Despite attempts to repeal it and legal challenges questioning its constitutionality, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is about to have one of its major components come into effect during 2014: a mandate requiring everyone to purchase health insurance … Continue reading →
The new year brings dreams of hopes, challenges and priorities. Many cities are working on major projects, and all are trying to make due with the budgets that they have to work with. In Staunton, Va., City Manager Stephen Owen … Continue reading →
Missouri fire departments construct group purchase agreement By CHRIS HALL | Springfield Fire Department As departments are tasked with an ever-widening scope of service demands, the apparatus required to meet those demands get larger and more technical. This translates into … Continue reading →
The recession, along with recent trends in finance and economics, has changed the extent to which the local level of the public sector can expect single-source funding for projects. The level and reliability of funding streams, local demographics and the … Continue reading →
Across the nation, municipalities of all shapes and sizes are checking their signs — from hazard signs to stop signs — to make sure they meet new U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration retroreflectivity requirements, which went into effect … Continue reading →
What makes a great community? This is a question that frequently occupies the minds of municipal managers and elected officials. Everyone wants to claim theirs is a great community, but sometimes pinpointing just what the factors are that make a … Continue reading →
The town of Purcellville, Va., has embraced the challenge with several green initiatives from community shredding events including Painting Purcellville Green, an annual event with energy and cost-savings workshops plus other environmental themed activities. For these initiatives Purcellville has received … Continue reading →
It doesn’t happen every time, but occasionally, going green can also mean saving money. The State Electronics Challenge was designed by the Northeast Recycling Council in Brattleboro, Vt., as a way to teach municipal leaders green electronic disposal techniques. Since … Continue reading →
Seven years ago the state of Michigan embraced placemaking — not as a buzzword, but to develop a dialogue. “Our board (Michigan Municipal League) challenged us to be more proactive with what was going on economically,” said Arnold Weinfield, director … Continue reading →
A call comes in for a fire at a group home for mentally challenged adults. The caregivers have gotten nearly everyone out safely, but one of the non-verbal adults who has Asperger’s syndrome is panicking at a second-floor window. He … Continue reading →
What better place to celebrate the spirit of modern engineering than Daniel Burnham’s “City of the Big Shoulders?” Chicago opens its doors to public works professionals from all over the world next month during the American Public Works Association annual … Continue reading →
