1. Report gives glimpse into West's future - The Missoulian - Missoula, MT,USA

KALISPELL - How the West was won is not necessarily a very good template for how the West will win, as rapidly changing economic realities have, in recent years, shifted the demographic landscape in surprising ways.

That's according to a new report titled “You've Come a Long Way, Cowboy: 10 Truths and Trends in the New American West,” released Thursday by the Sonoran Institute.

The institute is prominent in the West, with Montana offices in places such as Helena and Bozeman, a collection of economists, demographers, social scientists and community leaders all busy studying what the West was, what it is, and what it likely will become.

Most surprising, perhaps, is that the vision of “what the West might become” is, already, what the West is.

“This report is a summary of a lot of the work that's already out there,” said institute director Nina Chambers. “This isn't new research we're talking about.”

The report is, rather, a way to consolidate the economic and social message - that “the West is changing, and people have a lot of choices about how they want their communities to look.”

“Our economy is booming,” according to the report, “though a number of traditional industries are not faring well and many places are left out. With more people and economic activities, many of our landscapes are under more pressure than ever. Whether you have lived in the West for a long time or a short time, you may have wondered: What happened to the West we once knew? What kind of West are we creating?”

At least part of the answer, Chambers said, lies in those 10 truths and trends.

...

 

  2. Local planning agency changes - The Free Lance-Star, VA - Oct 8, 2006

The Fredericksburg region's land-use and transportation planning agency has a new leader, a new structure and new name.

The name became official last week. It's the George Washington Regional Commission, supplanting RADCO--the Rappahannock Area Development Commission.

Naming the organization after the first president, who grew up at Ferry Farm in Stafford County, was a natural choice, said Maxie Rozell, a Caroline supervisor and the chairman of the commission.

"We just wanted to improve upon what our forefathers started," Rozell said.

Since July, Robert H. Wilson has steered staff as the commission's new executive director.

And the commission's five member communities--Fredericksburg and Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties--have different representation on the governing board.

All the change is designed to position the commission as the hub of regional decisions on land-use and transportation.

"I think perhaps the most important change is our reconstituted board," said Wilson, who previously was executive director of the South Western Regional Planning Agency in Stamford, Conn. There, he oversaw planning for a geographic area with 360,000 residents.

"There was a strong sense among the RADCO commissioners that there were simply too many members to get things done efficiently," Wilson said.

The organization purged 10 of the 20 seats, which were held by administrators. Now, two elected officials from each locality will sit on the board and vote.

...

 

  3. To force town mergers or not? That is the question - Newsday - Long Island, NY,USA

To force town mergers or not to force town mergers? That is the question facing New Jersey's legislators this week.

Whether to try and cut New Jersey's highest-in-the-nation property taxes by forcing towns to merge has become a contentious topic, and lawmakers will continue discussing the matter Wednesday as part of a bid to cut property taxes by year's end.

A special legislative committee discussing property tax reform has informally thrown its support behind legislation to create a special commission to decide which municipalities should be merged. The bill calls for the plan to get a single, up-or-down vote from legislators, though some lawmakers want voters to get final say.

The state has 1,389 local governments, including 566 municipalities, but municipal officials oppose forced mergers.

...

  4. The road from Milwaukee to Madison - Isthmus Daily Page - Madison, WI,USA

To hear Mayor Dave and Mayor Tom tell it I made a king-size mistake in organizing a Pint & Policy discussion last month around the lessons that Madison could learn from Milwaukee’s many problems. They have a point. I did miss the obvious: I was uncommonly blunt when the zeitgeist of the moment is for everyone to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" around the campfire.

Indeed, why can't we all just get along? Look, Madison is working with its surrounding communities in the newly formed Collaboration Council, while Milwaukee and its perpetually warring suburbs have finally found a patch of common ground to promote southeastern Wisconsin as the "Milwaukee 7" to the outside world.

