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Focus Archive - March 2009

Please note that Focus section links were valid at the time of their original posting. However, since Web sites and addresses change frequently, we cannot guarantee that all links will remain operative.

Organized for Service (March 26)
CRM/311 systems force communities to take a hard look at how they respond to problems. More from American City & County.

Getting Ready for Build America Bonds (March 26)
There's a new tool for financial officials and managers to master. More from Governing.

Recession Squeezes Recycling programs (March 26)
The recession has trashed the nation's booming recycling industry in just a few months, and cities are straining to keep their programs alive. More from CNN.

Hope for Metro Regions In New White House Office? (March 26)
Can the new White House Office of Urban Affairs live up to grand expectations? More from Citiwire.

Sharing the Pension Pain (March 26)
Public officials have been slow to react to the changing landscape in pension finance, and it's imperative that they wake up and smell the coffee soon, especially those who are involved in labor negotiations. More from Governing.

Message to President Obama: Don't Forget the Suburbs (March 26)
American suburbs are increasingly diverse places and the economic engines that drive metropolitan areas, which are the key to the nation’s prosperity. More from Citiwire.

What the Stimulus Bill Really Means for Cities (March 26)
President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains an abundance of funding figures that should make urban enthusiasts very happy. More from Next American City.

The Power of Intrinsic Rewards (March 26)
The strongest motivators come from inside a person. More from Governing.

Urban Renewal (March 26)
For an emerging generation of activist designers, the future of the American city lies not in top-down master plans, but in a fine-grained analysis of the existing fabric. More from Architect Online.

In Hard Times, Public Places are More Important Than Ever (March 26)
Places that serve everyone in the community—parks, libraries, public buildings, markets, plazas, playgrounds, and other hang outs—are more important than ever, especially for those who are struggling to get by on shrinking or low incomes. More from World Changing.

The Dying Auto Mall (March 26)
Over the past two decades, the funding of local government has become increasingly intertwined with the sale of cars. More from Governing.

Taking on the Sacred Cows (March 18)
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing some new math when it comes to pensions for first responders. More from Governing.

Automatic Water Meter Reading Technology (March 18)
Automatic meter reading devices provide more accurate information on billing, water leaks, abnormal consumption, and previous consumption amounts. More from Water Efficiency.

To Serve, Virtually (March 18)
Packing multiple applications on a single server can save big bucks. More from Governing.

Stimulus Stirs Debate Over Rural Broadband Access (March 18)
This piece from National Public Radio looks at the debate over plans to use more than $7 billion from the stimulus plan to expand broadband Internet access in rural areas.

Tackling Taxophobia (March 18)
We can’t keep pretending tax increases are a fatal disease. More from Governing.

Measuring Livability and Performance (March 18)
The Oregon Progress Board was created in the late 1980s to develop statewide livability indicators and monitor progress on Oregon's statewide strategic plan. It certainly lives up to its name with the release of its 2009 Benchmark Highlights Report.

Goodnight Computer (March 18)
Turning a computer off can slash its energy use, but most government workers prefer to leave their machines on all night. States are trying to change that. More from Governing.

A Ghostly Commercial Sprawl Drains Municipal Funds (March 18)
Empty offices, malls, and factories blight U.S. communities just when they most need commercial real estate revenues the sites once provided. More from Business Week.

Records Management Seminar (March 18)
Washington State Archives is pleased to announce the opening of the registration for the Records Management Seminar “Be Budget Wise – Using Records Management to Save $$” to be held on April 24 from 8:00 to 4:30 at the Skagit County PUD in Mt. Vernon, Washington.

Crisis as Opportunity (March 18)
The economic crisis could be the chance of a lifetime to reform government. More from Governing.

A Time for Strings (March 11)
We need to stimulate state and local economies. We also need to keep close watch on what we’re stimulating. More from Governing.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree (March 11)
Why "green jobs" may not save the economy or the environment. More from Slate.

National County Government Week (March 11)
"Greening our Future" is the theme for this year's National County Government Week, scheduled for May 3-9 and sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).

Coming Together, Breaking Apart (March 11)
To consolidate or not to consolidate: a puzzling question. More from Governing.

Run for Your Lives, Please (March 11)
What does it take to make people heed a disaster warning? More from Governing.

Government Seeks Major Input on Broadband Build-Out (March 11)
By design, there were a lot more questions than answers at the first meeting of the three government agencies charged with overseeing the broadband deployment portion of the economic stimulus package. More from Broadcasting & Cable.

Dead Malls (March 11)
Malls built over the last few decades are being refurbished into so-called lifestyle centers, a term created by developers to describe what may be the world’s oldest location for retail commerce: an urban mixed-use community. More from Sustainable Industries.

Paradise LOSt: Turning Automobility on Its Head (March 11)
Two arguments in the debate over LOS have emerged. One calls for abandoning LOS but replacing it with a metric that prioritizes transit, cycling, and walking before cars. Another argues for walking away from LOS entirely, given that it is merely a convention and not a law. More from Streetsblog.

Putting Parking into Reverse (March 11)
Four years after the publication of UCLA Planning Professor Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking , cities across America are devising ways to stop parking in its tracks. More from Intransition.

Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content (March 11)
Suburbanites are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns or rural areas, according to a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey. More from the Pew Research Center.

ICMA Report on 311 Systems (March 04)
A new report from the International City/County Management Association, Call 311: Connecting Citizens to Local Government Final Report, is intended to serve as a reference manual for local governments considering the implementation of a centralized customer service system.

Stimulus Controls Vital But What About Results? (March 04)
In the battle against bad projects, bad practices or bureaucratic delay, governors and mayors know they’ll be on the hot spot to deliver a quality performance when dealing with the billions of dollars in the Obama administration stimulus projects. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Free the Hostages (March 04)
Sure, governments are monopolies. But they don't have to act like it. More from Governing.

Operating Plans to Combat Pandemic Influenza (March 04)
Assessment of States’ Operating Plans to Combat Pandemic Influenza summarizes the status of States’ operating plans with respect to preparedness for, response to, and recovery from an influenza pandemic.

Disaster Recovery: A Local Government Responsibility (March 04)
Regardless of community size or the nature of the disaster, local government leaders are responsible for overseeing all four phases of emergency management—preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. More from Public Management.

Get Help with Smart Growth Initiatives from EPA Experts (March 04)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is looking for communities that are committed to smart growth but lack the tools to implement their smart growth projects for its annual Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program (SGIA).

Broadband Provisions in Federal Stimulus Bill (March 04)
Grants through the broadband stimulus bill can potentially bring significant job creation and other economic benefits to small towns and rural communities. However, few of these benefits will reach full fruition if you don't pay attention to D.C. during the next 30 days. More from consultant Craig Settles.

Web Sightings – Transfer of Development Rights (March 04)
Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a valuable tool to conserve agricultural, forest, and rural land. TDR programs allow owners to transfer the right to develop one parcel of land to a different parcel of land. In Washington State, TDRs are used to shift development from resource lands and rural areas to designated urban growth areas where municipal services are available.

TDR Programs from Washington Counties and Cities

Recovery.wa.gov (March 04)
The recovery.wa.gov website is designed to help Washingtonians understand the federal economic recovery package and locate information that helps local governments find the right place to apply for funding.

Engaging Residents to Make the Tough Choices (March 04)
Engaging the community in the budgeting process is one way to help make more informed decisions, to strengthen trust with constituents, and to ease some of the political risks that come with budget cuts. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.