Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

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The future of carbon emissions and cities lies in green buildings

When you envision the future, what do you see? For me, it’s a place where people of all...

With an historic investment in public spaces, Philadelphia’s Rebuild program is committed to equity in the process

Jobs in the construction industry are family-sustaining careers that have proven to lift...

Article

How counties can create more efficient courts and enhance the juror experience

Until recently, Collin County, Texas, had antiquated jury management technology, and the workload required to manage it was becoming overwhelming. Our fast-growing county needed a quicker, more efficient way for the jury staff of my office to satisfy the needs of the many courts we serve including 13 District Courts, seven County Courts, four Justice […]

Article

Cloud security is key to cybersecurity resilience in state and local governments

The evolution of cloud technologies and the magnitude of what they are enabling in state and local government is immeasurable—from enabling first responders in the field, vaccine distribution and tracking, to remote learning and working. In fact, cloud technologies largely enabled government operations when the COVID pandemic hit. As the old saying goes, along with […]

Commentary

North Port, Florida utilities department depends on SCADA and remote alarm notification

Located on the Gulf of Mexico between Tampa and Sarasota, North Port, Fla., has 80 miles of freshwater canals and is the only city in the Florida with an entire 8,000-acre state forest inside its city limits. The city’s residents, visitors and many businesses are dependent on the Water and Wastewater Utilities Department. Water and […]

Article

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month—So what’s new?

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The first question comes to mind is what has happened since last October? The simple answer is plenty—and most was not good news. Ransomware attacks doubled against public institutions, cyber insurance premiums have risen dramatically while coverage limits have been cut, and we witnessed something almost unthinkable until recently when […]

Article

5 ways to increase construction contract opportunities for small businesses

As city and county government agency leaders know, there is tremendous power in the procurement process. With that power comes responsibility to equitably invest funds through contracting opportunities for small businesses, which are the foundation of the American economy. This is especially true in the construction industry, which includes many small businesses vying for contracts […]

ArticleCommentary

How local government can make better organizational decisions

Organizations are often disappointed with the outcomes of key institutional decisions. Local governments are no exception. Bad outcomes aren’t always the result of bad luck. High-impact decisions are often made without the benefit of even writing anything down about the decision process. The fact is that many important decisions are inadequately analyzed and overly influenced […]

Article

How simplifying the permit process empowers local governments and improves local communities

Building permits have a bad reputation for being confusing and time-consuming, and often, that reputation is valid. But it’s not the permit itself that is the problem, it’s the permit process from start to finish. A poor permit process costs local governments potential revenue, scarce time and valuable resources. It can also deter developers from […]

Commentary

Social media can play an important role in a community’s emergency response

History has proven time and again that communication is often hampered when a natural disaster strikes. Wildfires create widespread chaos that expands beyond political and government-managed borders; flooding events can evolve quickly, making it difficult for first responders to know what’s going on in the corners of their jurisdictions; hurricanes bring ashore intense wind, splintering telephone poles and overwhelming […]

Article

5 ways online purchasing channels can boost government procurement efficiency

In the first B2B ECommerce in Evolution Report from Amazon Business, 40 percent of government buyers said increasing efficiency within the procurement department is a top priority this year. This initiative could have major implications for the way government organizations have historically purchased goods and products. Boosting government procurement efficiency will require the digital transformation […]

Commentary

How local governments can use the budgeting process to increase transparency and trust

COVID-19 has deepened many citizens’ relationship with their local governments. In the United States, citizens are focused on both the federal government’s response and that of their local governments, which have been highly influential on the overall pandemic response in any given part of the country. In the short term, this focus led to a […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

test

The future of carbon emissions and cities lies in green buildings

With an historic investment in public spaces, Philadelphia’s Rebuild program is committed to equity in the process

Article

How counties can create more efficient courts and enhance the juror experience

Article

Cloud security is key to cybersecurity resilience in state and local governments

Commentary

North Port, Florida utilities department depends on SCADA and remote alarm notification

Article

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month—So what’s new?

Article

5 ways to increase construction contract opportunities for small businesses

ArticleCommentary

How local government can make better organizational decisions

Article

How simplifying the permit process empowers local governments and improves local communities

Commentary

Social media can play an important role in a community’s emergency response

Article

5 ways online purchasing channels can boost government procurement efficiency

Commentary

How local governments can use the budgeting process to increase transparency and trust

WHITE PAPERS

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Five Best Practices for Modern Digital Permitting and Licensing

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