AFSCME Information Highway

Source: Colin P. Falato, Susan M. Smith, Tyler Kress, International Journal of Emergency Management Vol. 4, No. 4, 2007
(subscription required)

From a summary:
A recent study in the International Journal of Emergency Management suggests that the nation's federal and state governments should help local communities prepare for a range of large-scale disasters, United Press International reports. In analyzing local and federal response efforts, University of Tennessee researchers identified 902 disaster declarations made across the last 25 years related to hurricanes, fires, windstorms, earthquakes, tornadoes and floods.

Posted by Info Center at 12:09 PM in Emergency Management | Local Government | Permalink

Source: Roger Matus, Sean True, and Chuck Ingold, InBoxer, Inc., 2007

Public schools and local governments may have more stringent requirements than most businesses for email archiving and electronic discovery. Yet, with their limited budgets, schools and local governments are often the least equipped to respond.

The newly revised Federal Rules of Civil Procedure define how email must be handled in federal court cases. Businesses tend to think that the FRCP focus is on interstate lawsuits. Schools and governments, however, also need to be concerned with emails relating to federally funded activities or any activity governed by federal legislation.

In addition, schools and local governments have the burden of responding to (1) requests under open meeting and Freedom of Information Act laws, (2) offensive emails or those with sexual content involving students, and (3) emailed threats.

Posted by Info Center at 10:59 AM in Education | Local Government | Permalink

Source: PA Times, Vol. 30 no. 3, March 2007
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Evanston, IL–Public libraries build a community’s capacity for economic activity and resiliency, says a new study from the “Urban Institute. Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development” adds to the body of research pointing to a shift in the role of public libraries–from a passive, recreational reading and research institution to an active economic development agent, addressing such pressing urban issues as literacy, workforce training, small business vitality and community quality of life. The study was commissioned by the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Posted by Info Center at 4:14 PM in Local Government | State & Local Finance | Permalink

Source: Thom Reilly, Shaun Schoener, and Alice Bolin, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Vol. 27 no. 1, March 2007
(subscription required)

The purpose of this study was to examine local government compensation practices across the United States and to explore possible correlations of these practices to service delivery. One hundred twenty of the largest cities and counties responded to a mail survey, for a response rate of 40%. The data suggest a large percentage (86%) of local governments faced financial difficulties in the form of a budget shortfall since 2000. In response to these shortfalls, local governments were more likely to reduce their workforce, reduce or eliminate services, and/or raise taxes or user fees rather than scale back wages and benefits. Because of this reaction, more than one half of the respondents experienced a decrease in full-time equivalent employment per 1,000 residents. Collective bargaining status, geographical region, and type of government (county or city) were found to be significant factors in determining compensation practices. Implications for practice and policy are advanced.

Posted by Info Center at 11:00 AM in Benefits | Local Government | Permalink

Source: Cory Fleming, and Bryan Barnhouse, Public Management, December 2006, Volume 88, no. 11

Local governments exist to serve the needs of their residents, but determining the needs of these customers is not a simple task, whether in a community of a few thousand people or in a city with millions of residents. Defining and providing excellent customer service in local government also differs from these processes regarding customer service in the business community.

Local governments must provide equitable services to all residents, whereas businesses can vary their service levels based on a customer's ability to pay. So, how do local governments determine customer needs and offer better customer service to their residents?

Posted by Info Center at 5:21 PM in Local Government | Permalink