Public officials throughout the country are continually seeking ways to decrease traffic congestion and increase safety on roadways. The most attractive solution seems to be high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.

Roadways with HOT lanes allow single drivers to pay a toll to drive in these lanes as well as vehicles with multiple passengers.

Many also have what is called dynamic pricing or congestion pricing, which increases the tolls charged as traffic increases. This is a trend that is sweeping the nation

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Poor schools in New York not receiving level of support many expected

Having already been forced to increase monetary support of some poor school districts in the state thanks to a lawsuit, New York officials now are staring a similar lawsuit in the face years later. The same group that filed and won the first suit - Campaign for Fiscal Equity - is threatening another similar suit.

The first ruling's financial obligations on the part of the state have not been met, to the tune of $5 billion, according to the equity group. This time around, much of the blame is being laid at the feet of New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, through his budget cuts of state aid and his cap on property tax increases. Those actions, they say, have done little toward the state meeting its financial obligation as outlined in the 2007 financing agreement. In fact, says the group, those actions by the governor have only served to increase the financial gap. But with the entire nation trying to recover from the Great Recession, Cuomo had few other choices than to make cuts wherever he could. These cuts in particular, argue the equity group, have again been borne by poor school districts.

The drop in funding, they say, amounts to the state being in violation of its constitutional duty to provide "adequate education resources" for the state's children.

Wondering aloud if state resources are being adequately distributed among the schools that need them the most, the governor's staff responds that an additional $800 million was invested in state schools last year and the poor schools have been equipped with a spending formula that allows them a higher percentage of state allocations.

More than 40 sellers of IT commodities will be able to participate in program

Mary Davie

More than 40 small businesses have been awarded blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) through the federal General Services Administration (GSA). The BPAs are part of the GSA's National IT Commodity Program and offer tablet PCs, mobile products, laptops, monitors, desktops, data center equipment, netbooks and videoconferencing equipment.

Mary Davie, acting commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition Service, said the goal of the program is to "lower the price of acquisition for the most commonly purchased IT products," which is aimed at saving taxpayer dollars and allowing federal, state and local agencies a quick and efficient purchasing option.

Many of the small businesses awarded the BPAs are disadvantaged, woman-owned, veteran-owned and service-disabled, veteran-owned companies. They will now be able to participate in GSA's sale each year of approximately $1.7 billion in information technology products. These contracts allow buyers to take advantage of volume discounts, additional customer-negotiated discounts, discounts at the point of sale or on-the-spot discounts as well as savings through the federal agency's Multiple Award Schedules.

New York school awarded funds to replace school

The Binghamton City School District in upstate New York has been awarded nearly $20 million by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funds will be used to replace an elementary school flooded by Tropical Storm Lee last year. The FEMA award will cover approximately 75 percent of the rebuilding costs, with the state picking up the final 25 percent. The school suffered major flood damage in September 2011 when it was inundated by several feet of water when the Susquehanna River overflowed its banks. The school remains closed and students have been attending classes in two former Catholic schools in the area. Officials have not given a completion date yet for the new school. 

 

New schools aimed at easing overcrowding in New York facilities

One new elementary school in Queens, New York, is planned for construction at the beginning of next year, as local officials try to deal with overcrowding in the public schools. This facility, according to the School Construction Authority, will be at Queens Blvd. and 47th Avenue and will accommodate about 440 students. Completion date is scheduled for September 2014. The school is located in the Sunnyside/Woodside area, where overcrowding in the schools is the norm. The School Construction Authority previously announced that it plans to build another 440-student elementary at 39th Avenue and 57th Street to open in September 2015. Another 300 seats will be made available when an annex is construction to PS 11.

 

California schools get part of modernization disbursement funds

Tom Torlakson

Marin County, California, schools have been awarded $4.1 million in matching funds by the State Allocation Board for construction of four schools. The money is from a $383.8 million modernization disbursement that went to 110 school districts, county education offices and charter schools throughout the state. Also receiving funding were three Novato schools. In that district, $1.5 million went to San Marin High School, another $718,575 was awarded to Novato High School and $796,588 went to the San Ramon Elementary. San Rafael's Short Elementary earned funding of about $1.1 million. State schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson said the funding will "provide vital assistance to local districts in the construction and rebuilding of schools, creating jobs in the community and providing better opportunities to students for a successful future."

 

USC gains approval by Council for expansion in several areas

The Los Angeles City Council recently approved a $1.2 billion expansion at the University of Southern California that affects student, academic and retail space. The expansion also is expected to ease the housing crunch on the campus, with an expectation of more than 12,000 jobs to be created. USC will pay $20 million into a fund that will maintain affordable housing in the area, which is described as one of the most poverty-stricken in the city. A new fire station will also be built by the university, help upgrade parks and provide local school programs, upgrade a couple of streets and operate a legal aid clinic for area residents. The approval by the Council culminates four years of meetings between the city and community leaders working toward a deal. Construction could start in about a year. A shopping center owned by the university would be razed to allow for a redeveloped complex. 

