Consortium to certify state and local chief information officers
The Washington-based Public Technology Institute (PTI), the University of North Carolina School of Government’s Center for Public Technology in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., have created a program to train and certify chief information officers....
Foreclosures lead to decline in cities’ revenues, NLC survey says
The increasing number of foreclosures across the country has led to a decline in revenue for one-third of cities responding to a recent poll by the Washington-based National League of Cities (NLC)....
Local governments going to the dogs
As more local governments open dog parks in their communities, many of them are sharing their experiences on an online forum maintained by the Washington-based International City/County Management Association (ICMA). ...
Fire Chief magazine to hold third annual Station Style Conference
Chicago-based Fire Chief magazine is holding its third annual Station Style Conference April 26-29 in Phoenix....
PERI Web tool benchmarks local governments’ risks
The Fairfax, Va.-based Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) has created a Web-based tool for local governments to establish benchmarks for their risk management programs....
Financial Times, Urban Land Institute seek entries for Sustainable Cities Award
The Washington-based Urban Land Institute (ULI) and England’s Financial Times (FT) have extended the deadline for entering the FT ULI Sustainable Cities Award contest to March 31....
NATOA calls for entries for Government Programming Awards
The Alexandria, Va.-based National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) is calling for entries for its Government Programming Awards....
Feds to determine Southeast water sharing policies
The federal government will have to establish water-sharing policies between three Southeastern states after the states’ governors failed to reach an agreement between them, according to a letter from Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne....
Washington will not reinstate fired child welfare workers
Despite a ruling by an administrative hearing officer recommending reinstatement for four District of Columbia child welfare workers who were fired last month in connection with the deaths of four young girls, the district’s interim Attorney General Peter Nickles says the terminations will not be reversed, according to media reports....
Los Angeles passes spay/neuter ordinance
Most pet owners in Los Angeles will now be required to have their dogs or cats spayed or neutered by the time the animals are four months old....
USCM holds summit on prisoner reentry into society
The Washington-based U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) held a summit in New York to address the problem of reintegrating released prisoners into society. Academics, along with representatives from various foundations, joined the mayors at the “Mayors Summit on Reentry and Employment” on Thursday to discuss ways to keep released convicts employed and out of prison....
Governments’ financial reporting not open enough, survey shows
State and local governments are “under-delivering” open and honest information about spending practices to the public, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Alexandria, Va.-based Association of Government Accountants (AGA)....
SIMA announces training session
The Milwaukee-based Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) will hold its regular training session in Chicago on April 25. The daylong session, titled “SIMA Goes to Court,” will feature speakers on handling court cases, developing asset protection programs and understanding the risks of snow and ice management....
National Ground Water Association opens new Web page
The Westerville, Ohio-based National Ground Water Association (NGWA) has opened a new Web page containing free, downloadable articles on planning for and managing drought. Some of the titles include “Aquifer Storage and Recovery-Water Management for the Future,” “Conservation: A New Source of Water” and “Water Conservation and the Political Process: Strategies for Policy Making.”...
United Nations delegation to attend Carbon Forum America
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) staff members plan to send a large delegation to the upcoming Carbon Forum America in San Francisco....
WaterISAC announces new service levels
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the creation of Pro and Basic service levels for its WaterISAC national water security network for drinking water and wastewater utilities. ...
Submit your nominations for American City & County’s 2008 awards
Entry forms and official rules for American City & County’s 2008 awards are now available online....
Carbon Forum side events to cover carbon offsets quality assurance
The upcoming Carbon Forum America, scheduled for Feb. 26-27 in San Francisco, will feature four side events on carbon offsets quality assurance initiatives....
Public safety officials need advanced communications technology, survey shows
Public safety officials say advanced communications technology is their most critical tool in responding to emergencies, according to a survey released last week by the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and Schaumburg, Mo.-based Motorola....
Local government officials, health care IT workers discuss technology
At the end of January, local and state officials met with health care IT workers at a summit in Atlanta, sponsored by the Washington-based Public Technology Institute (PTI), to discuss the ways technology can help improve the delivery of health care services....
ICMA releases affordable housing publication
Inclusionary zoning, which requires developers to provide affordable housing in market-rate housing projects, and counseling for homeowners at risk of foreclosure have proven effective in increasing the amount of affordable housing in many communities, according to a new publication from the Washington-based International City/County Management Association (ICMA)....
NLC opens nominations for Municipal Excellence Awards
The Washington-based National League of Cities (NLC) is accepting nominations for its Municipal Excellence Awards....
Officials mourn Kirkwood, Mo., shooting victims
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt has ordered the state’s Highway Patrol to assist police in Kirkwood, Mo., where a gunman killed two police officers, two council members and the public works director at a Thursday night council meeting. Also, Washington-based National League of Cities (NLC) President Cynthia McCollum released a statement calling the victims, and all local officials, “unsung heroes.”...
Bloomberg, Schwarzenegger and Rendell announce funding coalition
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell have created a coalition to encourage and direct federal funding for infrastructure investment. ...
USCM issues Dollar Wise grants
Santa Fe, N.M.; Caguas, Puerto Rico; and Jackson, Miss., have received grants for financial literacy programs from the Washington-based U.S. Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) Dollar Wise program....
