Local Government Management
Local government AI training needs workflow proofing
COMMENTARY | Training should be treated as the beginning, rather than the finish line, and judge what works after the excitement of being in the classroom fades.
How tech can help localities solve weather gaps
National Weather Service radars may miss storms or other incidents, but now local governments are investing in their own equipment to supplement those federal tools.
The irony of scarcity: When risk and opportunity reside between agencies
COMMENTARY | New technologies are interacting with governance systems built around older assumptions in areas like water and electricity. AI will shift that paradigm.
Many localities have tried data center moratoriums, tracker finds
The National League of Cities found that 76 cities, counties or towns have at least attempted moratoriums or permanent bans, with most being successful. That number is likely even higher.
Counties are where government has to show its work
COMMENTARY | Counties build and run the machinery of public life under a budget that cannot hide the tradeoffs — and that is what equips them for government’s hardest choices.
Lowndes County residents demand transparency in hyperscale data center development
The facility has requested 1,500 megawatts of energy capacity from Alabama Power — enough to power roughly one million homes.
How one Virginia county’s AI platform protects sensitive data
Prince William County uses Liminal to prevent employees from inputting sensitive data into generative AI in what a spokesperson described as a “filtration level.”
Going on the offensive: How local governments can proactively leverage data against physical climate risk
COMMENTARY | Local agencies are not climate modeling labs, but by using external data, leaders can protect their capacity and focus entirely on using local expertise to make decisions.
The hidden cost of tech complexity in state and local governments
COMMENTARY | Tool sprawl creates various challenges, including requiring more manual work and undermining security. A stronger operating model can reduce that complexity.
Former county CIO reflects on lessons learned from decades in government
Steve Monaghan, the former CIO of Nevada County, California, said workers should be focused on building their organizational health, not just fixing the issues of the day.
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Beyond the note-taker: What city managers should demand from meeting intelligence
COMMENTARY | General AI tools and note-takers fall short of what is required to act on decisions made. Several key questions help separate a note-taker from meeting intelligence.
AI could offer a helping hand for treasury management, study finds
More effective treasury management, including via the use of tech, can help local governments build financial resilience amid budget and staffing shortages, one expert says.
The new trust challenge facing state and local government
COMMENTARY | Residents receive information through systems that sit between the publisher and public, like AI and search engines. Accountability, then, becomes harder to follow.
Lee County residents demand pause on North Carolina data center, claiming deception
Lee County residents demand pause on proposed data center, citing noise pollution, environmental impacts and a lack of transparency.
The difference between ‘another dashboard’ and a useful one
COMMENTARY | A great dashboard requires clear ownership, and taking a closer look at your data culture.
Missoula County adopts temporary moratorium on data centers
The interim freeze would prohibit new or expanded data centers in the Montana county, excluding the city of Missoula.
Clark County commissioners hear push for data center moratorium but take no action
Nevada residents have protested the number of data centers going up in their communities, but elected leaders did not lay out any specific plans or regulations.
The missing link in digital government: Connectivity
COMMENTARY | Many residents receive information on mobile devices, and any government that does not have a mobile-first strategy risks leaving them behind.
When AI becomes the first interpreter, government needs a new information layer
COMMENTARY | Government information is always available. The question is whether it can be consistently understood in the systems that increasingly deliver it.
America’s data center backlash is bipartisan — can it stay that way?
As opposition mounts, some experts wonder how long AI infrastructure can steer clear of the partisanship that defines U.S. politics.