And look at Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Both of these guys have the friendly, reassuring demeanor of Mr. Rogers. (I bet they even have an array of comfortable cardigan sweaters in their closets). They’re not at all like their bully boy predecessors Paul Soglin and John Norquist. Those guys would kick over the table to make a point and then punch a suburban mayor in the nose to make sure he was listening.

So maybe it is time for a new approach. Mayors Dave and Tom are hard at work forging the M-2 Collaborative where the state's two largest cities pull together on common goals. Go for it, guys.

...

  5. EU regions to focus on public-private deals -EUPolitix.com - Brussels, Belgium

 

This year’s European week of regions and cities, organised jointly by the European commission and the Committee of the Regions, will focus on how the public and private sectors can work together to create better jobs and stronger economic growth.

 

“EU regional policy needs to support with vigour all new financing initiatives in order to make an effective contribution… to the creation of an entrepreneurial culture within the 254 regions in Europe,” regional policy commissioner Danuta Hübner told the Regional Review magazine, an official media partner of the event.

 

“Public-private partnerships are a key instrument in support of this.”

 

But EU rules on public-private partnerships – and the related issue of public procurement – remain complicated, ...

 

Policy Briefing

 

  6. Road projects to trend toward private funding - Rosenberg Herald Coaster - Rosenberg, TX,USA

Federal and state funds for road projects in Texas have fallen far behind demand, leaving public officials scrambling to find new ways to fund those projects.

At the annual Infrastructure Conference of the Rosenberg-Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, keynote speakers Robert Eckels, Harris County Judge, and Ted Houghton, a member of the commission that oversees the Texas Department of Transportation, spoke about new ways state and local governments can afford badly-needed highways and other transportation improvements.

Not all of those ideas were received warmly.

The future of highway construction is toll roads built in partnership with the private sector, said Houghton, an El Paso businessman.

The call for private investment comes as TxDOT faces the challenge of funding $188 billion in road projects with a current budget of $102 billion.

"It's worth a lot of money to someone who knows how to run a toll road. He'll go out and bond it and collect the tolls and pay off the bond," said Houghton.

For projects including any future expansion of highways like U.S. 59, Houghton suggested a funding model in which a private company would purchase the highway's right-of-way from area governments.

If right-of-way were purchased for $100 million, for instance, all that money could be used by local governments to build other road projects in the area, said Houghton. The private company would then take on the risks and liabilities associated with the road, in exchange for receiving tolls and having the ability to sell the rights to "concessions" along the road.

"We've got to think outside the box; the old ways of thinking are over," said Houghton.

Mike Stone, who is a former member of the board of the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority and still works as a consultant for the entity, said he does not want a scenario where TxDOT receives the money for purchasing rights-of-way from area governments.

Houghton said that would not happen, as the money from the sale would instead go directly to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, not through TxDOT.

"We're going to give (the money) back to you. We're not going to take it to Austin and distribute it around the state," he said.

Also in the future, the greater Houston area will need to implement more passenger rail systems, Houghton said. He said Los Angeles made the mistake years ago of building massive freeways instead of adequate public transportation systems.

"They thought 26 lanes across will solve the traffic problem. Now, they have started a light rail program, but it's too late for them," he said.

Commuter rail lines, which cost far less than light rail lines, could be implemented in the Houston area, said Houghton, and high-speed passenger rail lines could possibly be used to connect major Texas cities.

...

 

  7. Another option for road funding: Study proposes regional taxes - Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA

A study released yesterday offered a new option for easing Pennsylvania's transportation funding crisis -- regional taxes to help fund road, bridge and mass transit improvements in certain areas of the state.

The Pennsylvania Economy League study, based on six months of telephone polling of 1,500 state residents and longer interviews with state and federal transportation experts, said that while the Legislature should provide additional statewide funding to improve ailing roads and rusting bridges, regional funds also could be part of the solution.

