Tue.Nov 21, 2023

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Highlights of City Summit 2023

NLC (National League of Cities)

At the National League of Cities (NLC) 99th annual City Summit, almost 4,000 municipal leaders, staff and advocates gathered in Atlanta to learn, listen and network. From the General Sessions to workshops, the message was clear: Local leaders are on the frontlines and instrumental in shaping their communities.

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Innovations in Data: Give People Time to Figure Things Out

GovLoop

When data novices find themselves stumped, they often waste no time in calling a data expert. Soon enough, the problem is solved. But what did they learn? It’s like the adage about giving someone a fish vs. teaching them to fish for themselves. That’s why Scott Beliveau, Principal Innovation Architect at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recommends that data experts give novices an opportunity to work through problems on their own.

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The McKinsey Crossword: 5G | No. 155

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Sharpen your problem-solving skills the McKinsey way, with our weekly crossword. Each puzzle is created with the McKinsey audience in mind, and includes a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) business theme for you to find. Answers that are directionally correct may not cut it if you’re looking for a quick win.

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Commercial Solutions Assist the U.S. Army in Securing Remote Classrooms

FedTech Magazine

The U.S. Army Cyber School trains the Army’s cyberwarfare workforce, often in classified spaces on a dedicated network. Between 900 and 1,000 soldiers are in-house at any given moment for training that lasts between 20 and 40 weeks. “Our classes are like a conveyer belt,” says Todd Boudreau, deputy commandant of the Cyber School, part of the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence.

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Holiday Safety Tips for Municipal Operations

The holiday season brings joy and celebration, but it also introduces unique challenges for municipal operations. From ensuring safe snow removal and managing icy sidewalks to organizing festive events and addressing increased community needs, municipalities play a critical role in keeping residents safe and operations running smoothly. This eBook provides actionable safety tips to help your team navigate the holiday season effectively, protect staff and citizens, and ensure compliance with safe

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Grant writing success takes consistent effort

Professional Grant Writer

Many nonprofits are excited to get started with grant writing. They’re working under the assumption that as soon as they get out the. The post Grant writing success takes consistent effort appeared first on Professional Grant Writer.

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How Automation Delivers Economic Advantages

State Tech Magazine

IT spending represents a significant part of the budget for many government agencies. Technology is no longer just a tool for driving efficiency; rather, it can help state and local agencies create value and improve citizen services. As digital initiatives take off across industries, public officials want to know that they’re getting the highest return on their investments.

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Renewable natural gas: A Swiss army knife for US decarbonization?

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Renewable natural gas plays a role in reducing emissions—scaling it is one potential near-term action on the journey to decarbonization.

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A solution for dying downtowns is popping up in major cities

GCN

As business districts look for ways to revive economies weakened by long-gone office workers, cities are testing pop-up shops to reduce vacant retail space and give small business owners a launch platform.

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Disaster Zone Podcast: A Sampling of Drone Policy in the U.S.

Disaster Zone blog

What progressive states are doing with the technology.

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Ahead of busy Thanksgiving travel, improvements to air transportation touted

GCN

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg highlighted a low airline cancellation rate, airport upgrades and the hiring of more air traffic controllers. He also cautioned that funding squabbles in Congress could hurt progress.

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How Breckenridge, CO Ensures Tax & Licensing Compliance

Breckenridge’s short-term rental boom—over 4,200 licenses —put intense pressure on the town’s small staff and manual processes. Facing compliance and efficiency challenges, the town teamed up with GovOS to automate its STR licensing. The new system: Cut admin time Reduced errors Improved the experience for property owners and town staff Discover the full impact of automation on Breckenridge’s STR management—download the case study.

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Ethnocultural minorities in Europe: An untapped growth opportunity

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Employing ethnocultural minorities could help many companies simultaneously close talent gaps and deliver inclusive growth.

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City of Long Beach Hit with Cyber Attack

Disaster Zone blog

City manager asks for emergency declaration.

