State and Local Daily Digest: Uber and Lyft Drivers Owe Chicago $15 Million; Richmond Budget Woes
Will Uber and Lyft drivers in Chicago soon be licensed like cabbies, given the traffic fines they're racking up? MarziaB / Shutterstock.com
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our news roundup: Florida sea-level rise report; arsenic contamination in Texas; and all electronic prescriptions in New York state.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
UNPAID TICKETS | When the city of Chicago tabulated all the unpaid parking, red-light and speed camera fines owed by drivers for ride-booking services Uber and Lyft, the total was around $15 million. And that caught the attention of one alderman, who is interested in having taxicab licensing rules apply to Uber and Lyft drivers. [Chicago Sun-Times]
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
MUNICIPAL BUDGETING | There are a lot of unhappy campers at Richmond City Hall. It’s budget time, and negotiations aren’t going too well with some city council members upset over Mayor Dwight Jones’ budget, which keeps school funding flat, cuts into community grants and increases some fees. “I don’t feel the administration actually went through the budget too carefully, to be honest. I wish there was more of a scalpel applied than a hatchet,” according to Councilman Parker Agelasto. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
MIAMI, FLORIDA
CLIMATE CHANGE | A newly released study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gives a more detailed picture of the potential impacts of rising sea levels in the United States, including a more severe scenario that doesn’t bode well for Floridians. If sea levels rise by 6 feet by the end of the century, 6 million Florida residents would be in danger. [Miami Herald]
BRUNI, TEXAS
ENVIRONMENT | Tests in this small South Texas community show that the local water supply has arsenic levels at more than 80 parts per billion. Bruni isn’t alone in Texas. According to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project looking at arsenic contamination around the nation, 34 rural water systems serving 51,000 Texas residents have arsenic levels that exceed federal standards. [Texas Tribune]
CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY
BODY CAMERAS | The Camden County Police Department is turning to residents for input as it begins the process of putting in place official policies to guide the use of the 325 body-worn cameras, as well as the security and storage software the department purchased for a total of $391,145. Residents have given their feedback in the form of online surveys and public meetings. [Philly.com]
EVERETT, WASHINGTON
WAGES | Legal proceedings in Snohomish County, north of Seattle, ground to a halt on Monday after county clerks walked off the job to show their displeasure over stalled contract talks and low pay. “It’s basically to get the county’s attention, to say we’re serious,” according to the president of the union that represents 65 clerks and other court employees. [The Herald]
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA
WATER CONSERVATION | It turns out that sometimes public shaming actually works. Four months ago, the city of Beverly Hills sent warning letters to major water wasters—including Amy Poehler and David Geffin, whose estate used an average of 27,000 gallons per day—and the tactic appears to have been successful. The city was able to cut its water usage by 26 percent in January. [Los Angeles Times]
ALBANY, NEW YORK
PUBLIC HEALTH | Officials in the Empire State are doing away with prescription pads and with it, bad handwriting by doctors. Starting on March 27, all prescriptions in New York state must be created electronically. The shift is based in part on 2012 law known as I-Stop, that was designed as a means of addressing the supply-side of prescription opioid abuse. [The New York Times]
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA
EDUCATION BUDGETING | Public school superintendents have tough jobs involving long hours, managing big budgets and making tough decisions involving personnel. The grueling pace can lead many superintendents to make an exit to the door. That’s the case in Iowa, where a recently released study by The Gazette shows that nearly half of school district leaders have been in their position for less than five years. [The Gazette]
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
HOMELESSNESS | Councilman Jeff Harris has proposed a new tool to address homelessness in California’s capital city. Based on San Francisco’s “Pit Stop” program, Harris’ initiative would provide two flush toilets in the River District, an area of the city that sees a high volume of homeless activity. The toilets would be monitored by paid attendants and equipped with trash bins for waste disposal, including used needles. [The Sacramento Bee]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor for Government Executive’s Route Fifty. Quinn Libson writes for Route Fifty.
NEXT STORY: Lights, Cameras, Accountability: State Legislatures on TV