The Ferguson Group Blog

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Climate Push Takes Center Stage

Can you put a price on climate change? Well, the White House did. A new White House report concludes that inaction on climate change could cost the American economy $150 billion a year. Read More...

City Pilot Uses Late Water Bills to Help the Poor

While Detroit used unpaid bills to cut off water service to thousands of people, five other cities are using those same outstanding payments to identify and help people in need. These cities are participating in a two-year pilot program, LIFT-UP, that aims to improve payment rates while helping residents achieve economic stability. Read More...

Cities Launch Anti-Poverty Centers

With federal support for social service programs dwindling, cities are looking for new ways to combat poverty. The New York City Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) model program has inspired other cities to take the initiative in alleviating poverty in their communities. Read More...

FirstNet Begins State Consultations

After years of planning, FirstNet is making progress toward its goal of creating a nationwide first responder communications network by conducting its first in-person state consultation with Maryland on July 29. The meetings will be used to gather information on project specifications in advance of the draft RFP release, which is expected to be released sometime before March 2015. Read More...  

Crowdfunding Matches Residents with Local Projects

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has launched a crowdfunding and matching grant initiative to help communities statewide fund public space projects. The funding effort is designed to drive local growth projects, which will attract entrepreneurs and businesses to Michigan communities and aid in economic sustainability. Read More...

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Reid Sets Up Highway Vote

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced a deal with Republicans on Wednesday that paves the way for a final vote on a bill to fund federal transportation projects through next spring. The vote could come as early as Thursday. Read More...

House GOP Offers Border Fix Plan

On Wednesday, House Republicans unveiled a dozen policy recommendations to fix the border crisis before time runs out for Congress to agree on a deal before the month-long August recess.  The proposal provides $1.5 billion in emergency funding, which of course, will be offset with spending cuts. Read More...

Finding the Money for Water Infrastructure

As officials contemplate how they will finance water infrastructure improvements against constrained budgets, the newly created Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program is of particular interest. Modeled after the successful Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan program, WIFIA is expected to fill a huge void in water infrastructure funding that is greatly needed by localities. Read More...

San Jose and Nashville Ask Citizens for Poverty Solutions

San Jose and Nashville are known for their originality and ingenuity, and their innovations are reaching beyond Silicon Valley tech and world-famous recording studios. True to their creative roots, both cities hope to leverage the innovative ideas and talents of their constituencies to solve a major problem that plagues both of their streets: poverty. Read More...

Congress and Biden Aim for Job Training that Actually Leads to Jobs

On Tuesday, President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act into law, streamlining and updating the nation’s outdated job training programs after 11-years of inaction. President Biden has been on the road for months, looking to learn what displaced American workers really need from federal job training programs. Read More...

House Votes For Permanent Internet Tax Ban

Earlier this week, the House passed by voice vote legislation permanently banning internet access taxes – a blow to local and state governments counting on the tax as a current or future revenue stream. 

H.R. 3086, the “Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act,” permanently extends the moratorium first enacted in 1998 and removes the exemption enjoyed by seven states.  The bill does not address the matter of sales tax collected on interstate online purchases.  Wireless industry representatives supported passage.

Action now moves to the Senate where Sen. Ron Wyden has sponsored similar legislation.  Many local governments and organizations such as the National Association of Counties have voiced strong opposition to Senate offices.  Sen. Wyden said he is consulting with his colleagues regarding moving the bill forward but he has not indicated a timeframe within which he hopes see action on his bill.

House Passes Highway Trust Fund Patch & Authorization Extension

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed legislation providing an $11 billion bailout to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and steady state funding for highway and transit projects and programs through May 2015.  Only 45 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted against H.R. 5021.  

The bill now moves to the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to have the bill on the Senate floor before the August recess.  Environment & Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer wants the authorization portion of H.R. 5021 to end five months earlier to force additional consideration prior to the end of 2014 and is likely to offer an amendment on the floor. 

The House bill sources the $11 billion by way of customs fees, redirecting funds set aside for leaking underground storage tanks, and  “pension smoothing,” which allows companies to pay in less pension benefits and report higher taxable profits.  According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), allowing pension plans to use higher interest rates when calculating their future liabilities would reduce the minimum contributions that employers are required to make to such plans, leading to increases in offsetting receipts, direct spending, and revenues. The CBO report also noted its expectation that H.R. 5021 would increase the amount of underfunding in pension plans.  A Senate Finance Committee amendment with a slightly different plan to provide the $11 billion HTF bailout waits in the wings.  The Senate plan relies less on pension smoothing and more on tax law compliance enforcement.

