The Ferguson Group Blog

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments.  Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

How Green is Your State?

This interactive map allows you to compare the overall “greenness” of each U.S. state.  Just choose your state and see how its environmental impacts compare to the rest of the U.S. overall and in the individual categories of mass transit, renewables, water quality, air quality, recycling, gas, and CO₂ emissions.  Read More…

Technology Will Make or Break Oregon’s Mileage Tracking Program

For more than a decade, Oregon has been studying alternative transportation infrastructure revenue sources to replace the dwindling revenues being collected by the gas tax.  Vehicle Miles Traveled is already accepted by many to be the future of transportation taxation, but with question looming about the technology it takes to track a vehicles traveled mileage, Oregon’s pilot program has a lot to prove.  Read More…

Cities Launch Anti-Poverty Centers

Even with tough federal cuts to discretionary domestic spending that affect programs that serve the poor, cities throughout the nation are finding ways to alleviate urban poverty on their own.  Through the creation of economic opportunity/empowerment offices, cities are testing social service programs themselves, and reinvesting in the ones that work best.  Read More…

House Awaits Senate Energy-Efficiency Efforts

As the House waits for the Senate to begin considering an energy-efficiency bill, members worry that a delay in the Senate could derail all action on the issue.  Despite skepticism, Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled he plans to bring up the issues before the 5-week August recess begins Friday.  Read More…

Study:  Sea-Level Rise Threatens 1,400 U.S. Cities

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences predicts that prior emissions have already locked in a sea-level rise of 4 feet in the future; a rise that will submerge parts of 316 American cities and towns.  The timing of the sea-level rise is not clear, but experts say if global warming continues at this rate, at least an additional 1,100 municipalities will be partially submerged in the distant future.  Read More…

 

Yes, There’s Even an App for That

Beginning today, you can take out some of your transportation frustration by notifying Congress that you’re stuck and unhappy about it!  

This week both the House and Senate are considering their very different versions of the fiscal year 2014 Transportation and HUD Appropriations bill and the debate over federal investment in transportation infrastructure is heating up, so there’s no better time to download the newly released  “I’m Stuck” App from Building America’s Future.  The App allows you to take a photo of your crowded subway platform or interstate and send a note expressing your frustration to your Member of Congress. Click here for the free iOS and Android download.

Building America's Future Educational Fund is a bipartisan coalition of elected officials dedicated to bringing about a new era of U.S. investment in infrastructure.

Don’t Mess with Muni Bonds Tax Status Say National Water Associations

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the Association of the Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) jointly issued a report showing the benefits of tax-exempt status for municipal bonds.  The groups analysis shows that ending or capping the tax-exempt status would directly result in increased costs for providing water and wastewater services to people and businesses.   The report, The Impacts of Altering Tax-Exempt Municipal Bond Financing on Public Drinking Water & Wastewater Systems, concludes that a proposed major change in over 100 years of federal tax policy would shift water and wastewater costs onto residents and businesses and NOT investors, as some of the idea’s proponents suggest.

Earlier this year, the White House issued a 2014 budget proposal that would impose a 28 percent benefit cap on tax-exempt municipal bond interest for high-income taxpayers.  The report shows that, based on the volume of bonds issued in the previous year (slightly over $39 billion for 2012), state and local governments would have had to pay $6 billion in additional expenses for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.  All but two states issued municipal bonds in 2012 to help finance needed infrastructure projects.   Had the cap been in place then, there would have been an astronomical number of projects not undertaken, fewer jobs created and sustained and less service to residents. 

The report is available on the NACWA and AMWA websites at www.nacwa.org or www.amwa.net.

 

Calling Local Climate Preparedness Leaders: The White House Wants YOU!

Last month, when the President released his “Climate Action Plan,” he did so with a good deal of recognition for the local impact of climate change and the potential for local influence in policy development and implementation. His announcement included the creation a local government task force will help the government identify challenges and opportunities related to federal efforts to address climate impacts.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality let us know that they welcome suggestions on currently sitting State, Local, or Tribal elected officials who bring experience in building climate preparedness and resilience in their communities, and a strong commitment to strengthening the Nation in the face of climate change. Local officials should send recommendations – including title, organization, contact information and reason for nominating – to [email protected] by July 26, 2013. The White House will formally announce Task Force members once appointments are made.

And If you’re following this issue, you may be interested coverage of one of the most significant impacts of climate change on coastal communities, rising sea levels, which was captured in a Washington Post article this week entitled “Vulnerable Maryland Weighs Threat of Sea-Level Rise. ” 

FEMA Offers Grant Assistance to Retain and Rehire Firefighters

With tight city budgets, fire departments across the nation have been confronted with firefighter layoffs. Staffing reductions could potentially impact firehouses’ ability to effectively and safely respond to emergencies, threatening the safety of firefighters as well as citizens.

Starting Monday July 29, 2013, fire departments and national, state, local, or tribal organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters are encouraged to apply for FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program. The SAFER Grant program has dedicated $320,920,083 to assist Fire Departments in increasing the number of firefighters, help communities meet industry minimum standards, and to attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire related hazards.

The SAFER grant program eligible activities include:

1.       Hiring of Firefighters

·         First Priority: Rehiring laid-off firefighters

·         Second Priority: Retention of firefighters who face imminent layoffs or filling vacant positions

·         Third Priority: Hiring new firefighters

2.       Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters

·         Assist departments experiencing a high rate of turnover and with staffing levels significantly below the ideal staffing level required to comply with National Fire Protection Association standards 1710 or 1720.

