Management and Administration
These articles are about the nuts and bolts of government administration, from IT governance, including security and privacy policies, to management best practices affecting procurement, workforce development and retention.
Starbase, the Texas home of SpaceX, will likely vote to become a city next month. Then the work of creating a government from scratch will begin.
Over the years, Los Angeles voters have approved billions in homeless funding — and created layer upon layer of independent institutions.
It’s appealing to say that disaster relief should be left to states and localities. The less appealing reality is that they aren’t up to the job.
The proposal would create a state-appointed board to oversee the local school board on budgets, contracts, property and policy. It could also allow those board members and district officials to be replaced.
After a long economic slump, the post-industrial New England city is encouraging development, filling vacant properties and zoning for more housing.
Despite spending $31 million, the project has yet to roll out any new technology and is at least $240 million and nine years from completion.
The administration is signing billion-dollar contracts with private prison operators. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is attempting to increase its detention capacity by 100,000.
Makers of everything from food to hardware to components for bigger companies need a boost, which better state and local policies could provide.
Steve Soboroff has finished a three-month run coordinating wildfire recovery efforts. He says he was shut out of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ planning, but the mayor’s office calls him a loose cannon.
Among other things, agencies would be barred from issuing no-bid contracts, which the secretary of state’s office has done repeatedly.
Dr. Edward Simmer emphasized that the state never mandated COVID-19 vaccines, but senators were concerned his promotion of them during the pandemic undermined public trust.
The sheriff of Winneshiek County has complied with all federal and state immigration enforcement requests, but state Attorney General Brenna Bird said his Facebook post spread false information about the need for court orders.
The state’s four largest counties would not receive funding for three years. Its sponsor says rural areas need more help, but business groups point out those counties are key to Iowa’s economy.
Local governments and manufacturers need to embrace standardized firefighting equipment. Otherwise, it’s going to cost too much and isn’t going to be available when we need it.
Trust in local government has declined in recent years. Liberty Lake, Wash., has found ways to assure residents their voices will be heard.
Above all, staff needs support. And there are techniques for keeping violence in check. Everybody — officers, inmates and communities — benefits.
The Center for Internet Security is evaluating how funding cuts will impact election security support services, including help responding to cybersecurity incidents like hacking and ransomware attacks.
International migration drove growth in many states, notably in the Northeast. Florida grew the most, gaining just over 2 percent in overall population.
As Texas land commissioner, Dawn Buckingham controls 13 million acres. She intends to give the Trump administration as much of it as they need to secure the border.
About half of the funds will go toward helping farmers bolster their biosecurity measures. The department is also working to bolster egg imports.
The city owns more than 1,000 works of art. It hasn’t inventoried them for decades and doesn’t know where at least 85 of them are.
California wildfires are causing long-term damage to ecosystems, water systems, and the economy — costs that are often overlooked.
Once a symbol of paradise, palm trees have become synonymous with Los Angeles. But with aging trees and changing cityscape, is it time for a new chapter?
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is seeking a private vendor to provide meals for nearly 20,000 prisoners, citing rising food costs and inefficiencies. But critics warn privatization may worsen food quality.
Neodesha, Kan., is offering a variety of incentives, including student loan repayment, tax breaks and housing development plans to encourage people to move to the small town and combat rural population decline.
Safety net systems should be integrated with workforce support programs. Mostly they aren’t. More states should implement the kind of “One Door Model” that Utah has proven effective.
Wichita, Kan., has been reeling since a flight carrying residents crashed outside Washington last month. Mayor Lily Wu talks about leading her city during this difficult time.
Mandatory processes and detailed rules have increasingly constrained officials’ discretion, leading to endless lawsuits, decadeslong project delays and multibillion-dollar cost overruns. There’s a better way.
Policing can be reimagined without compromising public safety, argues Minneapolis’ chief of police.
Solutions include funding the federal agency properly, requiring states to share a larger burden of the responsibility and removing barriers to resilience.
GOP governors and lawmakers have set up their own government efficiency task forces and committees to find ways to cut state spending.
