On the Kansas side of Kansas City’s metropolitan area is Gardner, one of the poorest cities in Johnson County, according to Mayor Steve Shute. With an estimated population of just over 21,000 people, the largest employers are United School District … Continue reading →
While water is often taken for granted by the average consumer, members of public works departments know the immense value water has to a community and there is a finite amount available in a given year. For decades, municipalities have … Continue reading →
Bordering three Great Lakes and covered with forests, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is 30% larger than the state of Maryland in terms of landmass but with a population 20 times smaller. While the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge is the more celebrated entrance … Continue reading →
With heavy rainfalls a normal part of life in the Pacific Northwest, one of Washington’s largest cities recently completed a roughly $190 million project to protect the health of its river. As part of an initiative to clean the Spokane … Continue reading →
In cities across the United States, industries that were thriving decades ago are dying off and leaving large facilities unoccupied and unkempt. Eventually, developers or municipalities take it upon themselves to tear down old buildings and start anew. But in … Continue reading →
With each passing year, the cost of repairing and replacing emergency vehicles, such as fire apparatuses and police cars, grows. Today, a police vehicle will cost nearly six-figures, while the price of most new fire trucks is more than half … Continue reading →
For decades, the public works department in the city of Lancaster, Pa., has been held back by having too many of its bureaus located under multiple roofs. This prevented effective communication between the bureaus from taking place, but that’s recently … Continue reading →
Not that long ago, Jeff Collins of Augusta, Arkansas, was the last person one would want to run their city or town. As the one-time owner of a trucking business, he began to use methamphetamines as a means to … Continue reading →
One of the most important tasks for any state department of transportation is to save lives. That’s why road construction and repair is so vital to pretty much every municipality. Yet vehicle-related fatalities are still a major cause of … Continue reading →
As technology improves, it’s up to municipalities to provide more and more modern conveniences. This often means adding information and functionality to a city’s website. But how people access the internet has dramatically changed over the years and will continue … Continue reading →
At its core, the purpose of local government and community-oriented organizations is to assist and serve area residents. Typically, that’s by repaving roads, servicing utilities and ensuring that residents and prospective residents find living within a town or city’s borders … Continue reading →
