Six Cities: Open Source Case Studies
How is it that local governments have failed to capitalize on the cost-saving and productivity-enhancing benefits of using open source software, especially given the budget crises they face? ICMA presents case studies from six cities. ICMA
Too Many Free Rides
Parking Meter Company Steps up Ticket-Writing
Chicago's beleaguered parking meter contractor was forced to stop writing tickets last year after an avalanche of complaints about broken, overstuffed and improperly calibrated meters. But the company that paid the city $1.15 billion over 75 years is apparently making up for lost time. A private firm hired by Chicago Parking Meters LLC issued 1,345 parking tickets during the first 23 days of stepped-up ticket-writing -- from June 21 to July 14 -- primarily in the Central Business District. Chicago Sun-Times
County Turns Bodies into Bar Codes
The Montgomery County, Md., Department of Recreation is moving away from plastic passes and toward a new technology that turns bodies into bar codes. Beginning in the fall, county officials plan to replace the plastic cards customers use to gain access to the Department of Recreation's 33 facilities with biometric finger vein scanners. The move is expected to save the county $50,000 annually. The scanners, which resemble a computer mouse, create a unique code for each person. The devices read vein patterns by reacting with hemoglobin in blood, said the vendor of the scanners. Washington Post
California Law Would Sanction Cities that Pay Excessive Salaries
Town May Ban Illegal Immigrants
This quiet South Carolina community thousands of miles from the Southwest gave initial approval Wednesday to ban illegal immigrants from living within the town limits. "The problem is not just in the border states, it's right here," Councilman Walter Bailey said shortly before they voted 4-2 to give first approval to the ban, which would also, in most cases, keep illegal immigrants from working in the town about 20 miles from Charleston. The State
Judge Orders Skype Conferences for Parent, Kids
A state judge in Suffolk County, N.Y., has ordered a mother to make her two children available for Skype online video conferencing with their father as a condition of her move to Florida. The decision marks the first reported New York case in which a judge has ordered a relocating parent to facilitate Skyping -- i.e., the use of Skype conferencing software -- between her children and her ex-spouse as a condition of her move. Law.com
Savannah Selects ERP Applications
Savannah, Ga., has selected Lawson for a multi-application deployment of Human Capital Management, Enterprise Financial Management and Supply Chain Management suites, along with Business Intelligence. These applications will help the city automate and streamline HR and procurement processes and reduce costs by supporting more efficient financial and business processes. The city sought to replace its existing IT system and platform that has been in use for more than 15 years with a more functional enterprise-wide system. The objective of this project is to better align IT resources with the city's growing size and business operations.
