Renaissance man
By: Lindsay Isaacs, Associate Editor
Famous for its blues clubs, barbecue, Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tenn., draws a steady flood of tourists from around the...
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/City fiscal conditions worst in a decade
By: Christopher Hoene and Michael Pagano
For the first time in nearly a decade, most city officials say that, financially, they are worse off today than they were in the previous fiscal year....
Scoring big with special events
By: Beth Wade, Managing Editor
What makes a special event successful? With input from regional directors of the Ashburn, Va.-based National Recreation and Park Association, American...
Navigating the HIPAA maze
By: Lindsay Isaacs
Most people take for granted the confidentiality of their medical records. Although physicians, pharmacies and insurance companies regularly exchange...
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/Agencies partner for brownfield cleanup, jobs
By: Misty Reagin
The Los Angeles County Community Development Commission (CDC) recently partnered with Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and locally based Golden Springs Development...
ICMA presidential profile: Small town standout
By: Beth Wade
Decatur, Ga., is a rarity in the era of urban sprawl. Situated in the heart of Metropolitan Atlanta, the city of 20,000 residents has retained its small-town...
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/Ordinances help city collect debts
By: Donna Stuckert
In its search for extra funds during tight budget times, Evanston, Ill., looked to an unusual source for extra revenue: its debtors. The city passed two...
New regulations for Section 457 plans
In May, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed regulations on Section 457 deferred compensation plans, which allow local government employees...
Rx for prescription drug benefits
By: Lindsay Isaacs, Associate Editor
The rising cost of prescription medication presents a challenge to local governments with self-funded employee health care plans. While cities and counties...
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/Selecting a pension plan custodian
By: Brad Rinsem
Choosing a custodian for an employee pension plan is a key task for local governments. City and county pension plan administrators should understand the...
High times for Joey Preston
By: Lindsay Isaacs, Associate Editor
Three years ago, Freedom Weekend Aloft the largest hot air balloon festival east of the Mississippi River moved from Greenville County, S.C., to neighboring...
Straight shooter
By: Beth Wade, Managing Editor
I'm not shy about speaking up, says Dallas County Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield. That is not a bad trait for the man who, this month, becomes president...
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/Taking a refreshing look at funding
By: Henry Taboada
Like all U.S. cities, Long Beach, Calif., is facing a tight economy that forces the city to stretch available funds. While traditional revenue sources...
URBAN REVITALIZATION/City's residents team for a better downtown
By: Bob Richardson, city manager, Lemon Grove, Calif.
With downtown vacancies rising and revenue dropping, officials of Lemon Grove, Calif., had a sour outlook. But that changed when the city undertook a...
INSIDE WASHINGTON/Hammering out affordable housing
By: Mark Preston
Rep. Marge Roukema (R-N.J.) has authored the Housing Affordability for America Act (H.R. 3995), a bill that would establish a new housing production and...
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/Automation frees time for analysis
By: David Sundstrom
Sound financial decision-making is based, in part, on effective use of financial reports. For accountants and financial analysts, the process of providing...
Corrective Vision
By: Will Ballard, Kenn Bullock and Roger Dahnert
Established as a railroad town to serve mining and logging industries, Elkins, W.Va., thrived for decades. Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX was one of the...
If you build it, will they come?
By: Janet Ward
Twenty years ago, when Paul Mickle moved to Trenton, N.J., the city's waterfront was dominated by a defunct steelyard. U.S. Steel had abandoned the facility...
A fair to remember
By: Misty Reagin, Assistant Editor
Nothing can inspire a sense of community quite like a county fair. Fairs bring people together to have fun and to celebrate their heritage, their culture...
Development on the line
By: Lindsay Isaacs, Associate Editor
Smog, air pollution, traffic jams few urban areas can claim they do not struggle with those problems. Some cities propose public transportation as the...
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/Eco-industrial park helps city attract business
By: Lance Metzler, Mary Lechner and Timothy Hayes
Northampton County, Va., has constructed the country's first eco-industrial park in an effort to attract high-tech businesses and preserve the environment....
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY/Computer system tracks costs in lean times
By: Gus Fischer
The Orange County, Calif., Public Facilities and Resources Department (PFRD) has implemented a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to track...
Where the money is
By: Wendy Francis
In 1998, the Park Ridge, Ill.-based Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) released the results of its first member salary survey....
URBAN REVITALIZATION/Community taps its water for rehab project
By: Richard Dornhelm
Ten years ago, historic, working class Suisun City, Calif., suffered from urban decay, a high crime rate and industrial pollution. According to a study...
County installs ADA-compliant courts
In 1995, Gloucester County, N.J.'s Disabled Persons Advisory Commission asked the county to analyze its implementation of Title II of ADA. Human Services...
