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| Corrections, Probation, and Parole |
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The Niagara County Jail in Lockport, New York, is piloting a conferencing system in its housing areas that allows prisoners to meet online with attorneys, probation officers, and mental health staff. The move is designed to reduce the travel, logistical, and security issues associated with in-person visits to the facilities. Officials may eventually use the system to support visits from family members and private attorneys.
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| Fire Prevention and Response |
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The Eastside Fire and Rescue stations in King County, Washington, are responding to non-emergency medical calls with an SUV carrying one certified medic firefighter and medical supplies rather than a fire truck and complement of firefighters. As Eastside must answer approximately 1,000 such calls per year, officials hope that this experiment will allow more personnel to respond to serious emergencies and fires. The University of Washington will be monitoring the experiment.
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| Service Delivery |
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The U.S. Postal Service is collaborating with small rural grocery stores to sell stamps and other mailing services next to other consumables as it tries to maintain service levels while trimming billions of dollars in costs. The agency is also looking to expand into other places where people go to shop, such as drugstores and retail chains. There are currently 10 “village post offices” across the country and 30 more are about to open.
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| Emergency Management |
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FEMA will be partnering with a new AmeriCorps unit to help prepare for and respond to natural disasters. FEMA Corps will consist of 1,600 volunteers who will help staff FEMA’s disaster recovery centers and assist in logistics and community outreach. These volunteers will be assigned to one of five campuses nationwide and will receive a living allowance as well as housing, meals, limited medical benefits, and educational benefits. Officials expect the program to save the federal government $60 million per year in training and deployment costs.
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| Recycling |
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Bellingham, Washington, has received the first "Greenroads" certification for walkways made out of recycled toilets. The crushed porcelain accounts for about 20 percent of the poticrete material, which costs no more than the aggregate culled from regional gravel pits. In addition, the walkways incorporate other green design elements such as LED streetlights and porous pavement that filters storm water and moderates its flow. The city is studying whether to revise its concrete specifications to allow the use of similar materials to create walkways for future city building projects.
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| Supercharging Economic Development in Indianapolis and New York City |
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Public dollars will remain scarce, and should be invested only when the return substantially exceeds the investment. To attract the investment they need, cities need entities that can move both quickly and strategically. The experiences of New York and Indianapolis show that large visions coupled with catalytic investments can produce not only tens of thousands of new jobs but also tax revenues far in excess to those foregone.
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| Doing "Big Things" in Government |
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Government can’t succeed with massive projects? It can, and it does. Several panels at the recent annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration identified a set of characteristics of "big things" that are key to successful major endeavors.
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| Who Owns Government Efficiency? |
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Whose job is it to make sure government delivers vital services efficiently and effectively? While there is little doubt that government must become more efficient and no doubt that the legislative branch can provide some powerful enabling nudges in the right direction, efficient government lies in the hands of the professional managers. But unless those managers take the lead and stop reacting, there's no chance we'll be able to continue to afford business as usual.
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
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About the Ash Center
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.
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