Local Government

As data center projects to power AI are on the rise and with a local power transmission line project proposed, the Luzerne County Council in Pennsylvania may consider a moratorium on tax relief plans.

The person selected will be charged with overseeing digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and enterprise systems. The city IT director is responsible for the strategic operational direction of all municipal IT.

The city has launched its Information Technology Management Academy, adding to an expanding group of gov tech education programs. CIOs helped to craft the program, which runs through October.

Members voted unanimously for a package intended to help a high-tech microelectronics firm construct its headquarters in the city. The company is also considering building a “cloud factory” capable of remote builds.

The app is the work of TriRiver Water, and it would allow customers in part of North Carolina to get water alerts, pay their bills and get advanced metering infrastructure data about their connection.

Money from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program is one option for connecting several thousand addresses still without high-speed Internet. The timing, however, is not yet clear.

A new official policy on drone usage for city government purposes spells out how they can be deployed, including for aerial surveillance, and how they should not be used. The City Council approved it Aug. 7.

A new report from the City Controller’s Office has found that while ShotSpotter tech has helped Pittsburgh police officers get to scenes faster, it has not lowered crime within the city.

The new system will add GIS mapping, text and video capability, and faster routing to help call centers respond more quickly and precisely. The county is the first in the state to begin the migration.

The state’s Department of Labor and Industry is funding a new 14-week paid apprenticeship program in six Pennsylvania local governments, in an effort to address the workforce demand for cybersecurity analysts.

The community engagement tech supplier helped the city’s public school system, one of the largest in the U.S., gather feedback during the search for a new leader. The company expects more such work.

Holly Hartell, who was most recently the assistant CIO for strategic initiatives, is the county’s new permanent CIO. She has served as acting director of the Department of Technology Services since January.

Officials are making use of a new low-code tool and software to create efficiencies in processes and workflows across the enterprise, rather than individual departments making use of different platforms.

Officials have paid no ransom, instead shuttering their network to isolate the attack detected July 25. The city has been working with the FBI and Minnesota National Guard to secure systems and find the attack’s source.

Oregon alleges that public officials in Morrow County pocketed several million dollars by arranging to buy a local telecommunications business from a nonprofit organization there.

An audit and a deep dive on software redundancies helped officials realize the savings, part of a much larger initiative. The city’s strategic plan on various efficiency efforts saved a combined total of more than $116 million.

The hearing has been set to explore whether Lancaster city officials erred in giving two proposed data centers approval to move forward without first holding a public meeting and vote.

The city of nearly 300,000 is looking to hire a chief information officer. The person chosen will be charged with leading IT strategy, overseeing more than 60 staff, and advancing cloud, AI and data initiatives.