"Regionalism," said the economy league, would mean that several southwestern counties around Pittsburgh -- or several southeastern counties near Philadelphia -- could band together, similar to multi-county Metropolitan Planning Organizations that already exist in each state to plan for new industry or roads.

...

 

  8. Churches to shelter women - Charlottesville Daily Progress - Charlottesville, VA,USA

A group sheltering homeless men at area churches and other places of worship has expanded its services to women.

Since 2004, People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry has worked with local congregations to provide overnight shelter to men who might otherwise sleep outdoors.

Under the program, homeless people are picked up at an intake site every evening during the winter and taken to a church that has opened its doors. Guests are given a meal and a bed.

The program, which this year will operate from Nov. 11 until March 31, takes in about 40 men nightly.

“Our primary focus for the last two years has been on addressing the needs of the larger segment of the homeless population, which is unaccompanied adult men,” Executive Director Dave Norris said. “We’re pleased to be able to expand our services this coming winter to include homeless women as well.”

Norris, also a member of Charlottesville’s City Council, said he has ordered 15 to 20 cots for the women’s program.

“Hopefully, that will more than suffice to meet the need,” he said.

Evan Scully, Homeless Management Information Systems manager for the Thomas Jefferson Area Planning District Commission, said that while there aren’t as many homeless women as men, their need for a safe place to spend the night is more pressing.

...

 

  9. Scalping: Necessary for some, agony for others - The Desert Sun - Palm Springs, CA,USA

...

Scalping is the annual autumn practice of replacing summer Bermuda grass with winter rye.

It's a necessity for anyone who wants to maintain a year-round carpet of lush, green grass in a desert where temperatures soar above 120 degrees in the summer and dip below 40 in winter.

And it's a nuisance for the estimated 80,000 allergy sufferers in the Coachella Valley, where golf courses cover nearly 20 percent of developed areas. Scalping also occurs on residential lawns, community common areas and most everywhere else turf grass covers the desert.

Allergy-irritating pollen levels in the desert spike even higher in autumn, when temperatures drop and the switch to winter grass occurs.

"It is related to the fact that golf is our biggest industry," said Dr. David Waldman, chief of the allergy section at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Grass and other non-native, decorative vegetation produce the pollen that exacerbates allergy symptoms in a place that, in its natural state, would have more sand dunes than landscape-quality shrubbery.

"It is just as unusual for us to have grass in 120 degrees as it would be to have it in Buffalo in the middle of winter," Waldman said.

The scalping process isn't the only contributor to pollen counts in the fall, Waldman said.

Many people stop mowing their summer Bermuda in the days and weeks before scalping. Waldman said that allows the Bermuda to go to seed, which puts more pollen in the air.

"It starts growing wild," he said.

No end in sight

There's a movement to make scalping - also called re-seeding and over-seeding - more environmentally friendly by reducing the amount of dust and pollen it kicks into the atmosphere. But not every golf course operator and homeowner embraces newer methods.

And as long as the valley culture considers year-round grass essential to attracting tourists the practice will continue.

... Coachella Valley Association of Governments also promotes a method it calls "smart scalping." ...

 

10. U.S. regional communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles. Highlighted words are Google search terms. In this and the following section, links to websites of organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the first time an organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every regional council in the U.S. in a news story.  In most cases, where a full name is present a Google search will quickly get one to that organization. 

 

      a) Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Planning Process: Democracy at Work

City of Northampton News, Northampton, MA

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is marking Clean Energy Month with a regional effort to solicit public input into developing a clean energy plan. You can participate in the public planning process to create a Clean Energy Plan for our region via the Internet. ...

 

      b) Governor crusades for slate of measures
Contra Costa Times - CA,USA

... on the Nov. 7 ballot, propositions 1A through 1E. "Right now, we have an infrastructure in this state that is meant for 20 million people, but definitely not 37 million people," said Schwarzenegger, flanked by state, education, labor and city officials. ...