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Author Talks: Brown University’s Juliet Hooker on what you can gain from losing

McKinsey Public & Social Sector Insights

Why political defeat sometimes unleashes grief and grievances: A political scientist shares what you can do to reframe feelings of loss.

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Dayton, OH’s Recovery Plan: Seeding Transformation 

NLC (National League of Cities)

By Shelley Dickstein, City Manager for Dayton, Ohio When city leaders learned Dayton would receive around $138 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, I was both thrilled and scared—thrilled that our community and city government would benefit from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but scared that deadlines and competing priorities might push our plan toward […] Source

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Overcoming Operational Challenges in Parks & Recreation

Speaker: Noratek

Maintaining parks and recreation facilities efficiently is no easy task, especially when faced with scheduling issues, aging infrastructure, and inconsistent inspections. Join us for this insightful webinar where we explore the most common challenges departments like yours are facing and how digital tools like CityReporter can help you streamline operations, ensure safety, and make better use of your resources.

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Seattle Times Op-ed: Surviving Future Disaster Depends on How We Plan and Build Today

Disaster Zone blog

We can be our own worst enemy.

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Season 6 Episode 34 - This Nonprofit Tackles National Security Challenges Through an Innovation Ecosystem

GovCast

Part of tackling defense and national security challenges requires engaging academia, developing the workforce, and bringing in the next commercial technical capability or process. That’s the aim of the Technology Advancement Center, a nonprofit innovating around some of the Pentagon’s toughest cybersecurity and technology challenges. CEO Gregg Smith, a longstanding technology leader, discusses how the organization fits into some of the Defense Department’s newest strategies such as those around

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Innovations in CX: Gauging Engagement

GovLoop

Know When Engagement Matters (and Doesn’t) Agencies develop many digital tools for constituent engagement, but sometimes the best response is…silence. Is it better to hear complaints about a city’s garbage pickup or hear no complaints at all? According to Summer Xiao , Deputy CIO in Houston’s Project Management Office, “The public actually doesn’t want to engage with you.

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Introducing the 2023 Rising Stars

GCN

Route Fifty is proud to participate in the Rising Star Awards, a program that recognizes innovative, early-career individuals who are already having an outsized impact in the government IT community.

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Boost Revenue With Simple Short-Term Rental Registration and Tax Collections

Government agencies that rely on tax revenue to fund critical services and infrastructure are finding it more urgent than ever to bridge the gap between under-reported tax revenue and taxpayers’ understanding of the processes. This is especially true as things like short-term rentals (STRs) have grown in popularity and become new sources of income for residents.

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A Sampling of Drone Policy in the USA

Eric Holdeman's Disaster Zone Podcast

In this podcast we examine the current status of policies and best practices associated with non-military drone operations here in the United States. The podcast guest is Dr. Gloria Totoricaguena, a former university professor at Stanford University and University of Nevada, Reno, and now a policy consultant in Idaho. Her clients and projects in Idaho have included the ID Office of Emergency Management and its creation of a statewide Public Safety Communications Commission, in addition to its co

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The Digital Path to Promoting Municipal Staff Satisfaction

AccessE11

Uncovering the Challenge In the landscape of local government, municipal staff satisfaction presents a significant yet often underappreciated challenge. Having a revolving door of dissatisfied employees not only disrupts the continuity of service but also imposes considerable financial and operational strains. A study by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence found that 54% of governments reported an increase in employee turnover rates in recent years, highlighting the pervasive na

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A follow up on the H Street article: Learning from Philadelphia | More sophisticated daypart, retail, cultural, and experience planning

Rebuilding Place in Urban Space

-- " H Street NE nightlife district, failing? " One of the problems with nightlife districts in DC is that retail wise they are unbalanced, focused on the night (not like how Wrigleyville by the Cubs Stadium changed once the Cubs moved from daytime to night time games; the retail was pushed out by taverns etc., see It's Hardly Sportin' ). The problem is that even though we talk about restaurant or sports events patrons (like attendees of baseball games) also spending money on retail as part of t

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How GovInspect Software Can Streamline Local Government Inspection Workflows With GovPilot

GovPilot

Almost everyone can empathize with the frustration caused when local construction projects seem to take forever to complete, especially government workers. Why are some roads blocked off for months while construction seems to be halted, making constituents take detours to work in the morning? Local governments often meet endless impasses in the completion of local projects from inspector delays, inspection errors, or inefficient communication between involved parties.

