 HONORING THE BEST At Idea Center, we feature replicable government programs, online innovations and useful resources. This year's recently announced Innovations in American Government Awards went to six such replicable government initiatives. Each year, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation honors government innovation with $100,000 cash grants. Many of the award-winning programs have gone on to be widely adopted, particularly Illinois' groundbreaking 311 hotline from 1994. The four 2008 state and local government award-winners are:
• The New York City Acquisition Fund, which makes housing more readily available and affordable to disadvantaged residents by providing local and not-for-profit developers with bridge financing to acquire private property for the construction and preservation of affordable housing.
• Missouri's Department of Youth Services, which provides treatment and educational services to rehabilitate young people who have become involved with the juvenile justice system. The juvenile program was featured in Governing's January 2006 issue.
• Arizona's Getting Ready: Keeping Communities Safe, which prepares inmates for their return to society by modeling the prison setting after the real world.
• And, North Carolina's Learn and Earn, which seeks to help underperforming high school students jumpstart their college educations and better prepare for today's competitive workforce through online college-credit courses at no cost to them or to their families. Posted October 9, 2008
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 A GUIDE TO HEALTHIER CHOICES Every year, 5 percent of healthy employees become sick as a result of risk factors that include unhealthy lifestyle choices, according to health insurance provider CIGNA. To meet rising health costs, some municipalities have begun promoting new health-driven programs that empower employees to make better choices and improve behaviors that affect personal health. A new guide from the International City/County Management Association seeks to help managers transform their cultures to focus on health. "Creating a Culture of Health: A Manager's Guide to Improving Employee Health and Reducing Health Care Costs" shows managers how to evaluate their government's current health-care situation and decide if changes are needed. If so, it guides them through developing a plan, designing a health program and then evaluating it. The electronic document is available on ICMA's Web site for $24.95 ($19.95 for ICMA members); an excerpt is available for free. Posted October 6, 2008
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 A SOLAR-POWERED HIGHWAY It takes 45 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to run Oregon's state transportation system — power that comes mostly from non-renewable sources. Change is underway, however, as the state Department of Transportation is rolling out its first-in-the-nation solar-panel project along a major highway. By December, a row of solar panels about 5 feet wide and two football fields long will be generating about 28 percent of the 400,000 kilowatt hours needed to light the Interstate 5-205 interchange at night. The "all Oregon" effort is a public-private partnership using Oregon companies to suppy materials, design the project and install the panels. This project will generate less than 1 percent of ODOT's annual energy use, but the department will start seeking proposals for similar projects early next year to generate about 4.5 percent of its energy needs. To learn more about the $1.3 million project, visit www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/OIPP/inn_solarhighway.shtml. Posted October 2, 2008
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 JUDGING THE JUDGES Most voters, even the best-informed ones, find it difficult to vote intelligently for judges. The culprit is often the lack of nonpartisan information about their performance. With the Nov. 4th election little more than a month away, a new program, the Kansas Judicial Report Card, is providing voters with the tools they need to cast more-informed votes for district judges, district magistrates, Court of Appeals judges and Supreme Court justices. Established by the legislature in 2006, the program lets the public search its Web site for evaluations of judges and justices based on confidential surveys completed by attorneys, litigants, witnesses, court staff, jurors and others who have appeared before or had professional contact with the judges being evaluated. Participants are asked to assign the judge a letter grade based on their overall legal ability, impartiality, temperament and communication skills. The grades are then averaged and posted to the site with a recommendation from an independent commission to retain or dismiss the judge. Data will be gathered over a four-year period, and judges' ratings in the future will be based on a rolling average of survey results. Kansas is one of just seven states to publicly evaluate judges, joining Alaska (the first to inaugurate judicial performance reviews, in 1976), Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Tennessee and Utah. Posted September 29, 2008
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 PAYING FOR COLLEGE, ROUND 2 Hoping the second time's a charm, Texas officials launched a new prepaid college tuition plan, four years after the state's old program was closed because of a massive shortfall brought on by tuition deregulation. The Texas Tuition Promise Fund lets families lock in current tuition rates and required fees at state colleges and universities. The plan offers three levels of pricing to prepay undergraduate tuition at schools ranging from public community colleges to four-year state universities. Payment options include a lump sum plan or an installment plan that has an annual interest charge. Prices will be adjusted each year based on average tuition and fee increases at state colleges and universities — the current enrollment period to lock in this year's prices runs through Feb. 28, 2009. Unlike the previous prepaid program, the Texas Tomorrow Fund, universities — not the state — will be on the hook for any shortfalls. To further help families out, the Web site, Every Chance, Every Texan also debuted. It's a portal to everything parents need to know about paying for college, including the new prepaid fund, Texas' state-sponsored college savings plans and other sources of funding such as scholarships and student loans. It also includes tools to help families calculate college costs and determine if they are saving enough money to meet their goals. Similar plans are available in other states, including Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia and Florida. Posted September 25, 2008
