The current transportation authorization expires in September 2014, at which point the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for road and transit programs, will face a shortfall. Senator Barbara Boxer , who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee remains hopeful that that widespread acknowledgement of the infrastructure investment crisis... Continue reading

If your residents are saying that about streets in your community, it is time for you to check out the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ newly-released Urban Street Design Guide, a “blueprint for 21st century streetscape.” NACTO has done the tough work ofcompiling the innovative practices that will make... Continue reading

When the Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act in May by a vote of 69 to 27, a major point of contention was language exempting some small businesses from collecting sales tax on out-of-state transactions. The legislation said businesses with more than $1 million in annual revenue would have to... Continue reading

With the Senate having passed legislation earlier this session that will require retailers to collect and remit taxes to states from internet sales, and the House due to consider the same, polling and lobbying on the topic are ramping up. Last week The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA),... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! Navy Explores Potential of Social Media... Continue reading

The fifth round of TIGER was announced last week. It was the smallest yet — the program got $1.5 billion when it was created in the 2009 stimulus package and has decreased with each new round, with this one coming in at just under a third of that original amount.... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! Broadband: Public Officials Want More Government... Continue reading

Congress is still working through the 12 annual fiscal year 2014 appropriations bills to fund federal programs, but wrapping up this process before the start of the new fiscal year is looking less and less likely. The situation is exacerbated because the budget resolutions adopted by the House and Senate... Continue reading

With just over one week of the August Congressional Recess remaining, you may want to consider providing some feedback to your Members of Congress before they return to DC. Luckily, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has just made it very easy to do so. ARTBA’s new “Transportation... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! - See more at: http://thefergusongroup.typepad.com/grants/2013/06/wednesday-news-roundup-1.html#sthash.0wlLKIAR.dpuf Every... Continue reading

The September 13, 2013 deadline for the EPA’s 2013 Climate Leadership Awards gives you plenty of lead time to pull together a solid application and make sure that your organization and organizational leadership get some recognition for your good work. Last year’s awardees included several municipalities and public agencies -_... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! How Green is Your State? This... Continue reading

Beginning today, you can take out some of your transportation frustration by notifying Congress that you’re stuck and unhappy about it! This week both the House and Senate are considering their very different versions of the fiscal year 2014 Transportation and HUD Appropriations bill and the debate over federal investment... Continue reading

Last month, when the President released his “Climate Action Plan,” he did so with a good deal of recognition for the local impact of climate change and the potential for local influence in policy development and implementation. His announcement included the creation a local government task force will help the... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! - How Emergency Managers Can Benefit... Continue reading

The bidding war for Nate Silver, the statistician who made his mark with highly accurate 2008 and 2012 election predictions, is over and he’ll be moving from the New York Times to ESPN. Before the 2008 campaign, Silver was a baseball statistician, but has gained a major following since then... Continue reading

I am the daughter of a print journalist and, in fact, the granddaughter of a print journalist. I like to READ my news. Every day. I care a lot about the same issues that are important to my clients, so work reading isn’t a chore and there’s nothing I enjoy... Continue reading

There is more news today in support of state and local collection of online sales tax. According to a study released today by Arthur Laffer, who served as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, leveling the playing field and giving states the ability to collect sales... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! Lawmakers Advancing Flood Insurance Bill The... Continue reading

If you watched the Sunday morning “Inside the Beltway” television programs this week, no doubt you heard some discussion of potential successors to Secretary Janet Napolitano, who is leaving the Department of Homeland Security to head up the California University system. His picks included retired Coast Guard commandant Thad Allen;... Continue reading

A new report released by the International Energy Agency asserts that urban areas around the world could save as much as $70 trillion by 2050 by improving the energy efficiency of urban transport systems. That’s far more than bus fare! The report, "A Tale of Renewed Cities," finds that as... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! - See more at: http://thefergusongroup.typepad.com/grants/2013/07/wednesday-news-roundup.html#sthash.TSw8Ue3i.dpuf Every... Continue reading

In a story that is so outlandish that it made it onto the Drudge Report, a Washington Post columnist updated us this weekend on WMATA’s (our DC transit agency) decision to rip out thousands of flowers surrounding DC’s Dupont Circle Metro station that were planted by good neighbor and local... Continue reading

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! U.S. to Back Loans for Emissions-Cutting... Continue reading

Late last week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch circulated a letter to fellow Senators on their proposed “blank slate” plan, essentially a tax reform proposal that would start over with a "blank slate" by eliminating all tax breaks and lowering tax rates for both... Continue reading