Repeating Mistakes That Lead to Firefighter Deaths and Injuries; Montana’s Road Funding Shortfall
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Houston’s bus ridership growth; publicly funded campaigns in Portland; and working with non-profits to reduce crime in Baltimore.
FIREFIGHTING | Hundreds of firefighters have died and thousands have been injured over the last two decades in incidents that unfold in similar ways, according to an investigation by The Kansas City Star. “We are sadly unoriginal,” said Kevin Kalmus, a fire captain in Austin, Texas. “We allow the same events to occur year after year that lead to firefighter fatalities.” [The Kansas City Star]
INFRASTRUCTURE | Montana will delay $144.5 million of road projects as the state’s transportation department faces a budget shortfall, DOT Director Mike Tooley told the Montana Contractors Association this week. Of the funds, $130 million would come from federal sources and $14.5 million from the state. [Billings Gazette]
CAMPAIGNS | The City Council in Portland, Oregon plans to green light publicly funded campaigns beginning in 2019, where taxpayer funds are used to match private cash raised by candidates—so long as they limit fundraising and spending. The system could cost $2.4 million an election cycle, and voters weren’t given a say. The city of Seattle is in the process of rolling out a similar system that use so-called “democracy vouchers.” [The Oregonian; The Stranger]
POWERS | Portland, Maine Mayor Ethan Strimling and City Manager Jon Jennings have been locked in a power struggle this past year that’s begun spilling over into public meetings. Strimling wants to increase his authority, despite narrow interpretations of Portland’s charter by the city attorney and outside counsel. “The mayor’s substantive powers are clearly and purposefully significantly limited by the charter,” reads the expensive second opinion. “In short, the office of mayor was not created to improve deficiencies in the office of the city manager.” [Portland Press Herald]
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION | A massive overhaul of Houston’s bus system—that, in part, decreased wait times and simplified routes to make maps easier to read—has contributed to an increase in ridership. Average monthly ridership grew by 3.3 percent in the 10 months, after the changes were put into place, a shift that bucks both state and national public transit trends. [The Texas Tribune]
CRIME | Baltimore City Council President Bernard “Jack” Young wants to reduce crime in the northeastern section of the city by partnering with nonprofits like Belair Edison Neighborhoods Inc. and Details. "This council stands ready to work with nonprofit developers to support demolition that reinvests in Baltimore by creating good paying jobs that will support families," Young’s Thursday swearing in speech reads. [The Baltimore Sun]
GOV. PAUL LEPAGE | As he swore in the new Maine Legislature on Wednesday, Gov. Paul LePage called for revising tax and minimum wage ballot initiatives that voters approved last month. One measure will levy a surtax on income over $200,000 to help raise money for public education and the other would increase the state’s minimum wage to $12 by 2020. LePage said he would submit a bill to delay the implementation of the laws. During the election cycle he said the proposals would make Maine an “economic wasteland.” [Bangor Daily News]
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