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New York City's new police chief, who previously led the force under Rudy Giuliani, is a controversial choice. But to understand why Bill de Blasio picked him, look at what Bratton accomplished in Los Angeles.
The dispute centers over who is responsible for funding and managing security at "exit lanes."
Legislators in Montgomery and Prince George's counties teamed up with the District of Columbia to raise the region's minimum wage. To do so required some compromise and trust in one another. This is how it happened.
A new study examines the costs of Medicaid expansion in states that oppose it and finds residents in those states will shoulder the burden for other states to capitalize.
Hospitals, museums and education institutions have become important parts of a city's economy. They also consume government services, but pay little, if anything in return. It's time to rethink the relationship.
Instead of focusing on start-ups, a new pilot program helps cities identify and support companies that have the potential to grow rapidly.
A new bill would make D.C. join the handful of municipalities that give legal permanent residents who are not U.S. citizens the right to vote in local elections. So far, more than a quarter of the Council supports the measure.
The federal government is offering a temporary fix for a problem that prevents consumers from signing up for Medicaid through the online insurance marketplace.
Illinois’ status as the lowest-rated U.S. state won’t necessarily improve now that lawmakers have passed a measure to overhaul the state’s underfunded pensions.
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
Officials in Salt Lake City say that by the end of this month, they will have zero chronically homeless veterans.
The United States continues to perform below-average in math and middle-of-the-road in reading and science when compared with other industrialized nations.
Based on the experiences of states that expanded Medicaid in recent years, predicting costs and needs of the newly covered population will be tough, according to a new report.
Today's turbulent environment of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity means new challenges for government managers and policymakers. There are ways to cope with them.
A few big cities are adequately funding health care for their current and future retirees. The rest face distasteful choices.
This social media tool is being embraced by governments far and wide. A new report offers guidance on what it can do and how to make it work.
San Rafael, Calif., has banned smoking in any housing unit that shares a wall with another residence. That applies to owners and renters alike.
Colorado state Sen. Evie Hudak has decided to resign rather than face a possible recall election over her support of gun control legislation passed in 2013.
How likely is Congress to kill tax expenditures that favor states and localities?
A report on the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., digs into the shooter's history of mental illness. Nothing suggests the state's new guards against arming the mentally ill would have stopped the incident.
After declining last year, it's estimated that 41 states recorded spending increases in fiscal 2013. View up-to-date spending data for each state.
A meager growth environment could have issuers tapering their borrowing, but local governments are still expected to be a stable investment.
It's been more than four years since the Great Recession ended, but for America's cities, fiscal problems continue to linger and won't go away anytime soon.
After accounting for three quarters of enrollment in the first month of operation for online health insurance marketplaces, state-run exchanges have since doubled the number of people who have selected plans, according to a new report.
The legislation will eventually mean more than $2.3 billion annually in additional funds for transportation infrastructure.
The new data comes at a time when Congress is considering deep cuts to the program in the farm bill.
Union leaders condemned the decision, but won't say whether they would go on strike again.
For cities, protecting public health and safety doesn't have to come at the expense of jobs and economic development. A new online tool can help in building sensible regulatory frameworks.
Within 15 years, a new report says, every other day will feel like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
As the nation’s governors and their staffs are knee-deep in numbers, policies and late nights, there's one certainty this budget-writing season: Don’t count on anything.
Nearly every state has at some point offered forgiveness to tax evaders. While it raises revenue quickly, it sends the wrong message to taxpayers.
The FCC wants to modernize AM radio, which has lost listeners in recent years. Can it work?
Maricopa County, Ariz., has found a way to make paygo pay off.
The nation’s first truly transcontinental road, the Lincoln Highway once made its way through 14 states but has gradually slipped into obscurity.
Occupational injury and illness statistics for public employee jobs
View data showing current and projected gross metropolitan product (GMP)
Chicago’s infrastructure bank has been hailed as an innovative new financing model that could revolutionize the way cities build new projects and manage risk. If only it could get off the ground.
These nine officials have demonstrated the true power of public service.
He promised to rescue his troubled city as mayor. Did he deliver?
The federal government wants to create a single network for emergency communications, and it’s up to states to decide whether they want to join.
By using redistricting to protect incumbents and reduce the number of truly competitive legislative races, many states have set the stage for all the nasty battles playing out in Congress.
There’s a proposal in Congress that opponents say would create headaches for public pension managers and could make it harder to finance infrastructure development.
It's not an accident that China and New York City, which have perhaps the greatest distance between their rich and poor, also lead the world in skyscraper construction.
In a growing number of libraries, patrons can check out a book and get a check-up in one visit.
The cost of picking up people’s recycling bins is high, but the portion of people who actually recycle is low. That’s why Houston wants to get rid of recycling bins.
The long-anticipated wave of government worker retirements was delayed by the recession. But now, some agencies report signs it's starting to begin.
Jurupa Valley is at risk of insolvency. But unlike many cities, its fiscal problems really aren't its fault.
