Local Government

Municipalities across the United States are leveraging technology in their signs, from kiosks to birdwatching, to make local government communications more interactive — and, officials hope, more engaging.

Interactive tools reveal program trends and invite residents into the grant and assistance process. The new platform is the latest addition to the city’s open data portal and automates aspects of data publication.

Bergen County, N.J., is using the company’s tech for property records management. Leaders from the company — itself based in New Jersey — discuss what’s next for blockchain among state and local governments.

While our devices can get in the way of experiencing the world around us, projects like live wildlife streams or a digital birding platform in Sandy Springs, Ga., can also bring nature closer.

L.A. CIO Ted Ross and L.A. County CIO Peter Loo talked about the financial realities their organizations face, at the Los Angeles Digital Government Summit. Real-world solutions to real-world problems, they said, are key.

A lawsuit involving several local governments, boards of education and other public entities alleges that social media companies knowingly caused harm to children and necessitated costly responses.

The move comes after weeks of consternation from residents, reports alleging pollution concerns, and allegations that the data center site was largely owned by a relative of St. Charles’ mayor.

The information the cameras collect will be sent to Dallas’ code compliance office for independent review — by a human being rather than a computer, a city spokesperson has said.

The city’s Common Council approved the purchase of six cameras; fundraising will cover the cost of the one-year pilot. Five cameras will be fixed; the sixth will be used at different locations including special events.

Officials in local government are turning to technology to improve the physical accessibility of their city sidewalks. GIS tools can help staff monitor thousands of curbs more efficiently.

The local government, which sustained a ransomware attack June 18, is informing people whose information may have been impacted, via a website. A review of the impacted data is continuing.

Dallas-based Compass Datacenters filed rezoning plans with the city of Statesville, N.C., aiming to construct a five-building center that spans 340 acres in a rural area.

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.