 

      c) Regional planning key as Hingham grows, official says
Hingham Journal - Hingham, MA,USA

...    "Because we have become a regional transportation center, we need to think on both a town and regional scale," MacIver said. "Transportation opens up land development possibilities, especially when we're talking about commuter rail lines." ... 

 

      d) Candidates speak out at Thursday forum
Princeton Times Leader - Princeton, KY,USA
... to restore the respect and cooperation between city and county governments, and gain respect back with the Pennyrile Area Development District and the state ...

 

      e) Biotech conference pushes regionalism
Examiner.com – USA

Virginia and Maryland need to form a stronger partnership if the Washington region hopes to become a global leader in the biotech industry ... Representatives from both states made their pitch for cooperation at the second annual Mid-Atlantic Bio conference, ...

 

      f) Development district clerk fired, charged in thefts
Chattanooga Times Free Press - TN, USA
A former payroll clerk with the Southeast Tennessee Development District in Chattanooga has been indicted on theft charges and fired after a state audit revealed she gave herself more than $200,000 in raises and increased paychecks ...

 

      g) RDA slowly crafts comprehensive plan
Gary Post Tribune - Gary, IN,USA
The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is preparing a comprehensive plan, though critics charge they have not moved quickly enough to spend money. ... the seven-member RDA board first met last September. In the last year, the board held retreats ...

 

      h) CEOs focused on improving commutes
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte, NC,USA

The CEO Council for Growth, a group of business executives from around the Delaware Valley, has decided to establish a priority list of regional transportation projects in key commuting corridors throughout the tri-state region. ...

 

      i) 21 Percent Of North America's 'Top 100 Travel Events' Occur In Southeast
TravelVideo.tv (press release) - USA
... Southeast Tourism Society, an association headquartered in Atlanta that promotes travel in an 11-state region ... Each of the 11 Southeast Tourism Society states was represented. Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia had three events apiece in the Top 100. ...

 

      j) Rules make consolidating schools tough
Cranbury Press - Cranbury, NJ,USA
... debate whether merging some of the state's 616 school districts will bring New Jersey some tax relief, the League of Women Voters says regionalization may not ...

 

      k) State fails to make the grade when it comes to its mental health care system
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs, IA,USA
... inequity from county to county ...  Going to a regional system would allow counties to share resources and fund more services, Stout said. "Regionalization has been discussed in the past but has not been achieved," she said. "People don't want to do that."  ...

 

      l) Metro-area conflicts need to be addressed
Jackson Clarion Ledger - Jackson, MS,USA
... The business and housing growth outside the city is seen as harmful. Mississippi has a history of regionalism, exploited by politicians. ...

 

      m) Cuyahoga County, U. of Akron invest in Fund for Future
Crain's Cleveland Business - Cleveland, OH,USA

... "We look to regionalism as an important component of Northeast Ohio's economic future,” said University of Akron president Luis Proenza in the statement. “Membership in the fund lets us link our own outreach efforts with other organizations in support of a common goal."

 

      n) GED classes to be offered in counties
Hattiesburg American - Hattiesburg, MS,USA
Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District is offering GED classes in Forrest, Jones, Marion, Pearl River and Wayne counties for individuals ages 17 ...

 

11. Other in the news: Highlighted words are Google search terms.

 

      a) Community colleges are driving our nation forward
Salt Lake Tribune - United States

... National Center for Education Statistics show that by completing two-year degrees, graduates increase their annual earning power by nearly $7,000 per year and decrease their chances of unemployment by up to 5 percent compared to high school graduates. ...

 

      b) ADB launches website for Asia Pacific regional cooperation
All Headline News - USA

THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) has unveiled a web-based portal to track the progress of the Asia Pacific region's economic cooperation and integration. Dubbed Asia Regional Integration Center(ARIC), the portal will also support ...