 

Oklahoma school district bond issue would pay for iPads

The Putnam City School District in Oklahoma is planning a $6 million bond issue next year with the bond proceeds to be used to purchase 10,000 iPads. The election is set for February. The bonds would pay for installation of projection equipment at Putnam City North and Putnam City West high schools and the Capps Middle School. The school district distributed iPads in the prekindergarten classes through high school last year. The first phase of the plan would put an iPad in the schools at a rate of one for every four students. The district hopes to eventually increase that to one for every two students.

 

Florida governor seeking bids for budget Web site

A seldom-used state Web site in Florida that cost taxpayers $5 million to develop may be ending its usefulness. Gov. Rick Scott has indicated he will seek bids for a budget Web site that will be open to all citizens, instead of renewing an existing contract for the Transparency 2.0 site the public cannot use. The current contract on the existing site expires Dec. 31 and the contract holder is seeking $1 million per year to renew the contract, but if the site is made public, that cost will increase. The State Legislature offered to appropriate $2.5 million to transfer the Web site to the Governor's Office and make it public, but Scott would not accept the no-bid contract. He will instead bid out the project.

Philly Council's action will result in contracting opportunities

Darrell Clarke

The Philadelphia City Council recently approved bills that will ultimately lead to contracting opportunities. One such bill will create affordable housing in Point Breeze. That project would take 17 private properties in a quickly developing area. There originally were some 80 privately owned parcels under consideration, but that figure was reduced to the current 17. Most of the properties are either blighted or part of a multitude of tax-delinquent properties in the city. Another bill that passed would change the city's code to require some developers to provide on-site parking. The problem mostly arose from the fact that in areas near Temple University, street parking has become harder and harder to find. The new requirement will apply only to areas around the university. The city also restored most of the more than $37 million it had cut for parks and recreation center funding, shelters and other programs. Council President Darrell L. Clarke said those cuts were a result of the recession as the city sought to address funding shortages.

New Jersey city seeking proposals from developers for retail building

Ridgewood, New Jersey, officials are testing the waters to see how much developer interest it can generate for a project to turn a parking lot into a two-story, 12,000-square-foot retail building. The Village Council voted to spend up to $15,000 for a qualified vendor to draft an RFP that meets the requirements set up by the Council and the Chamber of Commerce. The project is part of the chamber's plan to build two parking structures in the Central Business District. The garages would be funded through a 99-year lease and tax funds on properties in the area. The project will not go forward until it is determined that money from the land lease will support the project costs. Estimates are that the proposed retail site could generate $15 per square foot.  

 

HUD awards funding to four communities for revitalization efforts

Shaun Donovan

Four American cities - Cincinnati, San Antonio, Seattle and Tampa - have been awarded a combined $108.9 million by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funds will be used to redevelop distressed housing and revitalize neighborhoods in blighted areas, according to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. The $108.9 million federal investment of Choice Neighborhoods has been able to leverage more than 300 percent of the original amount, or $393 million in private investments and commitments from local jurisdictions and partners. Some of the projects include expansion of a town center, creation or preservation of numerous housing facilities, expansion of health clinics, redevelopment of commercial and retail businesses, rehabilitation of single family residences, neighborhood beautification projects, increase pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, park construction, construction of retail space, restoration of an historic hall into a performing arts center and construction of a hotel, grocery store and town square.

 

State officials propose ways to detect cities' fiscal troubles before they worsen

Online-only university among Florida's options for more distance education

(To view these stories, click here and look under "News Briefs.")

Check out these recent awards: 

Dallas Omni hotel P3 exceeding officials' revenue expectations

If ever there was an example of a public-private partnership that worked, look to the city of Dallas. As it approaches the first anniversary of the city-owned Omni Dallas Hotel having been in business for a full year, officials estimate that the hotel will clear more than $19 million in earnings before interest, taxes, etc. The hotel revenues will have exceeded the expectations of the city by some $3 million. Total revenue will exceed projections by nearly $9 million, at a total of more than $70 million.

The hotel, located adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center, was built after the city issued bonds to build it. That bond funding - $480 million - is backed by hotel revenue as its prime source of funds. Although there has been some speculation that these initial figures could not be sustained, so far, so good.

And hotel and city officials are predicting that for 2013, the hotel will have $22.6 million in pre-tax, pre-interest, etc. and $75.5 million in total revenue, well over what had been estimated. While the city predicted a 63 percent occupancy rate, the rate is now expected to be more than 65 percent. More revenues to the city, which developed the hotel with the private partner in a public-private partnership, is also hopeful that more funds will be coming its way if an underground parking garage and ground-level retail space is developed. A developer is already seeking bids for the garage project. It could be built including $20 million in bonds that were not needed for the hotel construction.

Free listings offered for RFPs to public sector entities, nonprofits

Iowa

• The University of Iowa is seeking bids for repair or resurface of the existing asphalt surface on the tennis courts of the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
• The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking for replacement of the Ames Complex Cooling Tower.

