Durham Chief Information Officer Kerry Goode (second from left in group) accepts a Municipal Innovator award for the city's partnership with Durham County in developing an 开放数据门户. 图片来源:Ben Brown
Five North Carolina municipalities won statewide recognition this week for publicly minded use of technology. Government Technology (GovTech) magazine in collaboration with the N.C. Department of Information Technology 和 the League of Municipalities presented Benson, 罗利, 夏洛特, Asheville 和 Durham with "Municipal Innovator" awards in light of their efforts with smart systems 和 data-based approaches that have helped improve municipal service.
"I think there's a lot of innovation happening in North Carolina,——埃里克·埃利斯, Chief Technology 和 Innovation Officer for the state, told a crowd of hundreds gathered for GovTech's two-day 北卡罗来纳州数字政府峰会 周三在罗利. It was the annual event's first time presenting awards to local government.
The City of Asheville, for one, received honors for its 开放数据门户 将公众与 可下载数据集的数组 关于城市的功能, traits 和 patterns -- useful information to builders, 记者, 研究人员和购房者, 例如. The Town of Benson was recognized for its conversion of electric 和 water meters to a two-way smartgrid system that catches problems quickly 和 saves taxpayers money. 罗利, 为另一个, has put focus on "smart city" technology like sensors that collect data -- from traffic trips to when sidewalk trash cans fill up -- 和 improve the prioritization of resources, 比如人力和资金. 点击这里观看视频 颁奖典礼和 这里是新闻稿 来自国家.
这些都不是孤立的例子. The five award recipients are among scores of municipalities in North Carolina leveraging advancements in tech for the public good. The League recognizes 和 applauds all members exercising or expressing curiosity in innovation 和 new means of delivery.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will not pursue change to the recent court action limiting municipalities' ability to exp和 their own superfast Internet services. Spokesman for the agency Mark Wigfield said challenging 美国.S. 第六巡回上诉法院8月. 10的决定, which upended a FCC ruling in favor of municipalities' authority to grow broadb和 access, "would not be the best use of Commission resources," 刊物，包括“政府科技一站通” 本周报道.
The case centered on municipal broadb和 services 威尔逊提议 在田纳西州的查塔努加., which have been credited for business growth 和 residents' essential access to online resources. That's as North Carolina 和 Tennesse have laws limiting how cities can offer or exp和 those services -- territorially, 例如. 上诉法院驳回了这一判决 a prior FCC ruling that had favored municipalities by pre-empting portions of state laws seen as hindrances to broadb和 access 和 competition.
国家媒体 包括《纽约时报 brought focus 和 background to the case this week. “在威尔逊, officials said cable 和 telecom companies rejected requests to team up with them 和 upgrade aging networks, which led the city to start its own broadb和 network called Greenlight in 2008,时报报道。. "The service provides speeds of one gigabit per second, which lets people download big video files in seconds or minutes instead of several hours with DSL or basic cable broadb和."
That type of service has helped to fill the digital divide, though the prevailing state laws favored by the appellate court have analysts wondering where it's going. 一群U.S. mayors writing in support of Wilson 和 Chattanooga said they were "concerned about the detrimental impact overturning the (FCC's) 2015 ruling will have on community members’ ability to access fast, 经济实惠的宽带互联网接入, 和 how it will prevent the expansion of your cities' broadb和 networks to neighboring underserved communities, as well as what it could mean in communities nationwide." High-speed Internet is increasingly seen as essential to economic development, 和 critics of laws like North Carolina's warn they could damage the business prospects of small towns 和 cities. 据Ars Technica报道, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has suggested an ongoing push for municipal broadb和 和 "would consider both legal 和 policy options in response to the court ruling."
人口普查主任约翰. 汤普森，左三. 图片来源:莎拉·柯林斯
U.S. 人口普查局局长约翰. Thompson spoke to North Carolina state 和 local government representatives 和 other partners on Wednesday about plans for the 2020年的人口普查. 在其他倡议中, Thompson 和 his staff spoke about partnering with local governments to make sure the census is as accurate as possible, noting their local "complete count" committees 和 the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program. The LUCA program will provide an opportunity for designated representatives of local 和 state governments to review addresses contained in the Census Bureau's database. Information will be sent to local officials in July 2017. The League will continue to inform its members of opportunities to help in ensuring an accurate census.
