In 2006 the Erie County Legislature (Buffalo, NY) adopted legislation which amended the County Charter by creating a Citizens Budget Review Commission. The push for such a commission came about due to the fiscal meltdown of the County several years ago. I support the idea of a Citizens Budget Review Commission as an opportunity forRead… Read more »
According to a recent HUD Inspector General Audit, the City of Buffalo improperly used federal funds for public improvement projects such as street paving and sidewalk repairs. The audit which I learned about through a blog post by Investigative Post, addressed whether the City of Buffalo:1) administered its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program effectively,Read… Read more »
The newspaper headline “City Council adopts budget, but wants more creativity” caught my attention. It is rare to see local government officials expressing the need for more creativity in government. With decreasing revenues and state mandates making budget cuts necessary and a public angry about increasing taxes, creativity is definitely needed in the operation ofRead… Read more »
Many local governments on paper have a Employee Suggestion Review Committee, but few actually utilize such committees successfully. The Town of Amherst, NY as I mentioned in a previous post has such a Committee along with wooden suggestion boxes, which had not been opened in years. According to an Arizona Republic news article at theRead… Read more »
Businesses understand the importance of making interactions with customers as easy as possible. Most local governments have a long way to go as far as improving their approach to customer service. Recognizing that government is complicated, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched a Business Customer Service Initiative to make it easier for businessesRead… Read more »
In a January 2011 Executive Order President Obama directed federal agencies to “lookback” at their current rules and regulations to determine if they still make sense and are necessary. The Executive Order requires agencies to: – Identify reforms that will produce significant savings, especially for small business.– Report to the public regularly on their effortsRead… Read more »
There are 1,300 Mayors of U.S. Cities with more than 30,000 residents. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is offering $9 million in prizes to these U.S. cities through his charitable foundation (Bloomberg Philanthropies) in a competition for ideas that local governments can use to solve problems. The contest is called the Mayors Challenge and theRead… Read more »
I have a feeder that forwards news articles related to government to my e-mail every day. It is not uncommon for me to come across a headline that states ”City Council & Mayor Discuss Strategic Priorities” or ”Town Board Meets for Annual Retreat”. I don’t ever recall reading a similar news headline for the CountyRead… Read more »
In 2010 only 36 percent of adults voted in New York State. To increse participation in voting, the Voter Empowerment Act of New York has been introduced in the New York State Legislature. If enacted the legislation will: • Allow citizens to register to vote at more government agencies. • Allow 16- and 17-year-olds toRead… Read more »
David Shenk was recently appointed by county legislators to the position of Erie County, NY Comptroller. Shenk is now running for election for a four year term. In every election for Erie County Comptroller the issues always revolve around:1) Being independent from the Erie County Executive2) Being a strong taxpayer “watchdog” In a recent interviewRead… Read more »