Cities
State Governments Look to Entrepreneurs for Creativity, Efficiency
Assembly member Ian Calderon (second from left) wants California to have a state entrepreneur-in-residence program. Some cities and states are seeking the advice of entrepreneurs. (AP) Follow on Twitter Entrepreneurs in government? The idea may sound like an oxymoron to government bashers. Yet a move is on to bring successful entrepreneurs into state agencies, city […]
States Try to Unload Local Roads
Fog casts an eerie haze over the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge in downtown Beaufort, S.C. Local officials want money to pay for upkeep if they take over some of the many state-owned roads in the city. (AP) For years, the leaders of Beaufort, S.C., have promoted the charms and convenience of their coastal city, […]
Cities Turn to Streetcars to Spur Economic Development
Tucson has built four-mile-long streetcar tracks that will run between the University of Arizona campus and downtown. Only two of the eight cars that will be used to ferry passengers every 10 minutes have arrived, and operations will not start until next year. But local business leaders say the streetcar has already revived the center […]
Michigan and Detroit: A Troubled Relationship
A broken streetlight lies on a sidewalk east of downtown Detroit. Some city leaders say Michigan bears some of the blame for Detroit’s decline. (AP) Michigan has wrested control of Detroit’s financial affairs from the city’s elected officials, but state leaders insist there will be no bailout for the city or its retirees. “We don’t […]
Kansas or Indiana? Not in Basketball, but Population
(AP) Have you already filled out your NCAA brackets and looking for more? The folks at the U.S. Census have come up with a “population bracketology” interactive game that tests your knowledge of state and local populations. The objective is to pick the larger population between two states or metro areas. When you have opposing […]
Should Public Workers Have to Live Where They Work?
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (left) and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker campaigned against each other in the 2010 gubernatorial election and a 2012 recall. Now, they’re embroiled in a heated debate over whether cities and school districts should be able to require employees to live where they work. (AP) Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Wisconsin Gov. […]
Detroit and Its Unions Fight Over Work Rules
Fire Captain Steve Kirschner is willing to be cross-trained to help respond to medical emergencies, but he worries whether he would be given the proper equipment and training to do so. DETROIT– Labor relations here haven’t been rosy since the last time local finances were in good shape. That’s been quite a while. But now […]
North Carolina Limits Cities’ Ability to Grow
North Carolina cities, which have enjoyed broad annexation powers for more than five decades, will have a harder time absorbing surrounding areas thanks to a new state law the legislature approved in May. Before the new law took effect, North Carolina cities were allowed to amass unincorporated territory even over the objections of the residents […]
Detroit and Michigan: A Fragile Bargain
Detroit resident Zeline Richard, 85, voices opposition to the state’s involvement in the city’s affairs during a recent city council meeting. DETROIT — The state of Michigan and the city of Detroit hammered out a consent agreement in April that was intended to function as a sort of grand bargain. The idea was that the […]
Mayors Back Parent-Trigger Laws for “Drop-out Factories”
The nation’s mayors have endorsed an approach that gives parents more say in how to run failing schools, an issue that has divided state legislatures. Led by a posse of mostly Democrat mayors, including Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa, Sacramento’s Kevin Johnson and Newark’s Cory Booker, the city leaders on Saturday (June 16) threw their support […]
States Worry About Tax Reform
States are hoping they don’t lose out in billions of dollars in tax breaks if Congress reforms the tax code this year. Groups representing governors and local governments have pressed Congress to essentially “do no harm” to state and local government coffers when crafting legislation to overhaul the U.S. tax code. But U.S. Senator Max Baucus, […]