 

      c) Mallard: How regions can help transform economy
Scoop.co.nz (press release) - New Zealand

... provide an overview of where the government’s economic transformation work is at and to outline the important role that regions can play. ... creating high value products in traditional as well as in new industries ... engaging with the global economy as effectively as ...

 

      d) Land, lots of land to go around
Courier Mail - Australia
LAND shortages were a fantasy and should not be blamed for pushing up new house prices ... Local Government Association of Queensland report found there was at least 15 years' supply of available land earmarked under the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2026. ...

 

      e) Board ‘not limited by borders’
Border Mail - Albury, New South Wales, Australia
A NEW advisory board will focus on bringing development to the entire Murray region and would not be hindered by borders, ... provide a non-allied doorway to the region for those interested in investing,” he said. “Often people are very wary of dealing with a specific council.” ...

 

      f) Graham Stewart: Don’t cry for the one that underachieved

Times Online - UK

THE 21ST CENTURY will see China and India becoming economic superpowers. ... new conventional wisdom, ... But few things are inevitable. In 1912 there was a wide consensus that the 20th century was Argentina’s for the taking. ...

 

      g) Russian might will increase through regions
RIA Novosti - Moscow, Russia
... global markets. Now Russia has a different goal: it wants to increase its might through other regions as well. President Vladimir ...

 

      h) Iraqi parliament OKs federal regions despite Sunni objections
Helena Independent Record, MT 

Iraq’s Shiite-led parliament pushed through a law Wednesday allowing the formation of federal regions despite Sunni Arab objections that will splinter the country and fuel sectarian violence. ...

 

      i) Tourism and US Law: The Third Border solution
Jamaica Gleaner - Kingston, Jamaica
... Each crisis should remind us that, even with good friends, we must be prepared to stand on our own. But it is also a reminder of the importance of regionalism. ...

 

      j) A Fish Farm Critic Vindicated
TheTyee.ca - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
... do, are deliberately destroying the symbol of our land, the Pacific salmon and it's all done with the enthusiastic support of governments -- governments that ...

 

      k) Limited Universe map in three dimensions
International Reporter - New Delhi, India
... maps from the largest full-sky, three-dimensional survey of galaxies ever conducted. Their detailed maps show the ‘local’ cosmos out to a distance of 600 million light years, identifying all the major superclusters of galaxies and voids. ...

 

      l) Homeland Insecurity
Bank Technology News – USA

...  "We put in fraud prevention techniques, and they come to probe what they are, determine if there are thresholds out there and look for ways to circumvent it." ... The most seasoned experts know the chase never ends and the game is never won because of fraud migration. ...

 

12. Sub-State Regions  - Kansas - U.S. Census – Midwest Region; West North Central Division, FIPS Code 20

Following  is a selection of links relating to regional arrangements in Kansas. This year each issue features a State with links to maps of regions and regional related resources. The Census Regions and Divisions of the United States map (PDF) is being used going, region by region from the Northeast to the South to the Midwest to the West.

 

      a) NetWork Kansas: Regional Foundations

 

      b) Kansas Department of Transportation - Districts

 

      c) Kansas Area Agency on Aging - Regions

 

      d) Kansas Occupational Outlook 2012 - Regions

 

      e) Kansas Department of Health & Environment - HIV

 

      f) Regional Homeland Security Councils

 

      g) Kansas Board of EMS - Regions  - EMS Regional Councils of Kansas

 

      h) Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police: Regions

 

      i) Children's Alliance of Kansas -- Training Regions

 

      k) Kansas - Rehabilitative Services - Region Map

 

      j) Kansas Fishing Map Locator and Regions

 

      l) GeoKansas- Kansas geologic Regions

 

      m) Kansas Native Plant Society - Regions

 

13. Announcements and Links

  

      a) Regions of England - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ...

