Local Government

Loter is temporarily replacing Saad Bashir until the next mayor appoints a permanent CTO. While in the role, Loter plans to focus on supporting a hybrid workforce, employee soft skill training and equity.

The National Association of Counties’ Broadband Task Force released a report last week highlighting the widening digital divide and the need for equitable Internet access in all U.S. counties.

Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti appointed former Scranton business administrator Carl Deeley interim IT network systems manager effective July 7 — the day after City Council rejected Deeley’s appointment as IT director.

Joplin’s mayor indicated Monday night that the city is still investigating how its computer and telephone systems were interrupted July 7, but he and the city manager continued to decline to discuss details.

In the same way many businesses are struggling to figure out how the work-from-home model fits into a pandemic-altered world, local governments have begun to address the value of the participate-from-home concept.

The U.S. Department of Justice has outlined nine steps for police reform in Portland, Ore., including mandated body cameras for police and civilian supervision of police training.

Plus, Columbus, Ohio, announces a partnership aimed at collecting data on gun violence throughout the city, and Pittsburgh, Pa., launches a new "Universal Basic Mobility" pilot program for low-income residents.

With a unanimous vote Monday, the city council of Jacksonville, Ala., approved cybersecurity recommendations, including one that focuses on employee training, from chief information officer Tim Smith.

Chief information officer Peter Wallace, who oversees central IT for Virginia Beach, Va., discusses responding to crises, working toward digital equity and the benefits of data sharing.

Cuyahoga County cannot establish a microgrid unless the city where the grid would be located explicitly grants the county permission to do so, according to an opinion Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued last week.

Drones can now do lots of things in this city better than people can. They can help look carefully at buildings’ roofs and facades without the need for scaffolding and sidewalk sheds, among other things.

An Indiana-based Internet/cable TV provider is no longer planning to offer service throughout the city of Mankato, but Consolidated Communications is rapidly installing fiber-optic cable both there and in North Mankato.

Columbia, Tenn., is planning to invest in new technology that officials hope will provide a much-needed upgrade to how the jurisdiction is able to record and stream city meetings for the public.

City officials plan to purchase new election machines as well as associated equipment and training — an estimated $450,000 investment described as “long overdue” by top local gov administrators.

Plus, North Carolina unveils its new state Office of Digital Equity and Literacy; San Jose, Calif., announces a new donation adding up to a $250,000 boost for its San Jose Digital Inclusion Fund; and more.

State and local government innovation offices are neither ubiquitous nor standardized. GT talked to veterans of four such agencies to get insight on best practices, lessons learned and what’s ahead.

The Joplin Police Department notified the local newspaper on Wednesday morning that the city’s computers were down, and as such, the newspaper would not be able to access the local crime reports.

The city of Springfield, Mass., will now study the feasibility of establishing its own municipal fiber-to-the-home high-speed Internet network, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno’s office said Wednesday.