Local Government

As climate change produces heat waves and other problems, a handful of cities have hired chief heat officers to help residents cool off. What’s driving this trend and how much say will the CHO have over technology?

So far, the U.S. tropical storm season has been undramatic, but that could soon change. Many emergency response agencies have upgraded their tech, but they still need better mobile and digital tools to weather storms.

Norwich and Stonington registrars reported that multiple machines at polling locations in the two municipalities malfunctioned during the Aug. 9 primary election. Approximately 50 machines were affected throughout the state.

Through the Love My Air program, the city of Denver is empowering residents and public officials alike to make better decisions with data related to air quality for personal and public health.

Babylon, located in Long Island, offers its workers doctor, therapist and even dietitian services via a tool from Radish Health. The town supervisor explains the benefits so far and what’s still to come.

Hosting national conventions puts local governments in the crosshairs of cyber attackers. As the 2024 RNC approaches, Milwaukee County will be working to keep government systems and communication channels resilient.

When Santa Monica CIO Joseph Cevetello started with the city in 2016, many of the services offered to residents happened on paper. Now, the city is moving more of its services online, cutting staff time and expense.

Starting this fall, an estimated 40,000 residents residing in five local neighborhoods will have access to free Wi-Fi under an expanded city network called CFW Neighborhood.

Titled ‘AI's Redress Problem,’ the white paper was published by the University of California, Berkeley, and it joins an accelerating cross-sector conversation about the importance of incorporating ethics as AI develops.

The expansion of the platform operator’s Location Discovery Solution comes as pressure builds to provide more precise emergency data for all types of calls. 911inform first used the tool with Panasonic.

The high-speed Internet service could soon come to cities in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska and Nevada. Aside from Mesa, Ariz., Google has yet to confirm which cities the service will run to or when it will be available.

Steve Nichols, chief technology officer at Georgia Technology Authority, offers his observations and predictions for what's trending and what's to come with regard to cyber incident notification laws.

Longtime Arlington County, VA., CIO Jack Belcher will be transitioning to the role of chief technology innovation officer. Deputy CIO Norron Lee will take over for Belcher as the county’s IT director.

Roads and water infrastructure top the list of local priorities, but broadband expansion and clean energy projects are proving popular as cities face increased demand for these newer technologies.

Roughly 1,400 homes and businesses are now equipped with high-speed fiber Internet, through a public-private partnership between the city of Grayson and Internet service provider Kinetic.

Local and state governments are required to run public notices — often in print — about zoning changes, foreclosures, hearings and other actions. Column wants to update that process while adding value to public data.

Chow brings over 15 years of experience to the role, most recently serving as the director of information technology for the city of St. Cloud, Fla. He is one of three recent appointments to the city's leadership team.

Election officials and others in state and local government need to be on guard against a variety of attempts that could impede voters’ access to information and smooth elections. A toolkit of free resources aims to help.