 

      b) IPUMS (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series) Workshop - January 10-12, 2007, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The IPUMS Winter Workshop is a 3-day event designed to train social scientists to use the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. The databases covered will include IPUMS-USA, IPUMS-International, IPUMS-CPS, and the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS). Together, these databases cover 150 years of U.S. and international census data.

 

      c) Center for Regional Excellence – Indiana University Northwest

 

The Center for Regional Excellence has been established at IU Northwest to foster learning, scholarship, discovery, creativity, and service, in the areas of Cultural Discovery and Learning and Sustainable Regional Vitality, in collaboration with the communities we serve. The Center for Regional Excellence promotes regional quality of life along twelve dimensions: ...

 

Northern Indiana Consortium for the Environment (NICE) – Environmental Directory

 

      d) Rural/Urban Status and Metropolitan Areas  2002-2004  subState full report  - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Office of Applied Statistics

 

Data are organized by variable (marijuana, cocaine, unmet treatment need, serious psychological distress, etc.). The data for each State treatment planning area is presented by State for each variable. Variable list: links to variables with all State treatment planning areas data for each variable (table & maps). Maps with small State treatment planning areas can be enlarged for better viewing by clicking on the available link under each map. List of State treatment planning areas provides a map and the list of counties or other geographic regions that each State used to define its treatment planning area for that time period. Other reports available.

 

      e) US State Department Regions

 

14. Subscription link stories.

      a) Government workers' future health costs complicating budgets - Dallas Morning News (subscription) - TX,USA

GASB 45 sounds like a great name for a garage band, a viral strain or one of those Godforsaken dwarf planets beyond Neptune's orbit.

It's none of them. But don't tell that to municipal number crunchers, who'd argue that a nasty infection or rocket ship trip to nowhere doesn't seem so bad compared with the not-so-great GASB ruling – an obscure federal government order that nonetheless stands to complicate, if not scramble, city budgets.

Formally known as Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 45, it requires state and local governments as employers to carry the full balance of retiree health care costs on its balance sheets as soon as next year.

"At its simplest level, it's a book entry, nothing more," Dallas Chief Financial Officer Dave Cook said.

Local officials worry, however, that if they don't begin funding for government workers' health care costs upfront – like pensions – the nation's bond rating agencies may downgrade their credit. Downgraded credit makes it more expensive for cities to borrow money, which may result in residents' tax rates increasing.

"No one's forced to change the way it does things," said Parry Young, director of Standard & Poor's public finance department. "But we would look more favorably on a city that began to fund the liability. If they didn't, we would not look at that as a favorable management factor."

...

In the meantime, "it's an issue looming out there. I want to understand the ramifications," said Gary Griffith, vice chairman of the Dallas council's Finance, Audit and Accountability Committee. "If the ramifications are bigger rather than smaller, we have to prepare for them now, however we have to."

The North Central Texas Council of Governments has prepared to help member cities by hiring Irving-based financial consultant Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Co. to provide accounting and actuarial services, said Monte Mercer, the council's director of administration.

Mr. Mercer, too, said he believes cities are wise to tackle GASB 45 sooner rather than later, as bond rating agencies aren't apt to be kind to laggards.

...

      b) Govt plans to abolish regional development boards Newindpress (subscription) - Chennai, India

 

SHIMOGA: State Government is considering on abolishing all regional development boards as they failed to achieve target in development, said Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

 

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, he said that however, suitable decisions might be taken only after consulting legislators coming under respective regional development boards.

 

Previous governments had released crores of rupees as funds to each board for development works. But, people are not satisfied with performance of the boards. Final decision to abolish such boards will be taken after the discussions to be held in Assembly, he said.

...

 

15. Google News for “Regional Community”

 

Other menu sections available from this link include: Regional Development; Regional Council;  Regional Commission; Regional America; Regional Asia; Regional Europe; Regional Competition; Regionalism; Intergovernmental and other search terms. They can be sorted by date or relevance. These are among the 50 search terms I use to produce this newsletter.