SAFER funding will pay for the total salary and benefit costs for each full-time funded position.

The application period is open from July 29, 2013 through August 30, 2013. Detailed information on how to apply can be found on the SAFER Grants Web Page.

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments.  Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! -

How Emergency Managers Can Benefit from Big Data

In the past several years, big data has been used to prepare for and address emergency situations.  Although the era of big data in emergency planning is still in its infancy, experts say big data could prove to be an indispensible tool for both large agencies and local emergency managers in the future.  Read More…

Large Costs Loom for Upgrades to U.S. Water Infrastructure

After the near “catastrophic” water shutdown last week in Maryland’s Prince George’s County due to a 48 year old water main ready to explode, attention has again been drawn to America’s aging water infrastructure.  The EPA estimates $384 billion in water infrastructure upgrades need to be made over the next two decades, and with the majority of water funding coming from local sources, concerns continue to surface about the potential cap on tax exempt municipal bonds.  Read More…

Pew:  States Can Take Steps to Help Cities Avoid Bankruptcy Filings

A Pew report released Tuesday identifies a range of practices States can adopt to help their cities and municipalities avoid financial distress.  The State Role in Local Government Financial Distress gives insight on what causes bankruptcy, how to avoid it, and identifies the states that are best prepared to handle bankruptcy situations.  Read More…

Can America’s Energy Infrastructure Survive Severe Weather?

Experts in the energy field agree that America’s energy infrastructure is not prepared to handle the severe weather events that are predicted to get worse and more frequent in the future.  A report released earlier this month by the Department of Energy assesses the current deficiencies in our energy system and what needs to change in order for our infrastructure to survive climate change.  Read More…

Interior Department Slams Senate Energy Revenue-Sharing Bill

A revenue-sharing provision to the FAIR Act has become the center of fierce debate, mainly between the DOI and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  The provision, which looks to provide coastal states with 37.5% of offshore drilling revenues produced by their state, could have negative effects for Department of Interior programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which would lose over $800 million in funding.  Read More…

 

 

House-Passed Education Bill Takes Hands Off Approach

On July 19, 2013, the House passed H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. The measure is intended to overhaul the No Child Left Behind law (P.L. 107-110) which expired in 2007, and reduce the federal government's role in the public education system.

The bill would: 

• ·  Eliminate the current accountability system, which requires all students to be 100 percent proficient  in reading and math for their grade level by 2014. It would instead allow states to develop their own academic standards in reading, math and science and leave to their discretion whether to set standards for other subjects;
• Allow states to identify their poorest-performing schools and let local districts develop their own strategies for improving those schools;
• Consolidate several K-12 education programs into a new Local Academic Flexible Grant, which would allow states and school districts to support their own priorities. Also, it allows states to use Title II funds, currently provided for teacher development, to assist teachers in meeting the needs of students with different learning styles, particularly English learners, gifted students and students with disabilities;
• Require states and school districts to create teacher and principal evaluation systems based on several parameters, including student achievement and teacher performance; and 
• Allow federal monies to follow a student if s/he changes public schools, including charter schools.

The Senate is working on an alternative to the House-passed bill. President Obama has announced that he would veto the House bill because it sharply reduces federal authority to set education standards, and allows the states too much power in determining how to spend federal education funding.

It’s all in the numbers…

The bidding war for Nate Silver,  the statistician who made his mark with highly accurate 2008 and 2012 election predictions, is over and he’ll be moving from the New York Times to ESPN.  Before the 2008 campaign, Silver was a baseball statistician, but has gained a major following since then for his work in the political arena. Rest assured that Silver will still offer political analysis for ABC News which, like ESPN, is owned by Disney. 

With so many news outlets vying for Silver, it is clear that predictive analysis is BIG business. Every day we hear from clients that are using data to project staffing needs, catch criminals, create safer roads, and catch those “bad apples” that are gaming the system and exploiting government resources.  How do you use data to improve quality of life and efficiency in your community?

Monday Morning Reading

I am the daughter of a print journalist and, in fact, the granddaughter of a print journalist.  I like to READ my news. Every day.

I care a lot about the same issues that are important to my clients, so work reading isn’t a chore and there’s nothing I enjoy more than happening upon an article in the early AM that my clients will find as interesting and useful as I do.  And yes, I still get the Washington Post home delivered.  There’s something about the turning of pages, pointing out the interesting stories to my oldest (a new reader), cheering and chastising the editorials,  and yes, the coupons, a delight.

I find  the Washington Post, Politico, and Roll Call  essential breakfast reading.   What is your morning information routine? 

Online Sales Tax Collection is Good Business

There is more news today in support of state and local collection of online sales tax.  According to a study released today by Arthur Laffer, who served as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, leveling the playing field and giving states the ability to collect sales tax from out-of-state online retailers could create 1.5 million new jobs.  “Excluding e-commerce sales or a myriad of other exclusions adopted by so many states inefficiently narrows the sales tax base and creates economic distortions by taxing similar economic activities differently,” he wrote.

After a decade of stop-and-go progress on passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act, the Senate voted in May on legislation granting states the power to collect sales tax from online retailers, with the bill clearing the Senate with 69 votes. Now it is the House’s turn to begin consideration of the bill.  Representative Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,  has promised to hold a hearing on the legislation but it has not yet been scheduled.  The bill also enjoys the support of the White House.