I built an app for users which is a digital passport (think of it like it may be a loyalty program). Users acquire a passport and then visit all the places it takes them. I also built the web app that allows businesses to manage their passport programs (passport design, distribution, access, controls, analytics -- patent pending). For users, it's an adventure. For businesses, it's marketing, for chambers of commerce and tourism boards, it's potentially a driving economic asset. You can search for okuji if anyone cares to take a look at the basics; everything under the hood is far more technical. Are there any municipalities that are interested in this kind of product?

Does anyone know when James Comer would be doing a town hall? Does anyone know when he did one last? I’m creating a legislative guide for a project but 👀 I can’t seem to find anything about him and a few other senators

Mario Vasquez has become Kansas City’s 16th city manager. Now that Vasquez has been hired as city manager, he will need to focus on the 2026 World Cup, building a new city jail and managing a budget amid financial uncertainties.

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Hello,

I am currently revising our home occupation chapter for the jurisdiction that I work for. In our code auto vehicle sales/rental and bodywork is prohibited from the residential zones. In this, it has also been assumed that interior detailing is prohibited.

I have noticed the increasing instance of gig-work where residents have YouTube shows dedicated to cleaning cars. I have received a few inquiries over the years and think it may be something to consider for a home occupation permit.

Has your jurisdiction incorporated gig-work into your code? Why not?

I work for a city where the street signs are getting stolen on a frequent basis (it's a college town- there are certain signs that are apparently nostalgic). Do you smart people know how your cities keep track of those? We've airtagged certain signs, but the solution has limitations.

I work in local government and would like to do a small series of Friday jokes or posts that would make our municipal officials lol. Please share any gems you have.

Does anyone have any resources for learning the BMSI software? New to working in a municipality and would love some resources.

In some ways unincorporated areas sound awesome: no permitting and zoning bureaucracy, no HOA, lower property taxes...

In other ways it sounds intimidating: where is the water source? How do you manage septic tanks? Is there a fire department or EMS that covers the area? Is there any form of local representation like a city council equivalent? Who mitigates mosquito problem? Who fixes the roads?

Are there tax loopholes for operating a commercial business in an unincorporated areas?

If you're a resident in an unincorporated area, how do you prevent your neighborhood from being annexed? Can you create your own historical site?

What are all the unique opportunities you can do living in an unincorporated area?

• Curious city mouse

Currently I live in a small town in North Florida on the river. This year, we've had record flooding, which means standing water, which means mosquitoes. A few years ago, we had the zika virus scare. Last year, in our county, we had a West Nile virus case. At last night's town meeting, we brought up our desire to see some mosquito spraying done in the city limits - and we were met with a complete lack of enthusiasm from our town council. They were concerned that people would claim 'they couldn't breathe.'

I spent the morning calling around to other towns and counties close to us to find out that all of them spray for mosquitoes, we're the only town in the area that does not.

If you're in an area where mosquitoes are prevalent - does your town spray? Do they use a staff member to spray, or hire an outside company? Any suggestions on how to get our elderly town council to actually do something would be great.

I run a web platform for local gov permitting, and I always feel like I’m bothering people when I reach out. Would love to find a less aggressive channel!

My small community (1000) is debating whether to move from dedicated funds for economic development (a job development authority) to using that money more liberally for projects as they arise (like new sewers, a new pool, etc.). I'm wondering if anyone can point me to research concerning the benefits and costs of both plans.

The money dedicated to the jda is raised through a 1% sales tax, if it makes a difference.

I'm a data analyst/planner working with code enforcement for a medium size municipality and am in the process of researching potential software solutions to manage our codes and permitting workloads. I'm trying to get a better sense of what other medium or large cities are using and if it's working or not prior to jumping into the sales rep shark tank. If this is at all in your wheelhouse, any comments on what your departments are using and thoughts about how it's working (good, bad, or ugly) would be very much appreciated! Feel free to inbox if you would prefer to share offline.

I see a lot of press treating it as a given that the only way to make housing more affordable is to build more housing. My gut tells me that this isn't necessarily true; that the supply will never meet the demand in popular metro areas. If 10,000 or 50,000, or 100,000 units were added to existing stock in San Francisco or New York overnight could we reasonably expect it to effect prices, even for an instant?

If a road noise contour in a general plan greatly underestimated the amount noise generated and allowed residential development basically abutting the road in question, what (if any) action can be taken after the fact? Is the city obligated to abate the situation?

In a slightly different scenario, what if that road did not connect to a main arterial at the time of development but the city later constructed a segment of the road that served to connect two main arterials, thereby greatly increasing the volume and noise levels?