Sustainable Communities

• Top 10 Legislative Issues to Watch in 2013
• BY: Dylan Scott,Ryan Holeywell   |   January 2013
• Here are 10 of the biggest topics states will tackle in the year ahead.
• 2 Comments

• States Double Down on Incentives to Woo Companies
• BY: Alan Greenblatt   |   January 2013
• In the wake of the recession and the long, slow recovery from it, state and local governments have been even more eager to offer incentives to the few projects they have hopes of landing.

• Scrutinizing Economic Development Agencies
• BY: Stateline   |   December 28, 2012
• Several states have experimented in recent years with the idea of turning their economic development agencies over to semi-private management. Many of these organizations are struggling to balance job creation with public accountability.

• Sandy Forces Northeast to Rethink Infrastructure
• BY: William Fulton   |   January 2013
• In an effort to emerge more resilient and prosperous, states and localities are rethinking power grids, roads and sewers in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

• State Government Coalition: Eliminating Tax-Free Muni Bonds Would Have "Chilling Effect" on Economy
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   December 21, 2012
• A coalition representing state and local governments is urging the president and the Speaker of the House to keep the federal government income tax exclusion for municipal bond interest as leaders negotiate an alternative to the upcoming fiscal cliff cuts and tax hikes schedule to kick in next month.

• Minimum Wage to Increase in 10 States in 2013
• Source: Stateline   |   Nation   |   December 20, 2012
• With those changes, 19 states and the District of Columbia will have minimum wages above the federal level of $7.25, which translates to about $15,000 per year for a full-time worker.
• 4 Comments

• Kansas City, Google and the Leveraging of Public Value
• BY: Stephen Goldsmith   |   December 19, 2012
• To Mayor Sly James, the first-in-the-nation Google Fiber project is about a lot more than blazing-fast broadband.
• 4 Comments

• Nike Bill Gets Oregon Governor's Signature
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   December 19, 2012
• Gov. John Kitzhaber signed House Bill 4200 to provide tax certainty for Nike ahead of a $150 million expansion in Oregon by the global sportswear company.

• Nike on the Minds of Oregon Lawmakers Ahead of Special Session
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   December 12, 2012
• Gov. John Kitzhaber told Oregon legislators he was calling them in for a special session for a bill that would allow the state to lock in the way corporate taxes are calculated for Nike and other big businesses reset the agenda.

• Louisiana Economic Development Head Criticizes Enterprise Zone Program
• Source: New Orleans Times Picayune   |   Louisiana   |   December 12, 2012
• The program, instituted in 1981, was designed to give tax credits, sales/use tax rebates and investment tax credits to businesses which created jobs in designated disadvantaged areas, called enterprise zones.

• More STEM Degrees May Not Equal More Jobs
• Source: Miami Herald   |   Florida   |   December 10, 2012
• As STEM has become an education buzzword in recent years, a steady stream of research has emerged that challenges the notion of STEM as an economic elixir. In some STEM careers, the employment picture is downright lousy.

• Community Health and the Competition for Jobs
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   December 10, 2012
• Community health is about more than quality of life. Increasingly, companies are basing their location decisions on the availability of a healthy workforce.
• 4 Comments

• Case for Large U.S. Natural Gas Exports Bolstered by New Report
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   December 6, 2012
• A government study concluded that the national economic benefits of significant natural gas exports far outweighed the potential for higher energy prices for consumers and industrial users of the fuel.
• 1 Comments

• Striking Port Workers Head Back to Work in Los Angeles, Long Beach
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   December 5, 2012
• It ends a grueling battle between both sides that threatened to damage the fragile U.S. economy.
• 3 Comments

• Houston's Mayor and the Imperative to Compete
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   December 3, 2012
• For Annise Parker, competing globally is about a lot more than delivering services efficiently.
• 1 Comments