Four particular challenges of city and town management receive attention in this issue of The Municipal: handling disasters, managing citizen reports, effective succession planning and fostering leadership among key civic organizations. A fifth local government management issue caught my eye … Continue reading →
Most members of the public feel safe when the big red fire engine or the boys in blue show up at the scene of a crisis. We know that’s why firefighters, law enforcement officers and other public safety officials do … Continue reading →
Utilization. Justification. Everywhere you look, someone from higher up the food chain wants you to do more with less money and less equipment. Fleet managers are looking more closely than they have in a generation at whether they’re achieving maximum … Continue reading →
The theme of this month’s issue of The Municipal could be a little nebulous. Energy topics encompass an inἀnite number of forms and methods of delivery. The commercial ones are buzzed about incessantly. Today’s energy catchwords are “wind,” “solar,” “renewable … Continue reading →
Making a New Year’s resolution or two might not be a bad idea for the managers of municipal systems, especially since we’ve all been stretching those diminishing budget dollars to—and beyond—the breaking point. In this month’s issue, we take a … Continue reading →
One month after a perfect storm slammed into the eastern seaboard, I think we’re all still taking in the staggering extent of the disruption and devastation. The scope of the storm was enough to grab attention all by itself. Rain … Continue reading →
Technology has changed the details of how we do our jobs, and most of those changes have been for the better. They’ve certainly made us more efficient. But even while we’re learning to rely on some amazingly-capable new technology, … Continue reading →
Times are tough. Personal income is still clawing its way back to an upward trend, according to information released by the U.S. Commerce Department this month. Among the things that people can’t afford these days are gym memberships and comprehensive … Continue reading →
It’s intimidating, as a reporter, to write about subjects that your audience might already be more familiar with than you are. This month I had that feeling while researching the development of bullet-resistant body armor. That’s why, here at The … Continue reading →
For about a decade now, revitalizations have been the rage in municipal redevelopment. In most cases, demolishing a site that’s fallen into disuse and putting up a low-cost pole building, a warehouse or modular construction is more cost-effective than restoring … Continue reading →
People like to complain. Maybe it gives us something to do. No matter what anyone does for a living, or how well they do it, someone else will feel at liberty to question why and how the job was completed. … Continue reading →
