Governance & Finance: Page 13

  • President-elect Donald Trump giving the thumbs-up against a background of U.S. flags.
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    How will a second Trump administration affect transportation policy?

    Federal support for public transportation, Amtrak, high-speed rail and electric vehicles may be at risk, experts said.

    By • Nov. 6, 2024
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    National Housing Crisis Task Force unveils agenda for next president, Congress

    The federal government must “fundamentally restructure” its organization to address the housing crisis, according to recommendations from 28 public, civic and corporate leaders. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 5, 2024
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    Local governments are less impacted by polarization, survey finds

    Political polarization is having a substantially negative impact on the nation, according to 87% of local government leaders recently surveyed by CivicPulse and Carnegie Corporation of New York.

    By • Nov. 4, 2024
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Transit agencies must improve rail worker safety under new FTA rule

    The Federal Transit Administration seeks to reduce the number of workers killed and injured while working on or around tracks.

    By • Nov. 4, 2024
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    Column

    2024 elections meet social media – How local governments can stay ahead

    Social media is a critical aspect of the 2024 election in different ways from years prior. This is due to younger generation voters engaging on platforms like X, Instagram and TikTok, and with half of all U.S. adults saying they at least sometimes get news via social media, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey.

    By Eric Grant • Nov. 1, 2024
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    Opinion

    Traverse City’s broadband project is a cautionary tale for other communities

    As a former telecommunications executive who created business plans for fiber networks, I’ve watched Traverse City, Mich.’s efforts to build a fiber municipal broadband network with both interest and concern.

    By Gerald DeGrazia • Oct. 29, 2024
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    As cyber threats evolve, cities and counties need to safeguard staffers’ mobile devices

    No question, more local governments are facing cyber threats in 2024, says Tim LeMaster, vice president, worldwide systems engineering at Lookout.

    By Michael Keating • Oct. 25, 2024
  • Large group of people in front of an eVTOL aircraft inside a building.
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    Courtesy of Archer Aviation
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    FAA sets air taxi pilot training, operations final rule

    Powered-lift aircraft like eVTOL, which operate like both helicopters and airplanes, are "the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years," the FAA administrator said in announcing the new rule.

    By • Oct. 25, 2024
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    NYC comptroller proposes stopping pensions’ private market investments in fossil fuels

    The funds would be the first U.S. public pension plans to have exclusions on investing in fossil fuel infrastructure like pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals.

    By Lamar Johnson • Oct. 25, 2024
  • People sitting at desks sorting mail-in ballots.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    How transit ballot measures fared in Nov. 5 elections

    Many local and state transportation improvements earned bipartisan support even when measures asked to increase taxes, an analyst said.

    By • Updated Nov. 8, 2024
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Massachusetts investing in commuter rail to relieve traffic congestion

    “Our roads are at a standstill,” the state’s transportation secretary said at a conference last week, detailing how the state is making passenger rail a priority.

    By • Oct. 22, 2024
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Communities could lose unspent ARPA funds in December if they don’t do this

    Governments generally must “obligate” the funds, which requires more than passing a budget or earmarking them for use.

    By Tom Kaleko and Lucas Peterson • Oct. 21, 2024
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    Nominations open for the 2024 American City & County Crown Communities and Exemplary Public Servants awards

    Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 American City & County Crown Communities and Exemplary Public Servants awards.

    By Michelle Havich • Oct. 18, 2024
  • A person walks into a building with a sign out front that says "This is a no smoking area."
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Platform compiles ‘proven solutions’ to urban challenges, from air pollution to homelessness

    Bloomberg Philanthropies' Cities Idea Exchange added programs and policies that it says have a track record of stoking stakeholder interest and attracting investment.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 16, 2024
  • Several bicycles at a docking station on a street.
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    9 bike-friendly laws signed by California governor

    Bicycle advocates cheered laws that spur bike and pedestrian infrastructure construction, but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that advocates hoped would rein in driver speeding.

    By • Oct. 14, 2024
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    Column

    Procurement purchasing card perils: Will you be the next headline?

    In January, Local 10 news in Miami reported that a former Miami-Dade School Board member used district-issued credit cards to rack up more than $100,000 in personal purchases that included everything from refrigerators to a trip to Disney World.

    By Shannon Castillo, MBA, CFE • Oct. 11, 2024
  • A blue hybrid-electric bus in New Haven, Connecticut.
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    Alexander Farnsworth via Getty Images
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    How the White House influences transportation grantmaking

    Priorities vary among administrations, an Urban Institute report found. “The president actually has substantial discretion over a lot of these programs,” one researcher said.

    By • Oct. 9, 2024
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    On technology buys, it’s important that agency stakeholders work together throughout the process

    Teamwork is essential when cities and counties plan to buy new systems and equipment, says Gary Mitchell, director of SLED (state, local and education) business development at Iron Mountain Government Solutions, a company that provides secure management of data and assets; it works to protect, connect and activate high-value customer data.

    By Michael Keating • Oct. 8, 2024
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    $50B in transit ballot measures riding on November election

    Support for voter-approved transit funding has been strong. Transit agencies and advocates shared their stories at a recent American Public Transportation Association conference.

    By • Oct. 8, 2024
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    Expert: Internal combustion engines will be propelling fleet vehicles for many years to come

    Public-sector fleet managers may want to consider delaying replacing their internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles with electric vehicles/trucks (EVs) says Randall Taylor, CEO of The Fuel Ox, a global provider of fuel treatments and lubricants. For more than 10 years Taylor has led daily operations at the firm, which helps consumers and fleet managers reduce their footprint on the environment with bio-based, eco-friendly and almost completely toxin-free products.

    By Michael Keating • Oct. 2, 2024
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    2025’s top smart city conferences

    Smart city technology, housing, climate action, transportation, public safety and more take center stage at events in 2025.

    By • Updated June 27, 2025
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    States and tribes receive $1.5B to combat opioid crisis as overdose deaths decline

    As the Biden-Harris administration announced an influx of $1.5 billion for states and tribes last week to address the ongoing opioid epidemic, it had promising data to highlight.

    By • Sept. 30, 2024
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    Everyone, including top leaders, need to be on-board when agencies install new technology

    New systems installations need to go smoothly, says Steve Witt, director of public sector at Nintex, a global provider of process and workflow automation software with clients that include public sector entities, including the U.S. Department of Defense, city of Denver, the federal Veterans Administration and the U.S. Air Force. Go to the following link for information on Nintex’s work with governments.

    By Michael Keating • Sept. 27, 2024
  • A person in a suit stands in front of a crowd of people holding signs that say "Trump 2024" and "Road to Victory."
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    How a 2nd Trump administration could ‘jeopardize’ Inflation Reduction Act climate funds

    If elected, could Donald Trump claw back or withhold funds from communities? Experts from Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law offer insight.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 19, 2024
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    Governments need to plan for the entire product lifecycle when they purchase technology today

    When they buy technology, cities and counties will often face multiple issues, says Dean Cunningham, segment development manager, Public Safety at Axis Communications, a company that produces network cameras, access control systems, network audio devices and other IP networking solutions for physical security and video surveillance applications. The firm offers solutions for cities, other governments and corrections.

    By Michael Keating • Sept. 18, 2024