• Regional Food Systems Webinar
• BY: NACo   |   Integrating food systems into economic development plans   |   May 9, 2013
• County and regional leaders are integrating food systems into economic development plans. These efforts are reinvigorating rural economies to foster economic development connected to local, agricultural economies. Join NACo to learn about national trends and hear from HUD Sustainable Communities grantees.

• Pothole Problems, Streamlining Park Amenities and Ironic Layoffs in South Carolina
• BY: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene   |   May 9, 2013
• Public-sector management news you should know.
• 3 Comments

• Cities Ramp Up Data Projects
• BY: Tod Newcombe   |   May 9, 2013
• Better ways of using data can speed up solutions to urban issues. But a number of traditional problems stand in the way.

• Which States Have the Highest Hospital Prices?
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   May 9, 2013
• New federal data sheds light on hospital pricing for the most common diagnoses and treatments. View data for your state.
• 14 Comments

• The State Legislative Leaders Foundation: Conference of State Majority Leaders
• BY: Kelly McEldrew   |   May 9, 2013
• The inaugural meeting of the Conference of State Majority Leaders is scheduled to take place in Atlanta beginning Thursday evening, May 9 and concluding Saturday, May 11. This groundbreaking program is sponsored by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Our official hosts are Georgia House Majority Leader Larry O’Neal, Chair of the CSML, and West Virginia Senate Majority Leader John Unger II, Vice Chair. Every house and senate majority leader in the nation is invited to attend what will be a first class program in every way—exceptional curriculum and presenters, superb accommodations, enjoyable evening events, and the SLLF’s special brand of meticulous attention to detail. Among our special guest presenters will be Dr. Larry J. Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, whom many of you will recognize from his appearances on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

• A New Way to Tame the Public-Pension Beast?
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   May 8, 2013
• Adjustable pension plans could help governments control both risk and their out-of-control retiree-benefit costs.
• 34 Comments

• Are Governments Ignoring Their Short-Term Workers?
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   May 8, 2013
• One wonders what incentive there is to work for a government at all unless you’re in it for the long haul.
• 6 Comments

• GAO Report Paints Bleak Fiscal Outlook for States, Local Governments
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   May 8, 2013
• A new report by the Government Accountability Office forecasts a gloomy outlook for state and local government budgets, finding an ever-widening gap between projected revenues and expenses for years to come.
• 1 Comments

• Can Performance Help in Reducing Deficits?
• BY: Paul L. Posner   |   May 8, 2013
• Making spending decisions based on evidence and analysis can be hardest to do in times of austerity, but that's precisely when these tools are most useful.
• 1 Comments

• LUCC Legislative Fly-In
• BY: NACO   |   NACO Boardroom   |   May 7, 2013
• NACo’s LUCC Legislative Fly-in will be held May 7-9, 2013 in Washington, DC.

• LUCC Legislative Fly-In
• BY: NACO   |   NACO Boardroom   |   May 7, 2013
• NACo’s LUCC Legislative Fly-in will be held May 7-9, 2013 in Washington, DC.

• Big Data’s Big Headaches, Indiana’s Economic Dollars, Austin’s Tech Scene and Texas’ Smart Utility
• BY: GOVERNING   |   May 7, 2013
• News you should know about government and technology.

• Should Food Stamps Pay for Junk Food?
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   May 7, 2013
• So far, no state has successfully set rules about what people can buy with food stamps. Wisconsin and South Carolina want to be the first.
• 14 Comments

• NACo: National Association of Counties’ LUCC (Large Urban County Caucus) Fly-In
• BY: NACO   |   Washington, DC   |   May 7, 2013
• A great opportunity for our nation’s urban county elected officials to educate federal policymakers and other key federal officials about the importance of counties and the unique issu​es facing urban areas. This year’s event will focus on the county role in addressing the essential buildi​ng blocks for our nation’s economic prosperity and economic growth. We will be discussing the potential impacts of pending federal policy debates on Medicaid reform, tax-exempt municipal bonds, treatment of remote and online sales taxes, workforce readiness and other essential economic and community development issues.

• Online Sales Tax Bill Passes Senate
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   May 7, 2013
• It's the first time any version of the legislation, which state and local leaders have long fought for, has ever been approved by either chamber of Congress.
• 7 Comments