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

House Moving Quickly on Border

House Republicans are moving quickly to address the growing humanitarian crisis on the southern border, possibly holding votes as soon as next week. As Congress moves closer to the month-long August recess, the speedy action sends a clear message to Senate Democrats: Take it or leave it. Read More…

How Technology Can Stretch Infrastructure Dollars

Technology alone can’t bridge the gap between what governments currently spend on infrastructure and what it would cost to properly maintain and upgrade these systems, but it is becoming clearer that technology can significantly narrow this vast chasm.  One example comes from South Carolina, where an innovative bridge-monitoring system is producing real savings... $5 million in savings to be exact. Read More…

Affordable Housing Leads to Smarter Kids

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found a compelling connection between how much families spend on housing and a child’s cognitive abilities. "The markedly poor performance of children in families with extremely low housing cost burdens undercuts the housing policy assumption that a lower housing burden is always best," the study’s author said.  Read More…

Driverless Cars and Intelligent Highways Projected for Indiana

Driverless vehicles. A second beltway that partially loops Indianapolis. "iWays" that recharge electric cars and melt snow and ice. Those are just a few of the billions of dollars in recommendations suggested by a Governor-appointed Transportation Committee in Indiana. Some of these ideas may just be the future of America’s roadways. Read More…

Mesh Networks Keep Residents Connected During Power Outages

A technology solution relatively new to the U.S., mesh networks let users connect directly to each other rather than through a central hub. As unpredictable weather increases, mesh networks could become a critical way to keep citizens connected to vital services and make communities more resilient. Read More…

FCC Passes E-Rate Reform

President Obama’s 2013 goal to hook American students up to high-speed internet within five years looks more promising after Friday’s FFC approval to modernize the E-Rate program.

E-rate is the Universal Service Fund subsidy that goes to providing Internet access to schools and libraries.  Friday’s vote approved a plan to spend an additional $2 billion to boost wireless Internet connectivity in U.S. schools and libraries over the next two years. Additionally, it plans to phase out subsidies for old technologies like pagers and dial-up phone service in order to subsidize broadband and wireless Internet connections.

Are your schools, school districts or libraries looking to fund telecommunications, telecommunications services, internet access, internal connections and maintenance? Check out the FCC’s E-Rate program here.

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

House Proposes EPA Cuts

The House proposed deep new cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday to help pay for Western priorities including money to aid local governments and fight wildfires on federal lands. On top of the spending cuts, the bill includes several legislative riders to restrict the EPA’s regulatory power. Read More…

Solar, Wi-Fi-Enabled Water Wheel Pulls Trash From Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is a city landmark teeming with tourists, restaurants and — until recently — floating trash. Baltimore native John Kellett developed the idea of a solar-powered water wheel that would collect the trash floating around the harbor. He brought his idea to the city, and the city listened. Since May, the trash-collecting water wheel has collected 50 tons of trash from the harbor. Read More…

Vertical Gardens Growing in Smart Cities

Green walls, or vertical gardens, have increasingly been integrated into public and private buildings around the world over the past decade. In addition to their aesthetic appeal amongst the concrete and steel of urban centers, vertical gardens counter pollution, help insulate buildings, and gather stormwater. Read More…

House Proposes $10.5B, Eight-Month Highway Bill

The House Ways and Means Committee is proposing a $10.5 billion, eight-month transportation funding bill to push the debate over road and transit spending into the next Congress. The proposal, which was released Tuesday afternoon, calls for a temporary extension of current transportation funding levels until May 31, 2015. The proposal comes as lawmaker’s scramble to come up with a solution to replenish the Highway Trust fund, which is now predicted to go bankrupt in August. Read More…

EPA Administrator Says ‘Ditch the Myths’ on Proposed Clean Water Rule

In a press call Tuesday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said that her department is making a concerted effort to reach out to farmers to correct “a growing list of myths floating around” regarding the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule to the Clean Water Act. She emphasized that there are some legitimate concerns, but she wants to separate what is fact and fiction.  Read More…

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

What Governments Need to Know About the New Municipal Advisor Rule

It’s been a confusing road for the creation of a new category of financial advisor – municipal advisors – who will be regulated by the federal government. So confusing, in fact, that the feds delayed implementation of the Municipal Advisor Rule by half a year to July 1^st. The rule is now in effect, but how to apply it is far from resolved. Read More…

National ‘311 for Cities’ Aimed at Growing Local Economies (Interactive Map)

When citizens have complaints or issues about sidewalks, potholes, stray animals and other non-emergency items, many can call their city's 311 interface. Now, under the Obama Administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative, cities can contact the National Resource Network to request and receive support from national experts on community development, economic development, operations budget and other key issues. This pilot program currently includes 50 cities across the country; additional cities will be added in the future. Read More…

For Sale: Vacant Lots of Chicago Blocks, Just $1 Each

Empty lots have multiplied in parts of Chicago in recent years, so the city is selling them to homeowners dirt cheap. It’s an effort to spark renewal in some of the city’s most blighted areas.  Read More…

New Bedford Redevelops for Wind, Solar

New Bedford isn’t just joining the green movement for the environmental benefits, but for massive projected savings in the cities annual budget.  With a goal of cutting its annual energy costs by $1 million, the City of New Bedford, MA is using federal tax credits, incentives and private funding to complete a $53 million clean energy project.  Read More…

Senate Democrats Plan July Push for on Export-Import Bank, Woo Chamber

Senate Democrats intend to take up legislation this month reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank in the hope that a strong bipartisan vote in the chamber will help spur House Republican leaders to take up the measure. “I believe we will bring the bill to the floor in July, before the August break…” Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) stated to reporters. Read More…