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Maximizing Municipal Budgets: Cutting Costs Without Cutting Corners

Speaker: Noratek

Join this insightful webinar on how local governments can reduce costs and optimize resources. Discover how municipalities like yours are leveraging technology to enhance service delivery, reduce operational costs, and generate lasting ROI. Key Takeaways: Learn actionable steps to reduce operational costs and increase community engagement Explore how digital tools can streamline inspections and reporting Understand the financial and operational benefits of digital management solutions Hear real-

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Design forward trains and streetcars: Haga-Utsunomiya Light Rail and Brightline (plus bonus)

Rebuilding Place in Urban Space

When I first was into the idea of reintroducing streetcars into American cities, I favored re-adopting the heritage streetcar vehicle (" A National Mall-focused heritage (replica) streetcar service to serve visitors is a way bigger idea ," 2013). But maybe 15+ years ago, I had a conversation with Dan Malouff ( Beyond DC ), and he made the point that for a lot of people that might mean that streetcars are dowdy and old fashioned.

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Using a digital engagement platform for offline interactions: 3 benefits and examples

Citizen Lab

Traditionally, community engagement has been compartmentalized into offline and online methods, often treated as distinct and separate elements. However, the evolving needs and preferences of the public call for a paradigm shift. It's time to blend these worlds, for instance by using digital engagement platforms as enhancers of offline community engagement.

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An insight from my brother on societal supports and social infrastructure

Rebuilding Place in Urban Space

I hadn't seen my brother, who lives in Florida, for many many years. He came to see me, all too briefly, when I was in the hospital two weeks ago. As men do, we didn't express dying love for each other, we just talked about stuff. One of the points he made is that why are so many state governments focusing on legalizing drugs (" How America got high as a kite ," Financial Times ).

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Westampton, NJ Expands GovPilot Partnership With New Government Management Software In 2023

GovPilot

The NJ Township expands their partnership with the government management software provider to streamline operations and government services in the municipality.

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Simplifying City, County, & State Business Licensing - Why It Is A Best Practice

Many business license applications still can't be completed online, creating a frustrating user experience and lowering compliance. Shifting to a digital process makes it easier for staff and businesses alike. This guide covers: How to build a licensing and registration experience that works for your staff and local businesses. Why technology is your best partner for improving licensing and registration compliance.

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Education linked to better employment prospects upon release from prison

GCN

People who get an education while serving time are less likely to return to prison and more likely to enter the job market, an analysis finds.

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Union Beach, NJ Expands GovPilot Partnership With New Government Management Software In 2023

GovPilot

The NJ Borough expands their partnership with the government management software provider to streamline operations and government services in the municipality.

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Erate – Needs Assessment & Competitive Bidding

Grant Consulting Services, LLC

Erate Steps – Part I: Needs Assessment & Competitive Bidding With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the demands of digital learning, changes had to be put in place so we could communicate while in lockdown. The increase in demand due to our changing technology needs continues to be a fundamental necessity. Erate provides funding for internal infrastructure equipment like switches and access points that schools and libraries need to provide wireless Internet access.

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Callaway, FL Expands GovPilot Partnership With New Government Management Software In 2023

GovPilot

The FL city expands their partnership with the government management software provider to streamline operations and government services in the municipality.

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A Guide For City Managers & CAOs to Achieve Operational Excellence

This guide addresses the unique operational challenges faced by smaller municipalities, such as limited resources, budget constraints, and diverse community needs. By leveraging digital tools, City Managers and Municipal Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) can streamline workflows, enhance communication, and improve service delivery. The guide covers identifying operational challenges, choosing the right software, and implementing digital solutions.