17, 2026

Top concerns of city leaders: 4 takeaways from NLC’s State of the Cities 2026

As they face shrinking federal support and housing shortages, city leaders focus on attracting business for economic growth, a National League of Cities report found.

By Vicky Uhland • July 14, 2026

$1.1 trillion a year in federal funding at risk in proposed OMB grant overhaul, municipal leaders warn

Local officials are urged to comment before July 13 on a regulatory change that would expand agencies’ power to cancel grants and alter how they manage annual funding.

By Vicky Uhland • July 10, 2026

$1.73B for roads, bridges, transit and other projects allocated in USDOT awards

More than three-quarters of grants went to road and bridge projects, while public transit received less than 10% of total award funds.

By Dan Zukowski • July 9, 2026

California return-to-office mandate puts state buildings to the test

As more than 100,000 state employees shift to four in-office days, experts say the bigger question is whether government offices are designed for how people work today.

By Joe Burns • July 9, 2026

Election security requirements added to FEMA homeland security grants

The agency is requiring states and “high-risk urban election jurisdictions” to use paper ballots and verify voter citizenship. Previous immigration and diversity-related restrictions have sparked state and local government lawsuits.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • July 9, 2026

New critical infrastructure cybersecurity framework features government, regional council options

The Trump administration has said it wants to push more cybersecurity resilience responsibilities to the state and local levels.

By Eric Geller • July 6, 2026