10 Questions Local Officials Need to Ask Their Budget Directors About Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability
Does your municipality rely on elastic revenue? How much does your General Fund rely on interfund transfers? Your finance team should know the answers to these questions and more.
Kansas Gets Ready to Dump Young Voters From Suspended List; Oregon’s Scary Bridge Report
Also: Religious loophole for Vermont parents and an "outdoor refreshment" zone for Toledo?
Smoking Ban Repeal Vote in Wyoming; Unpaid Water Bills Protest in Detroit Enclave
Leaders in this Oregon county really don’t want marijuana.
What’s the Coolest Idea, Project or Program You’ve Seen in Another Local Government?
We want to hear from you. Especially if you’re at ICMA!
Unsolicited Advice: Forget Beer, Grand Rapids. It's Time to Trumpet Architecture, Too.
There's so much great architecture in Michigan's second-largest city, which should do more to promote it.
Download Our Route Fifty-ICMA E-Book: ‘What’s Next in Local Government?’
Headed to Seattle for ICMA’s annual conference? Read our special report.
Nevada’s Tesla Gigafactory Growth Spurt; Water Cutbacks in Massachusetts
Also: Revolving door for Florida prison guards and gold-mining blues in Montana.
Route Fifty City-County Roadtrip Recap: The Trouble With Kalamazoo’s ‘Fountain of the Pioneers’
Is its design offensive and insensitive? Like some other controversial monuments in public spaces, there's no easy answer.
Happy 50th Birthday, Empire State Plaza; Las Vegas' Painted Circles for Buskers
Also: West Virginia’s first gigabit city?
Urban Informatics: A Q&A With Robert Goodspeed of the University of Michigan
In advance of a Sept. 26 “unconference” on urban informatics in Ann Arbor, Route Fifty discusses the intersection of data, municipal governance, planning and innovation.
Newark Mayor’s ‘Urban Marshall Plan’ Idea; Iowa Rethinks Roadside Mowing
Also: Providence mayor’s house under protection and late prisoners in New Orleans.
So Much Official Passive Aggressiveness in New York; Utah’s Booming Booze Business
Also: California city faces stiff water fines and Richmond’s municipal woes.
Are Professional Firefighters Needed Today or a Drain on Resources?
A recent ‘Washington Post’ op-ed has sparked a robust discussion about the economics and realities impacting first responders.
Minnesota Awaits Return of Avian Flu; An Olympic Acceleration for the ‘Subway to the Sea’ in L.A.?
Also: Corporate bankruptcy hits North Jersey city hard and Northern Indiana unites.
Seattle’s Rubber Antennas Spark Privacy Concerns; Dark Fiber Obligations in West Virginia?
Also: A new California state worker survey and Cedar Rapid’s hazardous materials highway.
Tax Incentives Can’t Keep Applebee’s in Kansas City; Montana’s Geosynthetic Highways
Also: Olympia City Hall attacked and Texas governor’s mission to Mexico City.
Route Fifty City-County Roadtrip Recap: Saugatuck’s Hand-Crank Chain Ferry
This definitely requires some elbow grease.
Alabama Looks to Lottery for Budget Fix; Michigan Clears Its Rape-Kit Backlog as Minnesota’s Persists
Also: A raid on Palm Springs City Hall and how should Missouri fund infrastructure upgrades?
Route Fifty City-County Roadtrip Recap: Grand Rapids Learns to Live With Its River Risks
Instead of building up its floodwalls, Michigan’s second-largest city looks to try something different.
A Pacific Northwest Megaquake Will Test Government Response in Ways Katrina Never Did
When weighing the risks the entire region faces from next Cascadia megathrust earthquake, this future disaster is likely to rival anything the United States has ever faced.
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