Montage Enterprises: Surpassing the expectation in mower parts
If there is a constant during the spring and summer, it’s the wave of never-ending mowing. Highways, ditches, right-of-ways, parks and other municipal and DOT properties all require routine trimming to improve motorists’ visibility and the quality of public property. … More from our cover sponsor →
Looking ahead
2017 has been the year of headlines, and 2018 is shaping up to be just as interesting. One particular headline of note has been Amazon’s second North American headquarters, which has sparked a city versus city competition that has taken … Continue reading →
Get your message and brand out in the open with custom fleet graphics
Visual Marking Systems is a one-stop shop for wide-format graphics printing solutions, and its fleet graphics division is making it easier for municipal fleets to promote their cities’ brand, new services, events and special causes. With a variety of solutions, VMS can create graphics for everything from golf carts up to semi-trailer trucks.
Continue reading →Downtown revitalization: A boon for local economies
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks. Dressed in holiday style … Indeed, downtown city sidewalks are coming back into fashion all yearlong. And as increasingly more visionary municipalities shed their old downtowns’ ashes, the fresh ambience they create is attracting people of … Continue reading →
Encouraging economic development: Improve marketing and communications
by TROY KIDDER | TROY … Pure Blue Creative LLC One definition of a municipality is “a center for the exchanging of goods and services.” In other words, it’s people and money. Chances are you’re already doing a great job … Continue reading →
Collaboration needed to address sea level rise
For low-lying coastal cities, the global trend of rising sea levels is not something to be taken lightly. By 2050, Virginia may experience about 24 inches of sea level rise. In North Carolina, the state’s Coastal Resources Commission issued a … Continue reading →
Acting on drone technology today can save lives tomorrow
Technologıcal advancements not only help first responders work more efficiently, but also keep them safe while on the job. Drone technology is ever changing, having made strides in the past few years, but its fluctuating nature hasn’t stopped fire and … Continue reading →
Power hedging for public funds issuers
by BRIAN HODGE The cost of electricity can materially impact the “bottom line” and the budget process for many public funds issuers including local governments and tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects electricity prices to remain volatile … Continue reading →
Evanston’s three consecutive Tech Savvy designations
Since its inaugural year in 2014, the Public Technology Institute has awarded a few select cities and counties with its annual Tech Savvy designation. PTI offers this designation because it believes in the importance of recognizing those local government agencies … Continue reading →
In the loop: GoWesterville keeps residents apprised of municipal projects
When the residents of Westerville, Ohio, voted to raise their income tax rate to 2 percent in order to fund some critical infrastructure improvements in 2008, they did so under a few conditions. They insisted that all streets in less … Continue reading →
Virginia Beach invites residents into city budget planning process
What if citizens had complete control over their city budget? No holds barred, no dreams too big or small. In this world, citizens get to shift money around, fund their most burning desires and lay off the items they feel get … Continue reading →
Buffalo Green Code moves city toward modern development
Buffalo, N.Y., has spent the last seven years developing and polishing its new Green Code. This will be a development strategy based on the city’s comprehensive plan and plan for the future of Buffalo by focusing on four fundamental principles: … Continue reading →
Conductive concrete shows promise in snowy northern states
It seems like a dream come true, especially for the U.S.’s northern regions that get blasted with snow, making roads and sidewalks dangerous to navigate. What we’re referring to is real: There is a way to keep roads, driveways, sidewalks … Continue reading →
Small Iowa cities seize grant opportunities
Cities of 5,000 and smaller in Iowa have been given an unique opportunity to address abandoned commercial and public structures through the Iowa Department of Natural Resource’s Derelict Building Grant Program, which was established in 2011. This program offers the … Continue reading →
Technology improving communication in several ways
We know that technology and social media allow for better and more frequent communication with our loved ones, but how is that transferring to municipal jobs? The answer is in a variety of ways. According to a Florida International University … Continue reading →
Chesterfield, Mo.: Location drives growth
Chesterfield, Mo., may be a small city, but what it lacks for in population it makes up for in economic development and growth. Chesterfield is located about 25 minutes west of downtown St. Louis, along the Interstate 64/U.S. Highway 40 … Continue reading →
Freeport, Minnesota
Visitors to Freeport, Minn., are always greeted with a big smile. The felicitous image of the smily face on the town’s water tower is also front and center on Freeport’s city seal. “When they were putting up our water tower, … Continue reading →
Pest House Lynchburg, Va.
It takes a hero to wade soul-deep into a miasma of death and laboriously rescue victims teetering on the abyss. Dr. John Jay Terrell was that kind of a hero. The good doctor volunteered to staff the first of 39 … Continue reading →
Council Bluffs finds creative solutions to drainage issues
The old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention” could be applied to Council Bluffs, Iowa’s, public works department as challenges faced in a high water table neighborhood created the need for them to think outside the box for solutions. … Continue reading →