Welcome to the first work week in November. Today’s buzz brings a tribute to foliage and attempts to answer what makes a successful Public-Private Partnership, what happens when a city controller steals millions to pursue her horse breeding passion and whether or not a county manager wear a monkey mask to a commission meeting?
Right Now w/ Matt Yager
What I’m Reading: This Bridge Will Not Be Gray by Dave Eggers
What I’m Watching: PJ Masks on Disney Junior (aka “Hey, it’s not Caillou”)
What I’m Listening To: Hey Ya! – Vintage ’60s Soul Outkast Cover ft. Sara Niemietz
What I’m Doing: Sneaking some of my daughter’s Halloween haul. Strictly to limit her sugar intake, of course.
What I want to know from you: What was the cleverest Halloween costume you saw this year?
Buzzing
What Makes A Successful Public-Private Partnership?: For decades, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada have routinely used public-private partnerships (P3s) for large public projects and essential government operations. The United States has been slower to embrace collaboration. Now, however, that scenario is changing rapidly, and P3s are attractive options to public officials and taxpayers at every jurisdictional level of government. The P3 marketplace in America is poised to experience a significant growth spurt that will put trillions of dollars of public spending into play for private-sector contractors. That makes it extremely important to look at “best practices” and pitfalls to be avoided.
Saving Yourself from Scandal: Like many American’s I am pretty much obsessed with the confident television phenomenon that is Scandal’s Olivia Pope. As a communication’s professional, it’s hard for me to not want to be her. She’s confident, she’s smart, and she’s basically everything that you would want in a crisis management professional. So instead of ranting about how great the show is, I’ve opted for informing you on some of the things that I’ve learned from Scandal that directly translate to real-life communications situations.
UK’s first major trial of self-healing concrete gets underway in Wales: The first major trial of self-healing concrete in the UK, led by a team of researchers from Cardiff University, is being undertaken at a site in the South Wales Valleys. The project, entitled Materials for Life (M4L), is piloting three separate concrete-healing technologies for the first time in real-world settings, with a view to incorporating them into a single system that could be used to automatically repair concrete in the built environment.
Trending
The November Confidential: Twitter Fingers
Who Are You? with Victoria Yarbrough, City of Sierra Vista, AZ
Win! Win! Win #ELGL16 Tickets from Mo’Mix Solutions
Who Are You? with Krista Davidson, University of Southern California MPA
Upcoming
Local Government Trivia Night November 6
Give and Take #ELGLBookClub – November 17
Program Costing with Shayne Kavanagh of GFOA – November 18
50 Nifty
Colorado communities trying to lift limits on municipal broadband: Voters in 26 Colorado cities and towns, along with 17 counties, on Tuesday will be deciding whether to lift a decade-old law that prohibits their local governments from getting into the broadband Internet game. By far, it’s the largest group of municipalities to take on the 2005 law, the aim of which was to ensure that private Internet providers weren’t forced to compete with government-funded data networks in providing high-speed Web service to homes and businesses. The reasons vary for the ballot measures across the state. Some communities want to provide Wi-Fi in public buildings and parks while others have plans to partner with the private sector on building out a fiber-optic backbone.
Boise pre-K experiment will test city-school partnership: The city of Boise, the Boise School District and other partners will kick off free preschool at two sites beginning Monday. Boise Superintendent Don Coberly said the model could be one for other school districts and the state to follow to expand pre-K programs, which have proved to prepare students for elementary school.
How one of the biggest swindlers in American history built a horse-breeding empire: Want to buy 767 horse-championship trophies belonging to one of the biggest swindlers in American history? Now’s your chance. In 2013, a small-town city official by the name of Rita Crundwell was sentenced to almost 20 years in federal prison for stealing at least $53.7 million from the city of Dixon, Ill. Crundwell, the town’s longtime comptroller, used the millions to build a horse-breeding empire so enormous that federal investigators are still auctioning it off, piece by ill-gotten piece.