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 LOOKING DOWN ON AMERICA As satellite imagery and aerial photography have become more accessible, state and local governments are finding multiple uses for them in areas that include disaster response, law enforcement, transportation and urban planning. In the last few years, a number of private companies, including Pictometry and Multivision USA, have made aerial photographs more technically advanced, affordable and easy-to-use. Using low-flying planes, these companies take aerial photos with 40-degree side angles, producing three-dimensional, oblique high-resolution images of neighborhoods, landmarks, roads, and complete municipalities. Emergency responders, local planners and inspectors use the photos and accompanying software to measure not only height, width and distances but also elevation and bearings. It helps firefighters, for example, measure the hose distance from water sources and hydrants to fires, and aids police in planning raids by plotting where they'll enter and exit a building. In 2005, Dakota County, Minn., formed a cost-sharing partnership with 11 cities to purchase aerial photos and software from Pictometry. Dakota County assessors use the photos to view properties and appraise them without leaving their desks nearly as often, saving them time and money. To see the software in action, visit Dakota County's Web site, where anyone can pull up a parcel of land by clicking on the map or entering a property's address and identification number. Posted September 22, 2008
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 WHERE THE TRAINING IS A new Web site featuring a searchable database of training events for local public officials was launched in New York State earlier this month. The Local Government Training Clearinghouse allows public officials to search for training events around the state, bringing together information otherwise scattered among municipal and state department Web sites. The site, a joint venture between the State Comptroller's Office and Cornell University's Community and Rural Development Institute, lets visitors search for training sessions by date, region, job type and event sponsor. It offers training opportunities for everyone from public school officials to public works personnel and fire officials. Private training organizations are also allowed to post their schedules on the Clearinghouse Web site. To learn more about it, contact the Office of the State Comptroller's Division of Local Government and School Accountability at localtraining@osc.state.ny.us. Posted September 18, 2008
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 PUTTING OUT THE VACANCY SIGN Rather than the usual campaigns municipalities run to lure new residents or attract industries, Federal Way, Wash., is running an economic-development campaign to fill its 500,000 square feet of empty office space. Nestled between Seattle and Tacoma, Federal Way has one of the highest vacancy rates in the Puget Sound region, one that tops 20 percent and is about double the regional average. Since empty offices mean fewer workers generating fewer tax dollars, the city has partnered with the local chamber of commerce and with commercial real-estate professionals to launch Federal Way: For Businesses on the Move. The campaign will include direct mail, ads and a short video in addition to other services, such as city tours and a resource center with an up-to-date database of available office buildings. Officials are targeting companies that are looking for affordable rents, modern office buildings in wooded-campus settings, favorable tax rates and a readily available workforce. Federal Way is home to more than 55,000 working-age residents, one-third of whom work outside the city. Posted September 15, 2008
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 GOAT GARDENERS In these tough times, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency is having to combat urban blight on a lean budget. The agency has found a cheap, environmentally friendly way to do part of that job--clearing thick and tangled weeds from a hillside lot next to the historic Angels Flight railway--with a herd of 100 goats. It'll take the weed-eating goats about a week to 10 days to clear the 2 1/2-acre hillside at a cost of $3,000, compared to the $7,500 the agency would have to pay for a work crew armed with loud, gasoline-powered weed-whackers. An electrified fence helps corral the South African boer goats, which may be used again in the near future to tidy other unsightly, fire-prone areas. The lot the goats are clearing, called Angels Knoll, is slated to become the site of a mixed-use plaza tower. To learn more, contact the agency at 213-977-1600. Posted September 11, 2008
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 ELDERLY AT THE WHEEL In the next 20 years the number of elderly drivers — persons 70 and over — is predicted to triple in the United States, and statistics show that older drivers are more likely than younger ones to be involved in multi-vehicle crashes, particularly at intersections. It was just such a fatal accident between a Dallas teen and 90-year-old woman that inspired Texas to pass Katie's Law last year. The law, a year old this month, requires motorists age 79 and older to renew their licenses in person and undergo a vision test. Starting at age 85, drivers must renew every two years, instead of every six. If DMV personnel observe shaking hands, an elderly driver having trouble answering questions or other red flags, they can require a road test or ask for input from on-site medical examiners. Although it is still too early to draw conclusions about the law's effects, preliminary figures from the state Department of Transportation are encouraging. In the year since the law took effect, the state has seen a 6 percent decline overall in crashes involving elderly drivers, and a 25 percent decline in fatal accidents involving seniors. Drivers 79 and older make up about 3 percent of the state's registered motorists. Other programs to address the problem posed by some elderly drivers include California's requirement to retest drivers over 70 if they are involved in two or more crashes in one year, and Pennsylvania's physician's reporting law, which requires physicians to report disabilities that may affect driving ability.Posted September 8, 2008/ Picture of Katie Bolka, who inspired Katie's Law
