Immigration has been a hot-button topic for quite some time, and it doesn’t look like that will end soon. What can be done? To begin with, we need to educate ourselves as to the possibilities for anyone who is trying … Continue reading →
Whether you call it a growth plan, master plan, opportunity plan or comprehensive plan, most cities and towns see the need to have such a plan and to update it regularly. And as Matt Kostelnik, with the Lake of the … Continue reading →
Go green! That’s the wide-reaching mandate handed down by your city council. But when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, there’s an area that maintenance, utilities, parks and street departments are probably not even looking at — the up to … Continue reading →
In 2020, the newly elected mayor of Savannah, Ga., Van R. Johnson II, with the cooperation of the city council, fulfilled one of his campaign promises by creating eight task forces, including the Racial Equity and Leadership task force, aimed … Continue reading →
This year, the highly pathogenic avian influenza hit the U.S. again. Some of the first confirmed cases popped up in Northwestern states, although flocks throughout the country were affected. Urban farmers with small flocks felt the effect particularly hard. Common … Continue reading →
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on the American job market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Labor, March 2022 reported 6.3 million total unemployed persons — a 3.8% unemployment rate. But, one … Continue reading →
Recently, cities have been looking at their animal ordinances or animal shelters to improve their care of the pet population. Many are reworking ordinances to better control what animals are allowed or the number of animals allowed within city limits … Continue reading →
Three years ago, Amarillo, Texas, implemented a new program called Coming Home to address the increasing homeless population. Using a point in time count, city-coordinated volunteers sought out individuals living in locations not meant for human habitation during a 24-hour … Continue reading →
While the city of Syracuse, N.Y., has previously run a summer youth program for 16- to 18-year-old students to work for six weeks during the summer — many at city hall — a summer program for younger students was recently … Continue reading →
What do Mark Twain, Tommy Hilfiger and Jeff Plate, the drummer for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, have in common? All three have the privilege of having been born in Elmira, N.Y. While those three may seem like an odd pairing, the … Continue reading →
Municipal budgets don’t always get a lot of positive press or public recognition. Still, when they do, it’s often a reason for celebration. That’s the case for Farmington Hills, Mich., which was honored with the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished … Continue reading →
