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!
Roadside Systems Detect Wildlife to Prevent Collisions
The Province of Ontario, Canada has become the site of new wildlife sensor and alert systems that aim to reduce the number of animal-vehicle collisions on highways. Similar systems are currently being tested in states like Florida and Colorado, who are looking to use the system to both protect motorists and endangered animal populations. Read More….
HUD Releases Emergency Funds to Soften the Sequester’s Impact
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is allocating $103 million in emergency funds to public housing authorities across the country for the rental voucher program. Although the emergency funds may help to soften the impact of sequester cuts on this program, other vital federal programs that serve the poor continue to suffer. Read More…
U.S. to Revive Loan Program That Backed Tesla, Fisker
The Energy Department is starting an active outreach campaign to revive the Alternative-Vehicle Loan program that has not been active since 2011. The program, which still has $15 billion in remaining authority, has been highly criticized for its scattered track record of failures and successes. Read More…
Yosemite Blaze Continues; U.S. Fleet of Firefighting Planes Depleted by Years of Neglect
The fires raging across the western U.S. have not only spurred conversations about the effects of climate change and environmental conditions, but also about the funding that goes toward fighting wildfires and the equipment used to do so. The Department of Interior is taking heat for its neglect to keep tabs on the needs of firefighters and their decades old fleet of air tankers. Read More…
Most Government Jobs Are Local (And So Are the Cuts)
Although the Great Recession has caused the loss of over 520,000 government jobs, an estimated 400,000 of those have been in local governments and 114,000 in state governments. Understanding that nearly 90% of government jobs are at the state and local level, the calculated disparity still reflects a disproportionate loss at state and local levels. Read More…
Comments