最新一集 市政方程, the League's growing podcast on the issues orbiting municipalities, is an all-public-safety conversation that starts with a look at how police are working to restore trust with communities they serve. 点击这里 听. 从最近的事件中获得灵感， newsmaking 国联与联合国安排的论坛.C. 立法黑人核心小组 to begin a new discussion about police-public interaction, this episode highlights frank 和 head-on remarks from North Carolina law enforcement officials about trust, 培训, recruitment efforts 和 what agencies are able to do with existing resources.
然后, we move on to a discussion about body-worn cameras 和 the search for best-practices before a segment with League Public Safety 风险管理 Consultant Tom Anderson on human behavior in active shooter situations. We also check in with the Burlington Police Department, which is one of the latest to establish a "transaction zone" for safer exchange of goods or money between strangers. Haven't listened to 市政方程 yet? 从今天开始. 加入谈话. It's all about the challenges, solutions, new concepts 和 celebrations at h和 in municipalities. 点击这里查看所有过去的剧集 和 点击这里免费订阅iTunes.
代表. 约翰•贝尔
众议院共和党人选择了戈尔兹伯勒 代表. 约翰•贝尔 to serve as the chamber's majority leader following this month's 卢瑟福顿的迈克·海格离开了, who filled the role in the last biennium. The Insider State Government News Service reported that the vote for Bell took place at the party's state headquarters in 罗利 on Tuesday 和 included remarks from House Speaker Tim Moore that the "caucus is very much united." Bell's new place as majority leader is valid until the caucus names 2017-18 leaders in December. 贝尔可以继续担任这个角色. He works in business development for North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union, 据the Insider透露. His District 10 includes parts of Craven, Greene, Lenoir 和 Wayne counties. 周二的党团会议也进行了选举 代表. 院长Arp of Monroe as majority whip (Bell's former role) 和 代表. 帕特McElraft 作为翡翠岛的副党鞭. 点击这里 更多新闻报道.
不要等到! 报名工作正在进行中 CityVision 2016年会 在罗利，10月. 23-25. As you might have heard, the League is doing things a bit differently this year -- the 倡导目标会议 will be on Sunday the 23rd with cities 和 towns determining legislative 和 regulatory priorities for the 2017-2018 NCGA biennium. Attending the 倡导目标会议 is the best way to help us better position cities' 和 towns' advocacy efforts in 2017 和 beyond. Make sure your voice is heard 和 your vote is cast at the 倡导目标会议!
Moving into the CityVision 2016年会, you will learn ways to connect success stories to your citizens, 社区及其他, 适应人口和文化的变化, 和 grow a strong economic foundation in your hometown. Make one trip, 和 check off two important conferences on your calendar! 点击这里 to register for both the 倡导目标会议 和 the CityVision 2016年会.
报名已开始 for the next joint meeting between League members 和 Duke Energy to discuss issues surrounding the modernization of municipal 街道照明. 会议将于9月10日举行. 26, 10 a.m. 到2点.m.他在20世纪90年代的杜克能源公司工作.J. 米勒礼堂(526 S. 教堂的圣.夏洛特). 这 meeting will serve as a continuation of discussions that began after the League, in 2013, intervened in the Duke Energy Carolinas rate case before the N.C. 公用事业委员会. It's an opportunity for Duke to check in with municipal customers to discuss outdoor lighting strategies, 最新情况和可持续发展工作. The discussion will include updates on LED modernization, new products, industry news, 和 more. 联系人: 莎拉·柯林斯
Federal "e-fairness" legislation could receive attention in Congress this month, according to the National League of Cities. NLC has pushed for the passage of a law that would close the online sales tax loophole, restore marketplace fairness for competing brick-和-mortar businesses 和 create new revenue for state 和 local governments. 在回应, the House Judiciary Committee released a draft bill this week that points to a hybrid-origin approach to the sales tax collection, in which the seller’s state would determine what goods are taxed while the buyer’s state would determine the tax rate. The seller would remit collections to a clearinghouse that would distribute the revenue to the destination states, 根据NLC分析. The draft would also limit audits of a seller’s remote sales to the origin state 和 would limit the destination-state’s rate for remote sales to a single statewide rate, 缴送工作解释.
这 proposal creates a complicated tax collection 和 remittance system that does not ensure local governments would receive locally levied sales taxes. In contrast, lawmakers introduced a separate, NLC-supported 去年的电子公平法案， HR2775远程事务平价法案, in which state 和 local governments could oblige retailers to collect taxes on remote sales on a buyer-location basis. NLC is working with congressional leaders including House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office in the effort. Congress’ September window is expected to be brief as members work to wrap up meaningful work before the November elections.
