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Price that Pinellas Park, Fla., paid to buy 14 palm trees from Arizona despite the availability in Florida of much cheaper native cabbage palms, a purchase a city spokesman said was made because the city wanted to match some Arizona Medjool palms that were planted years ago
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Who Said That?
My recommendation is going to be no thongs or string bikinis”
— Kanab, Utah, City Councilwoman Nina Laycook, on the council's plan to reverse course and permit bikinis and Speedos at the city's new public swimming pool, dubbed the Cowboy Water'n Hole
/Xtras
>>The best of our online-only features
AMERICA'S INNOVATIVE LEADERS: RON SIMS
Metropolitan areas across the United States are mired in traffic problems and infrastructure issues. The leadership of Ron Sims, the county executive of King County, Washington, is a reminder that progress will come from regionally sound, comprehensive transit plans. 
THE MAN BEHIND THE PLAN
Today, when a private company is considering relocating to a new city, there's a carefully orchestrated process. But the site-location game wasn't always that way. Just about every aspect of the process can be traced to one man who started it all: Felix Fantus.
THE FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK
We've always thought that a four-day work week sounded like a great idea, and we recall a smattering of companies trying it out around 30 years ago. But now it's an idea that's taking off in the public sector. The impetus? High gas prices.
More from the B&G Report
MANAGING TECHNOLOGY 2008 CONFERENCE REPORT
Get the full story from Governing's Managing Technology conference in Seattle.
PLUS: Blog posts from the conference
THE OTHER HALF OF THE STORY
Federal welfare overhaul in the mid 1990s certainly reduced caseloads, writes columnist Jonathan Walters, as recipients were moved off the rolls and into economic independence. But that doesn't mean they were any better off. States and localities scrambled to provide services to a new class of working poor. Twelve years later, governments are still trying to get it right.
More Web Features
BRINGING RAIL TO THE SUN BELT
Check out photos of Phoenix's new light-rail system, which will open in December. It's the latest in a series of Sun Belt cities to turn to transit as a method of curbing sprawl and creating a walkable sense of place.
A BATTY APPROACH TO WEST NILE
Last year, Weld County, Colorado, had 98 human cases of the West Nile virus — the highest number in the state. To curtail the incidence of West Nile this summer, the county health department is working with an unusual ally: bats.
THE WEB AT WORK
Is it naïve to argue that government workers should have unfettered Internet access?
Part 1
Part 2
GETTING IN THE GAME
Do video games belong in public libraries? Some librarians say they teach reasoning skills, coordination and they encourage social interaction. Others say games out of line with a library's mission.
PETER HUTCHINSON: THE FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE CALLING A FOUNDATION
As the recession and housing crisis sweeps through state and local governments, and budgets get cut, there is going to be an almost irresistible temptation by governments or the nonprofits they fund to call corporations or foundations for help. Before you do, there are a few things you need to realize.
KEN MILLER: COMPETING INTERESTS
Government has a lot of different customers. To balance all those competing interests, we can learn a lot from a tube of toothpaste.
THE HIGH-RISK, HIGH-REWARD RUNNING MATE
Bill Richardson would make a perfect running mate, if he weren't so imperfect. Sure, you could make that statement about anyone, but, given the renewed buzz surrounding Richardson since his endorsement of Barack Obama, it's worth considering the New Mexico governor's many strengths and many weaknesses....
GIVING LIFE THE HIGH-TECH WAY
Only 5 percent of the eligible population donates blood in any given year. In an effort to draw more people in, the Indiana Blood Center recently introduced two new high-tech measures it hopes will streamline the donating process, making it more enticing.
ARE YOU A WIKI NOOB?
Don't know your Lindens from your avatars? How about First Life and folksonomy? Brush up on the latest tech speak with this glossary of wiki terms.
LOOKING TO GO LOCAL?
Here are some resources on creating local-food systems in your government — or adopting a local diet for yourself.
BENCHMARKING LIVABILITY
Governing's latest report in the Citizens and Performance Series: The tricky challenge of measuring quality of life and government performance.
WHAT DOES YOUR CIO REALLY NEED TO KNOW?
Yes, CIOs need to understand technology. But they also need to know how IT can contribute to major organizational goals and strategy — and how to build relationships as part of a leadership team.
ASSISTED SUICIDE BY ANY OTHER NAME...
Washington State is voting in November on an initiative to legalize what many people would call "physician-assisted suicide." That's not what the ballot will call it, however.
LET THE SUNSHINE IN
Recognize "Sunshine Week" with these links to these articles on public records and open-government initiatves.
PUBLIC INPUT, WIKI-STYLE
Minneapolis is testing a fresh new approach to gathering public input. Frustrated by low attendance at public meetings, the city has launched its first wiki.
THE LONG LINK OF THE LAW
To paraphrase the opening of an old black-and-white crime drama, there are a thousand stories in the Naked City — and nowadays, there's a good chance police are posting them on YouTube.
BEST DRESSED
The National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors named the Washington State Patrol the Best Dressed State Law Enforcement Agency for 2007. If you think we're mentioning this just as a throw-away, you're wrong. We have no real evidence to prove this, but we've always felt that when government employees take pride in the way they're required to look in their jobs, it's likely they'll be more inclined to live up to that image in their work.
Plus: The B&G Report appears each month in the Governing Management Letter
SUCCESS IS A LOUSY TEACHER
When taking on a new role, it's important to remember that yesterday's successes don't necessarily prepare us for tomorrow's challenges. So if past successes can blind us to what's needed in a new job or new situation, does that mean we can't learn from past experiences? Not at all.
DRUGS IN THE WATER
A U.S. Geological Survey studied 139 streams around the county in 2000 and found that 80 percent of them contained residues of a variety of pharmaceuticals. A new effort is underway that will make Iowa one of the first states to collect and properly dispose of pharmaceuticals statewide.
NO MORE ONE SIZE FITS ALL
In William D. Eggers' Management Insights column, he writes that government cannot be run like a business. But that doesn't mean the public sector can't learn from business.
EXTREME MAKEOVER: MASSACHUSETTS SPEAKER'S OFFICE EDITION
On Governing's 13th Floor blog, Zach Patton writes about how Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi is redecorating his office — after he criticized an opponent for doing the exact same thing.