Maine

• The Maine Public Utilities Commission is seeking bids for consulting services to provide assistance in the evaluation of long-term contract proposals.
• The Executive Department, Public Advocate Office is seeking expert consulting services to evaluate the filing of Bangor Hydro Electric Company (BHE), Maine Public Service Company (MPS), Maine Electric Power Company, Inc. and Chester SVC Partnership, requesting approval for a proposed reorganization. The proposed transaction is a corporate merger of BHE and MPS bringing the two companies together as a single legal entity.

Utah

• The State of Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities is seeking bids for a Tobacco Prevention and Control media campaign.
• The State of Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities has issued a Request for Information for sole-source, pre-employment testing.

Ohio

• The Ohio Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol has issued a Request for Information for a decal installation and removal solution that is compatible with the current Highway Patrol operation. The solution should include the installation and removal of decals for new, repaired and retired law enforcement vehicles.
• The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is seeking bids for the development, implementation and system requirements of a browser-based mobile Web application (MWA) solution with the look and feel similar to a resident mobile application (RMA) for smart phones, mini-tablets and tablets.

Pennsylvania

• The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is seeking bids for cleaning and deodorizing Keystone Building #50 at Warren State Hospital, to restore to the condition prior to fire damage.
• The Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System is seeking a qualified contractor to conduct a full-scope audit of the system's financial statements.

 Are you a government official who has moved into a new position or to a new agency? Did you recently retire? Were you recently named to an executive-level position at a state-supported college, university or community college? Have you secured a new job as superintendent of a public school? If so, we'd like to hear from you - and so would your friends and colleagues - for our "Where Are They Now" column. Just drop us a line  at editor@spartnerships.com and let us know about your previous job and where you are now. This week we feature Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett earned a bachelor's degree in in secondary education from Indiana University Southeast. He earned his master's in secondary education and his Certification in Secondary Administration and Supervision there as well. Bennett earned his Ed.D. and Indiana Superintendent's License from Spalding University. Bennett worked as a science teacher for nine years before he became involved in school administration. He has spent more than 20 years in the field of education in Indiana, serving as a teacher, coach and administrator. While serving as principal in Scottsburg Senior High School, Bennett also served as head basketball coach in the mid-1990s. He also served as basketball coach for Providence High School. In 2008, Bennett was elected to his first term as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, beating out his opponent with 51 percent of the vote. He was sworn in on Jan. 12, 2009. In an election in November, he was defeated and removed from that office. The State Board of Education in Florida recently voted to hire Bennett to oversee the state's public schools and colleges.

 

 Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson (top left) has announced that he plans to resign as the Pentagon's top lawyer at the end of the year, planning to finish out the year and return to private law practice. Robert Hayes (top center), police chief at The University of Texas at Arlington since 2001, has announced he will retire this spring, ending a 45-year law enforcement career, which began as a patrol officer. Margie Huerta (top right), president of the Dona Ana Community College for the last eight years, has announced that she will retire in early 2014. Former Miami-Dade county manager Merrett Stierheim is the new interim city manager of Doral, Florida, temporarily filling the position vacated by former City Manager Yvonne Soler-McKinley. North Carolina Gov.-elect Pat McCrory has named John Skvarla, the CEO of a Raleigh-based company that does environmental mitigation work, to be his secretary of environment and natural resources. Michael Kramm, a 19-year League City (Texas) Police Department veteran was recently sworn in as the city's newest police chief after serving as a city police officer since 1993. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has hired Mike Crews (middle right), a career law enforcement officer and deputy secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections, to head the agency, succeeding Ken Tucker. A 34-year career with the state of Montana, beginning breaking down tires for the Montana Department of Highways in 1978, will come to an end at the end of this month when Montana Chief Information Officer Dick Clark (middle center) retires. North Carolina Gov.-elect Pat McCrory has announced that Aldona Wos (middle left), a Greensboro doctor and former U.S. Ambassador to Estonia, will head up the State Department of Health and Human Services. Florrisant, Missouri, Police Chief William Karabas for the last 11 years, will close out his more than 50-year law enforcement career when he retires this month, with Major Tim Lowery to take his place as chief. Neil Morgan, city manager of Newport News, Virginia, for the last three years, has announced he is stepping down from that job. Dr. Mark Church, who has been serving as interim superintendent of the Franklin County (Virginia) Schools and a graduate of Franklin County High School, has been named the school system's superintendent. Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Greg Fischer has hired Vanessa Burns (bottom left), a veteran of works departments in the District of Columbia, Evanston, Illinois, and New Haven, Connecticut, as the new director of Louisville Public Works and Assets, replacing Ted Pullen, who resigned. Bharat Shyam (bottom center), who has been employed as Chief Information Officer of Washington State since November 2011, has submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 31. After five years as San Francisco's CIO, Jon Walton (bottom left) is leaving the city to begin his new position as CIO of San Mateo County and director of the county's Information Services Department (ISD). Sgt. J. T. Panezott, a 23-year city police veteran, has been named the police chief of Salem, Ohio, effective Feb. 1, 2013. Klamath Falls, Oregon, has named Nathan Cherpeski, former city manager of Alamosa, Colorado, as its new city manager. Mike Burdette, a firefighter with the City of Pell City, Alabama, for 22 years and a former Lincoln firefighter for three years, has been appointed Pell City's new fire chief.