A survey by Washington, DC-based International City/County Management Association (ICMA) indicates an overwhelming majority of the nation’s cities and counties are reporting that the recession is having moderate (44 percent) to significant (30 percent) impact on operations, and experts are predicting the changes in the way local governments do business will be permanent.
The ICMA survey also found that budget shortfalls have been greater than cuts made in the fiscal year 2009 budget in 52 percent of respondents’ communities and the same as the enacted budget cuts in 38 percent of the communities.
Those consequences of the financial crisis, such as reduction in local government services, may be here to stay, said ICMA Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth Kellar in a recent press conference. “The recession has ushered in permanent changes in governing at the local level, and the changes that have been implemented represent a new way of doing business that will continue beyond the fiscal crisis,” she said.
To read or download the ICMA survey results, please see:
http://www.icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=4884&p=1&t=0
Source: MMRMA.org
A high-rise condo in Phoenix, Arizona: The two-unit, 6,586-square-foot, 5-1/3 bath condo that serves as the McCain’s primary Phoenix residence and features a rooftop pool, personal spa services, concierge services, and valet parking was purchased new in 2006 for $4.7 million.
References:
Halbfinger, David. The McCain Properties. New York Times. August 23, 2008
Kleefeld E & Shapiro L. The Official TPM Tally: The McCains Own Eight To Eleven Houses. Talking Points Memo. August 22, 2008
The Residences at 2211 Camelback. 2211 Camelback Amenities – The original website is no longer active: www.2211camelback.com
What: The McCains’ main residence, this 6,500-square-foot, glass-walled condo with three terraces is in a recently built high-rise called 2211 Camelback. Plus a 2,000-square-foot unit on a lower floor.
Amenities: The 90-unit development has a rooftop pool and a concierge who offers “pet services,” makes travel arrangements and books spa treatments. There’s also valet parking and a gym.
Purchase Price and Dates: High-floor apartment, $4.67 million in October 2006; lower-floor unit, $830,000 in August 2007.
Annual Property Taxes: $15,542 for both units.
House Tour: Cindy McCain set what is believed by local brokers to be a record condo price for the area when she agreed in 2004 to buy two adjacent high-floor apartments, which she combined. The building is located in the prestigious Biltmore area near stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue.
Due Diligence: Though the upper-floor unit appreciated after the 2004 purchase agreement, its value has since fallen to about the purchase price, brokers say. The lower-floor condo’s value is about $715,000, down 14%, a typical drop for the hard-hit Phoenix market.
Source: ReListr.com
Municipal leaders in many of the nation’s windswept cities have turned to an innovative way of allowing wind turbines to be erected without incurring the wrath of homeowners who complain they make too much noise. These officials are allowing the giant windmills to be installed on commercial parking lots in areas separated from residential neighborhoods by zoning restrictions.
Parking lot windmills, many of them located at closed big-box retail centers, can be found in a growing number of cities from Buffalo, New York, to Palmdale, California. Many of the parking lot wind turbines are being installed on existing light poles; cities are mandating that they not exceed 60 feet in height.
Last year, 10,000 small turbines were sold to homes, farms and businesses nationwide, according to an official at the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, DC. The figure represents a 78-percent increase over the previous year, attributed in part to cheaper prices and federal tax credits.
Source: MMRMA.org
Perhaps they need a basic course in how to communicate. The Department of Homeland Security National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP), published in 2008, is not known to many public safety communication professionals around the country, according to a study by CDW Government based in Herndon, Virginia.
The NECP recommends a multi-faceted approach to strengthening emergency communications capabilities nationwide, focusing on technology, coordination, governance, planning, and training at all levels of government. Only half of public safety communications professionals were familiar with the NECP before CDW-G’s survey, though, once they were told about the plan, 93 percent said the NECP has the potential to address their communications issues.
In another finding from the survey, 61 percent said the ability to achieve and sustain seamless communications across jurisdictions and agencies is their No. 1 challenge in providing timely and effective emergency services. Another 28 percent said they experienced a communications challenge in the last year that hampered a response effort.
The NECP sets the following goals:
Despite low initial awareness of the NECP, public-safety communications professionals indicated that the goals are achievable.
To review or download a copy of the full report, please see:
www.cdwg.com/emergency
Source: MMRMA.org