Local Government

The unincorporated community of Lockeford, Calif., is slated to be Amazon’s first attempt at making Prime Air a reality. The company will be working to get the program operational later this summer, officials say.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot also put two leaders in charge of the effort, including a city data specialist reporting to her office. The new effort builds upon a push to give more students Internet access at their homes.

Promise, which focuses on delinquent payments, has selected Paya as a partner as both companies try to help governments collect what they’re owed. Such debt grew significantly during the pandemic as citizens lost income.

The controversial surveillance camera technology on public streetlights has raised calls for oversight from privacy and civil rights advocates. A City Council vote could change the rules around how the tech is governed.

A private equity firm interested in diving into the gov tech market has put its money on the major GIS player, which offers appraisal, permitting and other GIS products to state and local government across the country.

A $100,000 emergency procurement package – containing two vendor agreements – was unanimously passed this week to mitigate a “network security incident” that affected 85 county computers.

San Diego County’s second largest city has announced a new IT director in Jose Cisneros. Cisneros comes to city service with more than two decades of network and cybersecurity experience from the U.S. Navy.

The debate over a plan to buy a drone for the Worcester Police Department has come to an end with a 7 to 3 City Council vote in favor of the purchase. Opponents voiced concern about potential civil liberty implications.

Acting City Manager Eric Batista said he would not move forward with plans to buy a drone for the Worcester Police Department if the proposal was not approved by residents and the City Council.

City council members unanimously voted to approve the staff recommendation that CivicPlus be contracted to rebuild the city’s public-facing website. Work on the project is slated to begin this summer.

The early results of a recent resident survey have highlighted at least two areas where Internet service is lacking. Crawford County has earmarked more than $3 million from recent federal funding to improve Internet access.

Mendel brings nearly 20 years of experience to the role, including working as the county's radio communications division director. Now, he picks up where former CIO Tanya Hannah left off.

The seller of local government software has partnered with the International Code Council to ease access to the latest building codes. The move reflects increasing activity in the permitting and licensing space.

Election-related disinformation continues to spark real threats. Paying close attention to these online conversations can tip off local governments to serious risks, says Maricopa County, Ariz., CISO Lester Godsey.

Officials in the county are asking residents to check their level of Internet service against the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Map. Discrepancies and errors in the coverage map can be reported until June 13.

The county has released a request for information about what is needed to support a municipal electric utility and microgrids in the county. This follows the creation of a publicly owned utility department in September 2021.

Onondaga County, N.Y., will issue a request for proposals asking Internet service providers how they plan to connect 1,500 rural residents with broadband service. The effort has a budget of $15 million.

The Chicago-based firm helps cities, universities and other organizations spot ways to reuse materials, which in turn can reduce costs, waste and carbon emissions. The company operates in the “circular economy” space.