Local Government Management

To Unlock the Full Potential of Data, Local Governments Need The Right Talent

COMMENTARY | Local governments don’t need more data—they need people who can process what they already have.

  • By Jeff Mazur

'The Internet Has Made Us Dumber,' and Other Lessons Government Officials Learned in 2020

State and local officials weigh in on what they're taking from—and leaving behind in—the dumpster fire that was last year.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Making Community Engagement More Accessible and Inclusive

COMMENTARY | The pandemic quickly shifted most community engagement to virtual arrangements, but not all citizens have ready access to online forums. Public officials can address inequities by finding alternative ways to gather valuable community input.

  • By Shaughnessy Daniels

Cutting-edge Financial Technology is a Must for Local Governments Recovering from the Pandemic

COMMENTARY | States and municipalities who have had to adopt remote services amid the coronavirus pandemic should scale up their digital infrastructure to maintain their ability to collect and reconcile payments. Doing so will help them to prevent disruptions to revenue flows and services.

  • By Mark Engels

Local Police Departments Investigate Whether Their Officers Took Part in Capitol Riot

Police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters attended the pro-Trump rally held before the riot began. Many are now on administrative leave while agencies probe their actions.

  • By Andrea Noble

New Law Aims to Help Localities Shift to '.Gov' Web Addresses

Many local governments rely on “.com” or “.org” URLs, making it easier for cyber criminals to trick users with imposter websites.

  • By Bill Lucia

Survey: Residents Prefer Multiple Ways to Access Local Government Services

But the specific type of access that residents prefer—in-person visits, phone calls, or digital—depends on where they live and how old they are.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

A Decrease in Student Transfers Could Have Lasting Effects on Education Mobility

Transfers by college students decreased by 8%, with disproportionate impacts to minorities and community-college students, according to research from the National Student Clearinghouse.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Local Health Departments Are Understaffed. Would Biden’s ‘Public Health Jobs Corps’ Help?

Public health leaders say the president-elect’s idea for a corps to help with contact tracing would miss the mark of current needs on the ground, saying they are looking for broader, and more long lasting, federal support.

  • By Emma Coleman

For America’s New Mayors, a Chance to Lead with Data

COMMENTARY | The challenges facing local governments are bigger than ever and tackling them will require building cultures inside city halls committed to using data and making decisions based on evidence.

  • By Zachary Markovits and Molly Daniell

Another Region Offers Remote Workers $10,000—and a Bike!—to Move

Northwest Arkansas will provide a cash incentive and a street or mountain bike to qualified remote workers who relocate to the area.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In One Kentucky Community, Dogs Rule—Literally

Wilbur, a 6-month-old French bulldog, is the latest canine mayor of Rabbit Hash, an unincorporated community in Kentucky that's been led by dogs since the late 1990s.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
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For Decades, Denver Outlawed Pit Bulls. Voters Just Overturned the Ban.

The city passed a pit-bull ban in 1989 after multiple people reported being attacked by the breed, although research has shown that such policies have little effect on public safety.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

'Grab and Go' Treats and Other Strategies Cities Are Suggesting to Save Halloween

Trick-or-treating is still happening, but with new restrictions or guidance, and most cities have canceled Halloween parades, festivals and haunted houses.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Cities Giving Paid Leave to Employees to Work the Polls

Facing shortages of poll workers, some city officials are allowing employees to volunteer as election workers in exchange for paid leave.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Report: The Country's Top Cities for Clean Energy Policy

New York City, Boston and Seattle top the 2020 Clean Energy Scorecard, which ranks 100 cities on local efforts to implement clean energy policy. But only 20 cities are on track to meet their own community climate goals.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In Santa Monica, City Hall Makes its Own Water, Power—and Goodwill

COMMENTARY | Municipal leaders can build new facilities that recycle water and generate power, as well as uplift staff and citizens.

  • By Heidi Creighton

How Local Governments Can Get Feedback From a More Diverse Range of Residents

Participation in local government often skews heavily toward white residents, elderly people, and homeowners.

  • By Emma Coleman

‘All Kinds of Opportunity Here’: Will the Pandemic Help Improve the Way Cities Operate?

The virus brought about sudden changes to the way cities do business, some of which could stick. Local government leaders discussed this and other ways cities might transform during the final day of Route Fifty's Future Cities event.

  • By Bill Lucia

Introducing Future Cities: Government's Inside Track to 2030

Next week, Route Fifty will host Future Cities—a weeklong digital experience that will help government officials envision what the next decade of city government could look like.

  • By Alisha Powell Gillis

Parks Prove Popular During Pandemic—But Budget Cuts Loom

A June survey by the National Park and Recreation Association found that a majority of Americans consider parks an essential government service, but decreased revenue from the coronavirus pandemic is likely to threaten parks funding in the future.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram