People say "no" when they feel they lack choices | Property tax rate drop approved in Bangor, Maine | Fla. county ends contract with private dispatch company
July 30, 2021
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People reject requests or demands because they feel they have no choice or autonomy in the situation, Susan Fowler writes. Knowing that, you can help people explore their boundaries, reframe requests as providing information and look for alternatives that achieve the desired result.
City Council members in Bangor, Maine, have approved a decrease in the municipal property tax rate that is expected to save residents a collective $500,000 annually. The decrease was facilitated by additional funds from a state revenue-sharing program and the local school committee, councilmember Dan Tremble said.
Sumter County, Fla., has terminated its 911 staffing contract with American Medical Response. The county may look into hiring its own dispatchers and running its own 911 center.
Example of green corridor in Medellin, Colombia. (Instagram/luisbcano_comercial)
A $16.3 million initiative in which tens of thousands of native trees and plants in 30 interconnected corridors across Medellin, Colombia, is helping residents find shade and has reduced the average temperature in some areas. The vegetation also improves the city's air quality by absorbing harmful carbon emissions.
Los Angeles City Council members have approved an ordinance that bans people experiencing homelessness from setting up camp on driveways, sidewalks, overpasses and on-ramps, as well as near schools, parks, libraries and homeless shelters. If Mayor Eric Garcetti gives final approval to the ordinance, violators will face fines if they do not relocate camps within two weeks of being warned.
Officials in Fredericton, New Brunswick, have commissioned First Nations artist Percy Sacobie to create an 8-by-24 painting for the departure lounge at the Fredericton airport. "[I]t's a significant and highly visible statement about the city's commitment to culture, and it is also a statement of inclusion and a significant effort to recognize the presence of First Nations in our community and in a visible way in Fredericton," said David Seabrook, the city's manager of tourism and culture.
The end of a moratorium on evictions enacted by the CDC will likely bring a new wave of people experiencing homelessness in New Orleans, city officials say. Health Department officials note that many people experiencing homelessness hesitate to stay in shelters.
City Council members in Mount Rainier, Md., have voted unanimously to hire Department of Public Works Director Kourosh Kamali as city manager, effective Aug. 2. "We had a bunch of good applicants, but we felt that Mr. Kamali has shown, as a public works director, his competence and his ability to produce results and that he knows our city," Jimmy Tarlau, a councilmember, said.
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ICMA offers training and technical assistance to local governments to promote ethical conduct by local government staff, elected officials, and those appointed to serve on boards and commissions; contact Martha Perego via email.