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GET HEALTHIER OR PAY Each year, Alabama spends $4 billion on health care for its 100,000 state employees. Aiming to alleviate some of that load in the future, the state Employees' Insurance Board approved a new plan that will charge state employees who do not try to improve medical conditions considered risky, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, a fee for their medical insurance. "It is really about investing in the employee. The program creates incentives and knocks down barriers needed to improve health conditions," said William Ashmore, Chief Executive Officer of the Alabama State Employees' Insurance Board. "Ultimately, we want to see the 10-15 percent of people currently at risk go down, creating less strain on the overall health-care system." Alabama state employees will be screened for medical conditions starting in January of 2010, and if health-care risks exist, employees have to show health improvement progress or they will begin paying $25 per month for their insurance starting in January of 2011. The state could have an annual net savings of $250 million, a return of investment of 5.6 to 1, over the next five years. While some are not in favor of Alabama's new insurance regulation, 45 states currently allow using obesity and health status in determining risk factors that could cause denial of coverage or an increase in insurance premiums. Posted September 4, 2008
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 DIRECT DEMOCRACY, WIKI-STYLE Come November, gubernatorial, legislative and local races won't be the only items on the ballot. Initiatives and referenda will top ballots in more than a dozen states, and a new Web site, Ballotpedia, aims to help voters navigate these measures. Ballotpedia is a wiki-style encyclopedia on everything connected with "citizen initiatives, ballot access, petition drives, initiative and referendum for political change, recall elections, school district bond issues and associated subjects." Each state page shows all the measures on the ballot in that state, as well as measures which may still make the ballot and measures which have failed or are otherwise inactive. Ballotpedia, overseen by the Sam Adams Alliance, is a free, online wiki, like Wikipedia, where anyone can contribute. Entries are subject to editing by the site's administrators in order to maintain a neutral point-of-view. So far, 55 initiatives have been certified across the nation, and 10 additional measures are undergoing the certification process. For policy and analysis of state and local initiatives, visit Governing's Ballot Box. Posted August 28, 2008
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 CALIFORNIA'S SCHOOL FINDER With kids heading back to school, parents in California might find a new tool for comparing schools handy. The California Department of Education, touting the need to improve transparency and accountability, launched a new Web site that allows users to compare neighborhood schools' performance using a variety of data including academic performance, graduation and dropout rates, student-teacher ratios, how much money each school receives per student and course offerings. Information from as many as three schools can be compared side by side. Parents can search by category, such as elementary or high school, and by city, address or ZIP code. The site utilizes Google Maps and GIS technology from Microsoft to provide data on schools in every region of California on traditional schools as well as alternative, adult-education and charter schools. Posted August 25, 2008
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 PRESERVING ORAL HISTORIES With each passing of a generation, millions of human memories and experiences are lost forever. Efforts to preserve these stories through oral histories are popping up in towns and cities across the nation. In Rocky Hill, Conn., the town's human services department is offering such a program to homebound senior citizens, helping them record their oral histories to be shared with their communities and future generations. Only two seniors have participated in the program so far, but each said they found it therapeutic, and listeners reported discovering family and American history they'd never heard before. The program began earlier this year when the town purchased new audio recording equipment and trained volunteers to conduct interviews. On a similar note, Idea Center featured a program last November in Georgia, created to collect and preserve photographs for its archive's permanent collection. To learn more about the Rocky Hill oral-history program, contact the town's Human Services Department at 860-258-2799. Posted August 21, 2008
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CERTIFIED TO BATTLE STROKES Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of disability. In Delaware, where the disease affects about 1,200 residents each year, the state is seeking to encourage its hospitals to be designated primary stroke centers. The idea is that staffs in designated facilities move faster and perform better than those in other hospitals, making up for any extra minutes a patient spends on the road. Under the new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, hospitals designated as primary stroke centers by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations will receive a similar designation from the state. To be certified, hospitals must demonstrate that they meet the highest standards for treating stroke patients. Such standards include having a neurologist on staff, the ability to take CT scans around the clock and a staff capable of administering appropriate medications upon a patient's arrival at the emergency room. Currently, there are no hospitals in Delaware with designated stroke centers, but Delaware is the fifth state — along with Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey — to certify hospitals as stroke centers. Only about 500 of the nation's 5,000 acute-care centers have received accreditation, and backers of this law hope it is only a prelude to a law that would require that ambulances take stroke patients to hospitals with certified stroke centers. Posted August 18, 2008
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