Outgoing Mayor Tom Menino, who was in office for 20 years, has launched what may be the first-ever transition blog to help his successor succeed.
Land bank programs have become a popular way for cities to acquire abandoned property and do something productive with it.
There are lessons for other cities and initiatives in Oakland's ongoing effort to create a public safety "dashboard."
With a major effort to coordinate the needs of city departments, private utilities and residents, the city is tearing up its roadways less and saving a lot of money.
Given how ready the public is to heap disdain on governments and their workers, it's encouraging that so many still feel passionate about public service.
View the size of the postal service workforce in each state.
Public-sector workers typically face a greater risk of suffering an injury on the job than other segments of the workforce. Read five key takeaways from new industry-level data.
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
The new facility, which is being built less than 20 years after the current one, will cost Cobb County, Ga., $300 million.
Only 14 states are running their own insurance marketplaces, but they account for three-quarters of total sign-ups in the first month.
Ronald Kirby, 69, oversaw transportation planning at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
A new initiative in about a dozen states plans to improve the coordination of child services between the administrative, legislative and judicial branches.
In the ultimate sign of the country's stadium-mania, the baseball team is poised to get another stadium despite moving to Turner Field in 1997.
A journal launched by two Philadelphia social services entrepreneurs is going a long way toward spreading the word about what works and what doesn't.
Sometimes when we make reforms, government jobs get better too.
The mayor of Canada's largest city admitted to smoking crack but has no plans to resign or go to rehab. The news has been a boon for late-night comics.
Many cities are putting off much-needed but costly repairs to these historic structures.
The mayor of Canada's largest city admitted to smoking crack but has no plans to resign or go to rehab. The news has been a boon for late-night comics.
The mayor of Canada's largest city admits smoking crack but has no plans to resign or go to rehab. He does plan to be on the ballot next fall. That's the way he rolls in "Ford Nation."
Bill de Blasio is New York's first populist mayor in several generations. But can he empower the city's residents while avoiding interest-group politics?
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
An overview of what happened on Election Day 2013 in statewide, legislative and mayoral races.
The decision likely means the structure -- once home to the Oilers and Astros and touted as the Eighth Wonder of the World -- will be demolished.
Are the bad vibes at the federal level encouraging more interest at the lower levels – or is it bad advertising all around for the public sector?
Data-analysis techniques first developed by retailers to predict their customers' behavior are being adopted by police forces across the country, and they're seeing encouraging results.
Despite some positive steps, the industry's outdated pension and disability policies continue to be a sweet deal for workers and a costly one for taxpayers.
Holding partisan mayoral elections ensures low voter turnout and disenfranchises vast numbers of voters. So does voting in odd-numbered years. We need to re-think how we approach these important elections.
The federal government decided during the recession to increase food stamp benefits to help low-income people. Starting Nov. 1, benefits return to their pre-recession level.
Voters in Washington State have to decide Nov. 5 who to believe in the debate on a ballot initiative that requires grocers and food producers to label products with genetically engineered ingredients.
Some think a new voting process could heal many of the nation's political system's ills.
A November ballot measure would make New Jersey the 11th state to index its minimum wage to cost-of-living increases.
A controversial ballot measure seeks to rein in the city’s $862 million unfunded pension liabilities but could dramatically alter its system for current and future employees and cost the city in public services.
Following a precedent set by a Playboy installation that was deemed an unlicensed advertisement, Texas ordered the demolition of an iconic art installation.
When a city is bankrupt, judges have a big say in whose bills will be paid. For now, all eyes are on Detroit and San Bernardino, Calif.
All of the legal and legislative challenges to Obamacare leading up to the opening of the health insurance marketplaces would have wreaked havoc on any IT project.
The photo-sharing app isn't just for artfully filtered food pics. Governments are increasingly using Instagram to connect with citizens.
The Bay State is hoping its aggressive funding plan for community colleges will close its job skills gap. But not everyone is convinced.
Public-private partnerships have become a trendy way to finance transportation projects. But there are big questions to ask before entering into a P3.
Facing a wave of retirements, governments are looking for new ways to build up the expertise and knowledge of people coming up in the organization.
By making it more difficult to get and keep government assistance like welfare, Kansas and a half-dozen other states are hoping people will make more of an effort to lift themselves out of poverty.
After watching some of their peers get into messy mishaps, public officials are increasingly avoiding traceable channels of communication like email, social media and online commenting.
Privatizing parking meters was a disaster for Chicago. So why is Cincinnati doing it?
Troubled cities need to look honestly at their trajectory and forecast for the future -- or else they may become the next Detroit.
Oklahoma is one of only a few states in which one executive oversees both cornfields and oil fields.
Some say striving for efficiency only sets governments up for problems.
As the District of Columbia’s CFO for more than decade, Natwar Gandhi’s turnaround story has been the envy of other financially struggling cities.
If it’s successful, it could drastically change how environmental projects are funded by states and localities.
