Why hello there. Today’s buzz includes a look at how preparation can weigh you down, a small city that has lost three grocery stores in 2015 and a controversy in Tampa about purchasing playground equipment and features NFL fans who aren’t having the best time.
Right Now w/ Matt Yager
What I’m Reading – NFL Scores to see who covered the spread today.
What I’m Watching – Football for the fourth day in a row. It’s glorious.
What I’m Listening to – The dulcet tones of Cris Collinsworth’s voice.
What I’m Doing – Mentally preparing for yet another let down from the Dallas Cowboys.
What I want to know from you – Who do you have in the Super Bowl? I’m going Bills-Packers
Buzzing
The Incoherence of MODOT: There’s definitely something culturally wrong within the Missouri Department of Transportation. We’ve discussed this here before, whether it is their push for more money, their subsequent blackmail of the electorate and their ongoing tantrum, the agency seems to have the entitled mentality of a deposed princess.
How To Listen When Your Gut Twinges: The veneer is coming off the surface of the religion I call the Church of Data. We are remembering that we come from a pretty old line of primates and we were at one time tuned into our environment more than we are now. We have sturdy senses in our guts that will guide us to make the right decision but we don’t listen to them. We have to train ourselves to pay attention when our bodies react. Otherwise it’s easy to diss our gut-senses and our intuition, and tell them to pipe down.
When Preparation Goes From Jet-Fuel to Extra Weight: Although preparation is an essential part of pursuing our creative dreams, it can also lead to stagnation. We prevent ourselves from starting our venture by constantly advancing our skills, or waiting for the right time, or finding the right collaborator. In Elizabeth Gilbert’s new podcast Magic Lessons, she gives creative career advice to those struggling.
Trending on ELGL
From the Land of Cookingham: Have a Sweet Day!
Save the Date: The Future of Government
UNC Job Listings 9.11.2015
Economic Development Program Manager, Tualatin, OR
Upcoming ELGL Events
Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall Happy Hour September 23
I Want to be Your Analyst: Welcome to the CPBB September 24
Mixing in Perfect Harmony September 27
Local Gov Trivia Night October 22
#ELGL15 Annual Conference October 23
50 Nifty
Is O’Rourke leaving as Yakima city manager? Officials won’t say: If Yakima City Manager Tony O’Rourke plans to be working in Yakima next year, no one is saying it with any certainty. An undercurrent of questions and rumors about O’Rourke’s future with the city has gained momentum at City Hall since a Sept. 1 City Council meeting in which members held a closed-door discussion about the city’s manager’s job performance.
City cuts small park space for housing: About an acre of land previously planned as park space associated with the Marine Park and Seawalk will be set aside for a potential housing project. In a special meeting Thursday morning, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Committee of the Whole voted to alter the city’s bid for the construction of the seawalk and park surrounding the whale statue, a move it hopes will expand housing options for Juneau residents. The bid, which has been out for a little more than a week, will exclude the small portion of the park area near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge located just beyond where the whale is to be placed.
Sandy Springs to unveil new City Center name and logo: Sandy Springs’ massive City Center redevelopment and the downtown district it hopes to inspire are getting a new name and logo that will be unveiled in a Sept. 20 public ceremony. The new name remains a secret until then. As part of the ceremony, residents are invited to bring a jar of soil from their neighborhood to mix into the construction site’s dirt, to symbolize the creation of “everyone’s neighborhood,” as the city puts it.
Douglas County’s health inspection files are only on paper, despite contract to digitize: Douglas County’s switch from paper to digital food safety records is taking much longer than expected, leaving restaurant patrons in the dark. Eighteen months have elapsed since the Douglas County Health Department signed a contract for a digital record-keeping system to track inspections of food and drink establishments. But persistent delays with the software vendor have pushed back the start date into next year.
Scottsdale bond debates to feature opposing council views: Scottsdale voters will be asked this fall to decide the fate of a $95.9 million bond proposal that some city officials contend is necessary to maintain and repair public infrastructure. The issue is complex and oftentimes confusing, and not everyone on the Scottsdale City Council agrees the proposal is even needed.Residents will have an opportunity to sort out the details and gain a better understanding of the issue at two public forums planned in October. Scottsdale residents will vote on the bond proposal Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Oakland County officials push DIA for more transparency: Oakland County officials are pushing for the Detroit Institute of Arts to open its meetings to the public and publish its proposed budget as long as the museum accepts taxpayer money. A committee of Oakland County commissioners met Wednesday with DIA chair Gene Gargaro to make the demands at a time when the museum has come under fire for pushing a compensation package for its top executives totaling more than $600,000.
Springdale’s interim police chief accepts offer of permanent post: Mike Peters was sworn in Friday as the city’s new police chief. Peters will be paid $102,742 annually, the same salary Police Chief Kathy O’Kelley was earning when she retired June 30. Peters has been the acting police chief since July 1.
Clifton to assist laid-off workers after A&P-owned stores close: The city of Clifton is looking for new tenants for three vacant supermarkets, and making plans to help some 200 laid-off workers find jobs, after being the first municipality in North Jersey to be hit by an A&P store closing as a result of the supermarket chain’s bankruptcy filing. Clifton already had one vacant supermarket — a 54,000-square-foot Acme store in the Styertowne shopping center on Allwood Road that closed in February — before A&P filed for bankruptcy July 19. The city then was hit by a double whammy in the bankruptcy filing, when A&P announced that two of the 25 stores it planned to close immediately were in Clifton.
Dozens show up to meet Pearl City cemetery owner: For the first time, people had a chance to ask the owner of Sunset Memorial Cemetery about the condition of the cemetery, which has been struggling for years. Problems included mishandled burials, stolen urns and collapsed grave sites.
Lower gas, oil, coal prices could drop UW, city revenues: Most people around the country have taken advantage of the large drop in oil prices from the past year — cheaper gas can mean more vacations or more money to spend on other luxuries. While Wyomingites can still enjoy the lower costs, the state’s pocketbook can’t — possibly affecting Laramie residents. The energy business is nearly non-existent in Albany County. A large portion of the city of Laramie’s funding comes from taxes. This could be considered a positive, more stable employment rate — the city doesn’t rely on the energy market.However, intergovernmental revenue includes a large amount of state funding, such as state supplemental distribution — cigarette or fuel taxes.
Local Gov Confidential
Arroyo Grande’s new city manager opens up about her goals for the city: Arroyo Grande city management has had a whirlwind of a year. Following the highly publicized incident in which former City Manager Steve Adams was found alone at night in City Hall with a subordinate, and his subsequent departure from city management in November, Arroyo Grande was without a permanent top administrator. That changed in April, when the city announced Dianne Thompson would take the helm.
Tampa buys playground equipment from company that employs parks director’s wife: The city has purchased tens of thousands of dollars in playground equipment from a company that employs the wife of Tampa’s parks and recreation director.High-ranking city officials knew about the relationship and approved of it. A city attorney says there is no problem with the arrangement. Under Greg Bayor, the city has purchased playground equipment six times from Dominica Recreation Products, where his wife, Gini, is a territory manager on the sales team.
Mayor wants to clear air on city finances: Before the election season completely consumes the airwaves, it is important for the citizens of Evansville to have accurate information about our city finances without interjecting politics. It has been confirmed time and time again by the state’s independent audits and the independent bond rating agencies that the city has operated in a financially sound, efficient and prudent manner.