Irvington greenway connects neighbors, businesses: Neighbors had talked about having a trail in Irvington for years. The trail, an extension of the Pennsy Trail, was built in sections and the first part opened in 2009. The path for walkers, joggers and bicyclers now extends from Bonna Avenue to the Pleasant Run Trail at Ellenberger Park, the Pennsy Trail at Arlington Avenue and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. It’s a path that connects people in Irvington to Downtown Indianapolis, and vice versa, without the use of a motor vehicle.
Economic development manager is Annapolis’ business ‘conductor’: A major City Dock construction project began last week and Hollis Minor wants to make sure it doesn’t hurt Annapolis businesses. As the city’s economic development manager, Minor sees her job as making sure the infrastructure is in place for businesses to come to Annapolis, as well as to survive and thrive. She came to the job in September, after Annapolis and Anne Arundel County officials announced a partnership to improve economic development. Previously, the city had cut funding for the Annapolis Economic Development Corp.
Storefront churches a property tax issue: Well-established churches, with their towering steeples and worship signs, are a common sight in Jackson, part of the South’s Bible Belt. What is not so noticeable, at first glance, are the number of churches in old store fronts — from former bank buildings to closed neighborhood cleaners. This is especially true in south Jackson, where the number of such churches is on the rise. With lower overhead and more flexibility, smaller congregations can establish and maintain a presence. And property owners, if the space is donated, can have it removed from tax rolls.
City of Rochester may back temporary homeless shelter: City leaders may be willing to put up $50,000 to fund a temporary homeless shelter this winter if Monroe County and private donors will match that amount.Advocates with the Rochester Emergency Action Committee for the Homeless, or REACH, have been asking city and county officials for $50,000 each to help set up and staff such a shelter before the weather turns colder.
Voters in six cities to give opinion on deer culling, but council has final say: Though voters in six cities — North Royalton, Broadview Heights, Parma, Parma Heights, Seven Hills and Strongsville — plan to ask residents in March to vote on deer bow-hunting, the results will not be binding, officials say. After the residents votes are in, city councils in each municipality will ultimately decide, North Royalton Mayor Bob Stefanik said. “I don’t think there’s one city council in the world that would go against what their voters wants,” Stefanik said. The cities on Nov. 16 will hold information sessions at their respective city hall, according to multiple news releases.
Anonymous groups try to sway Charleston’s mayoral race: The campaign of Ginny Deerin, founder of nonprofit WINGS for Kids, blasted a recent rainbow-colored mailer that misspelled her last name three times and urged people to “let Ginny know you are supporting her because she is gay.” Deerin’s campaign said the mailer “attempts to play on outdated prejudice, four days before the election” and is illegal because its sender — a group called the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Association — is not licensed, as required by law.
Sioux Falls Public Safety Receives Budget Funding For Employees, Equipment: Mayor Mike Huether unveils his plans for the 2016 City Budget. It includes $62.4 million for Public Safety. That’s 13-percent of the $471 million budget. We spoke to members of Fire Rescue and Police about this proposal.
Local Gov Confidential
Regina city manager says goodbye: Glen Davies was hired on a mandate of change. Nine years later, it’s still the word he spouts most often when talking about his work for the City of Regina. “Embracing change is one of the most important things in terms of leading an organization like the city,” he said.
Kansas City Council gets an earful at listening session: In the first of what are intended to be many “listening sessions,” some council members and numerous city officials showed up before 9 a.m. Saturday at the Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Road, to listen to residents’ questions, observations and criticisms. Sixth District at-large Councilman Scott Taylor, who led off the two-hour gathering, said it was intended to build on south Kansas City neighborhoods’ good collaboration with the Lane4 group to revive the Red Bridge Shopping Center.
County Manager’s mask upsets officers: A monkey mask jokingly worn by County Manager Phil Rios at a recent county commission meeting didn’t strike detention center officers as being so funny. Rios entered the county commission chambers at the Oct. 15 meeting wearing the mask, taking a seat alongside County Attorney Patrick Vigil and joking with Vigil and the county commissioners in attendance. Rios removed the mask before the meeting began. It didn’t escape the attention of nine county detention officers who attended the meeting to vent their frustrations about work conditions at the detention center and the slowgoing in getting a pay raise. They found the mask insulting.