Municipalities across the country are cutting part-time workers' hours. Some say it's because of the new health insurance mandate, but others say doing so will actually cost governments more money.
The law's new excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans leaves government officials with three choices -- all of which have undesirable consequences.
It's been 20 years since "Reinventing Government" was published. The book's lessons continue to resonate among innovative governments across the country.
The latest movement isn't so much a policy disagreement about health care as it is a no-holds-barred war for the future direction of domestic policy.
Workers in some states tend to work longer than those in others.
The legislation, which will cut red tape and ensure critical port projects are completed more quickly, was passed almost unanimously.
The state's pension debt amounts to $100 billion, but the issue underlying the current debate is tax cuts.
People eligible for Medicaid and living in states with federal-run marketplaces will have to wait even longer to sign up for health insurance. How long? No one knows.
A new study says that the feds should help develop a framework for states to address licensing of driverless vehicles.
We need a forum for our state, local and federal governments to collaborate on the fiscal challenges they all face. But in today's fiscal climate, it's hard to see that happening.
A Massachusetts college's traumatic leadership crisis has lessons for governance in the wider world of public universities.
Women and gays in Washington state are bracing for limits on care, and calling for public debate.
At the end of the year, Texas' high-risk insurance pool for the state’s sickest residents will close and participants will have to find coverage in the federal health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act.
The Price of Driving on Bad Roads, 6 Things That Engage Employees, and a Bible for Wellness Programs
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
A study finds gang members use online tools to plan crimes, recruit members and threaten rivals, and online activity often leads to violence.
"Does anyone else miss Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison?" asked the Houston Chronicle.
View revenues and expenditures for state and local governments for fiscal year 2009.
Connecticut may be the first state in the nation to purchase a pro tennis tournament. The deal has its skeptics, but Gov. Dan Malloy and other state officials say it will generate millions.
For the Washington metropolitan area, more than two weeks of federal government shutdown has meant millions in lost tax revenue that local governments say is eating a hole in their already fragile budgets.
No one seems to know if red-light cameras made Florida’s roads safer — or just made the state a lot of money.
Many older L.A. buildings could collapse in an earthquake
After a flurry of local activism in recent years — much of it inspired by Arizona's controversial enforcement law — lawmakers are waiting on the federal government to take the lead.
The high court agreed to hear the state's challenge of federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.
Indiana was the final state to negotiate a deal with the passenger rail provider to continue service.
A new Moody’s report says more charter schools mean more problems for traditional public schools.
Many Californians are ready to enroll in healthcare exchanges, if only there were counselors there to help them sign up for coverage.
Health insurance marketplaces got off to a rocky start this month, largely because of an aggressive timeline that rushed development for many states.
Smart city leaders know collaboration isn't just a buzzword but a dynamic way to change the systems that can improve economic inequality in urban areas.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, considers supporting recess to slim down its students.
The Miami-Dade school district and the United Teachers of Dade finally appear to have an agreement.
The Newark mayor tests the limits of celebrity politics in the New Jersey Senate race.
In West Virginia 81 percent of currently uninsured residents will receive some sort of financial help in getting health insurance.
Ohio's GOP governor will expand Medicaid to an estimated 275,000 low-income residents, despite opposition from his GOP legislature.
In Washington the latest debt ceiling faceoff has branded the GOP the “party of no.” In the rest of the country, Republicans are more popular.
The Republican candidate for governor of Virginia has drawn deep lines between what he believes is right and wrong
Richmond, Va, Mayor Dwight C. Jones has set an ambitious agenda in a city with a poverty rate of 26.3 percent.
Once again, the passenger rail provider set a ridership record.
The 'State of Jefferson,' a succession moment with historic grievances.
Planned affordable housing projects are experiencing shutdown-related delays, and deals may fall through if the federal government doesn't re-open soon.
Gabrielle Giffords made her first visit to a gun show since she was shot in 2011, attending a New York event to highlight the state's aggressive gun control policy.
Ken Cuccinelli's poll numbers have tumbled since federal agencies were shuttered Oct. 1, perhaps because Americans largely blame the shutdown on Republicans.
The FBI's latest statewide statistics offer a snapshot of the underside of the 50 states: where violent crime is most likely to occur. And the winner isn't California or New York.
Hipsters are said to be dying, but they might just be evolving.
States are ramping up their evaluation of teachers. But what they measure is very different across the states.
Apparently New York Republicans think only Trump could run on the GOP ticket and win against Andrew Cuomo in 2014.
Unions put off Bay Area transit strike for a day. BART officials said they presented the last best offer Sunday afternoon.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper suggests national gun-control groups stay away from recall battle that could switch control of the state Senate away from the Democrats.
A congressional directive known in Washington as the “bed mandate” has driven a boom in detentions.
A program in Oakland, Calif., is among most contentious examples of cities using big data, and federal dollars, for routine law enforcement.
Big data presents not only challenges but also the potential to radically improve what governments do. The need for a point person to manage that information and build strategies for using it is clear.
