Government Finance Review articles from February 2009

Government Finance Review archives from February 2009

Getting the most from technology spending.(Editorial)
February 1, 2009... As the economic downturn makes it increasingly difficult to find money for projects, it becomes even more important for governments to get the most out of their technology spending. In many cases, technology can be the key to gains in...

Awareness is key to defending against computer attacks.(News & Numbers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Computer security is a real concern for state and local governments. Governments need to be aware that cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated--and increasingly harmful--according to a new report from Johns Hopkins University. ...

Edmonton to build eco-friendly recycling plant.(News & Numbers)
February 1, 2009... The City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, will work to build an eco-friendly paper and glass recycling plant, in partnership with a private-industry recycling company. The facility will allow the city to achieve "closed-loop recycling" by...

Governments must plan for economic growth.(News & Numbers)
February 1, 2009... The current economic slowdown will come to an end, and states must be prepared by positioning their economies for growth over the next decade. Today's global, knowledge-based economy is rooted in information technology (IT) and driven by...

Picking winners: shrewd investing in IT assets through IT governance.(Cover story)
February 1, 2009... The current economic slowdown is making technology dollars dearer. A national survey conducted by the Public Technology Institute shows that 38 percent of local government information technology budgets will decrease over the next two years....

Low-cost tech solutions for small (and larger) governments.
February 1, 2009... Where does technology fit into a government's budget in this slowing economy? Technology purchases are sometimes an afterthought even in good times. But at the same time, the pressure to modernize comes from many sources. Constituents are...

GIS as an enterprise municipal system.(geographic information system)
February 1, 2009... In the past two decades, geographic information system (GIS) technology has become much more powerful, while costs have declined. GIS has become a common business tool, and many basic GIS capabilities are now used directly by government agency...

Joint software selection project provides numerous benefits.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two Texas cities recently turned a cooperative technology project into a real success story, not only saving money but also reaping additional benefits, both hoped for and unexpected. The cities' joint acquisition of...

Big job, short timeframe: Missouri's IT consolidation.
February 1, 2009... With information technology (IT), consolidation can mean anything from forming a committee that oversees IT projects to centralizing hardware and application development. Some people use the word to describe efforts at improving collaboration,...

Revenue Recovery Program: developing a governmental collections unit.(Best Practices)
February 1, 2009... At a time when economic situations are rapidly changing, governments are searching for better ways to do business. In Johnson County, Kansas, the Treasurer's Revenue Recovery Program--known as the Collections Unit--emphasizes performance by...

The City of Henderson: putting it all together with STARS.([PM.sup.2] Connections: PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT & MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2009... After nine years of working to align all levels of the organization through a comprehensive performance management process, the City of Henderson, Nevada, is putting the last piece into place--a system known as the Strategic Tracking and...

Coaching your team to effective leadership.(Management & Careers)
February 1, 2009... "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." --John Quincy Adams Developing leadership is not an easy task. And before one can help others to become leaders, it is necessary to...

Sharing city sales tax revenues with local school districts: facing financial challenges, three cities in Illinois turned to city officials, who raised the local sales tax rate to generate funds in order to help the local school districts.(Solutions)
February 1, 2009... Good schools are an important component of a strong community. Therefore, it is in the best interest of both city government officials and school district officials for the local school district to perform well, both financially and...

Looking back on 2008 and anticipating the challenges of 2009.(Federal Focus)
February 1, 2009... Congress dedicated most of its time and energy in 2008 to the growing economic crisis gripping the country. Congressional hearings and legislative activity on the failures of the capital markets and the financial regulatory system, the housing...

Interim guidance from GAO on 'significant deficiencies' and 'material weaknesses': The GAO offers interim guidance on how the redefinition of two terms will affect auditors.(The Accounting Angle)
February 1, 2009... For more than a decade, independent auditors and their clients used the terms material weakness and reportable condition to describe the deficiencies uncovered in the course of a financial statement audit. In 2006, the definition of the term...

Making the move from performance measurement to performance management.(The Bookshelf)
February 1, 2009... Leading Performance Management in Local Government Edited by David N. Ammons ICMA Press 2008, 198 pages, $59 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Governments of all sizes have begun using performance measures to help direct decisions,...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... [gfoa events] March Chicago, Illinois 3-6 Budget Analyst Training Academy Reno, Nevada 9 Accounting for Capital Assets 9 Accounting and Reporting for Enterprise Funds 9 Costing Government Services 10...

What does your CIO really need to know?(Commentary)
February 1, 2009... Chief information officers are responsible for information technology, so that's what they need to know, right? Well, yes, partly. They need to understand technology enough to decide on infrastructure, operations, and staff. They need to...