4 ways to ensure employee recognition hits the mark | Property tax freeze funding moves ahead in Mo. county | Mich. county restoring wetlands, habitat on trail
April 18, 2024
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Being thoughtful and intentional about how and when you recognize your employees for a job well done can boost loyalty and retention, writes Mike Szczesny, owner and vice president of EDCO Awards & Specialties. Szczesny offers four ways to perfect the art of appreciation including making it personalized, consistent and aligned with cultural values.
Members of the St. Louis County, Mo., Council have approved legislation that would secure $300,000 to help fund a property tax freeze for older homeowners. The freeze was approved in the second half of 2023, but the county has not yet secured all of the funding required to implement it.
Wetlands and wildlife habitat at the north trailhead of the Kent Trail in Grand Rapids, Mich., are being restored in a $1.2 million project, which should be done by Memorial Day. The restoration work is being done on an old parking lot while new parking is being built for the 15-mile trail.
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Smart city visions that reduce energy consumption, boost public safety, streamline municipal services and reduce congestion are dependent on adequate 5G infrastructure, but urban installations can often clash with historic preservation or beautification efforts and draw the ire of residents, Alpha Wireless CEO Fergal Lawlor writes. Lawlor notes that a growing number of cities are choosing to conceal 5G equipment in existing infrastructure like streetlight bases or waste bins to secure the bandwidth needed for smart city plans without unsightly installations.
Officials in Nantes, France, have installed pedestrian speed radars in two local neighborhoods, intended to encourage walkers to pick up their pace to improve their physical fitness. The idea was inspired when planners noticed that joggers and teens often speed up when approaching a traffic radar to register their pace.
Authorities in Beatrice, Neb., have declared three local elementary school sites blighted and substandard. "We want to make tax increment financing available to redevelop the school sites," says City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer, noting that the blight declaration is part of that process.
Los Angeles County, Calif., officials are using an AI tool to help them identify individuals at a higher risk of losing their homes within 12 months, with the goal of providing supports to help them avoid homelessness. Officials say around 87% of the hundreds of people supported by the new L.A. Homeless Prevention Unit have been able to stay in their homes.
City Council members in Austin, Texas, have selected former Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax Jr., who left his post in Dallas earlier this year, to serve as Austin's next manager. "When you have the privilege to be the city manager of a city as wonderful as Austin ... that's nothing to take for granted," Broadnax says. "The motivation in itself should be who you serve and what you do."
The call for presentations for the 2024 ICMA Equity Summit is open! The Equity Summit, July 25-26, is a virtual event for diversity, equity, and inclusion officers (and those doing the work without the title), as well as local government professionals interested in ideas to deepen strategies, shape actions, and create solutions. Submit your session ideas by April 19.
The 2024 ICMA Awards season is in full swing, and nominations are open for the Distinguished Service Award and Honorary Membership Award! The ICMA Distinguished Service Award is ICMA's highest honor and is awarded to a manager who has retired from the profession for a minimum of two years and has made an outstanding contribution to the management profession and local government. The ICMA Honorary Membership Award is awarded to an individual outside of the management profession, who has displayed distinguished public service and contributions to strengthening local government. Submit nominations by May 1.
