Economic Development
Growing along the lines
Arlington County, Va., officials first adopted smart-growth principles in the late 1960s and early 1970s when they decided to reroute a key Metro line...
Agencies move to close 'grocery gaps'
By: Annie Gentile
As chain supermarkets have been abandoning inner cities to build in suburbs where land is both more plentiful and less expensive, many low-income urban...
Branding helps cities make their mark
For economic development officials and tourism leaders, a city's brand can be a strong magnet for businesses and visitors. But, many cities do not have...
Where the heart is
By: Deanna Hart
Only a one-lane roadway of rippled and cracked asphalt led to an isolated property on Montgomery Avenue in Fairmont, W.Va. The house, occupied by Angie...
Conservation creates green collar jobs
By: Annie Gentile
As local governments pass policies and create programs to encourage building and sustainable development, they also are fostering the development of jobs...
Transit development's chicken-or-egg hitch
By: Mike Clark-Madison
Transit systems, such as light rail, often attract new mixed-use developments and open up urban infill sites for revitalization, boosting local tax bases....
Planned communities continue to spread
By: Ed Brock
In the 1960s and 1970s, planned communities were created in response to concerns that typical subdivision regulations did not assure the presence of open,...
Encore performances
By: Deanna Hart
Restored theater helps maintain “heart” of downtown Tracy, Calif....
USCM predicts $166 billion gross domestic product loss from foreclosures
A report from the Washington-based U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) predicts that the recent increase in foreclosures will result in a $166 billion loss to the gross domestic product and a $45 billion loss for the 10 cities hit hardest by the crisis....
USCM, Clinton Foundation promote greening of cities
On Thursday, former President Bill Clinton announced at the Washington-based U.S. Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) Mayors Climate Protection Summit...
Building Character
By: By Michael Stern
Communities leverage their unique assets to help breathe life into downtown areas....
Engineering Project Manager
The City of Valdosta is seeking an Engineering Project Manager. Duties include overseeing engineering project work including the supervision of staff performing survey, design and plan review duties. Conducts meetings with contractors or consultants and supervises the Stormwater permitting function....
The buck stopped here
By: By Robert Barkin
During legislative hearings last spring, national accounting regulators were adamant in telling Texas legislators they absolutely must comply with a new rule to report the cost of post-retirement health care benefits. But, State Senator Leticia Van de Putte was not buying it....
Time is always money
By: By Christopher Swanson
An increasing number of local governments are preparing financial forecasts to project revenues and expenditures five or more years into the future. When...
Charging it?
By: By Lynn Larson
In the last decade, many local governments have begun using purchasing cards (p-cards), a type of commercial credit card, to pay for goods and services....
Bridging the gap
By: By Meredith Preston
In the wake of the tragic collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, government officials are elevating the discussion on how to fund the country's...
A risky business
By: By Stephen Gauthier
Because the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) will soon require governments to disclose any unfunded actuarial accrued liability for other...
Starting from scratch
Project: Public-private partnership Jurisdiction: Johns Creek, Ga. Contractor: Denver-based CH2M HILL OMI Date began: December 2006 Cost: $18 million...
Many happy returns
By: By David Anderson
Because of the high cost of infrastructure improvements and limited revenue, many local governments fail to repair significant infrastructure problems...
Hot on the trail
By: By Meredith Preston
On a Tuesday in mid-July, presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told thousands of county officials that she knows they sometimes feel they...
The waters may rise
By: By Robert Barkin
As Roseville, Calif.'s public works director, Rob Jensen hears plenty of complaints about his growing community's problems with traffic congestion. But,...
Tracking staff benefits
Project: Pension administration system Jurisdiction: Kansas Agency: Public Employees Retirement System Vendor: Roseville, Minn.-based Sagitec Solutions...
Grants to grow green
By: By Meredith Preston
Cities and counties are implementing climate protection initiatives ranging from emissions reductions to energy-efficient construction. More than 500...
On the home front
By: By Robert Barkin
At a recent meeting, the mayor of Shaker Heights, Ohio, announced that the city would participate in a new county financing program that would pay the...
Counting on accuracy
Since the Norwalk, Conn.-based Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) passed Statement 34 in 1999, requiring local governments to calculate asset...
