The Latest

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    The Municipal Cost Index

    The federal government continues to stagger the release of data used to calculate the monthly Municipal Cost Index in the wake of the federal government shutdown.

    Updated Dec. 19, 2025
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    GHSA, Waymo partner on safety training for first responders

    As robotaxis expand to cities across the U.S., police, firefighters and EMTs need to learn how to interact with these vehicles safely, the Governors Highway Safety Association says.

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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Appeals court to reexamine EPA’s power to block climate grants

    The D.C. Circuit agreed to rehear a ruling that let the Environmental Protection Agency freeze $20 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund awards.

    Updated Dec. 18, 2025
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    How do cities accelerate housing? Partnerships, land buying and zoning, experts say

    Cities must be intentional about housing, a National League of Cities panel said.

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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    House introduces bipartisan housing legislation

    Lawmakers said they will work in 2026 to advance the Housing for the 21st Century Act, which builds on a recent Senate bill and similarly aims to facilitate new development.

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    NYC congestion zone air pollution measure fell 22% in 6 months

    Significant emissions reductions in Manhattan’s tolling zone extended to the wider metropolitan New York City area, a Cornell University study found.

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    Permission granted by Spencer Brown
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    San Francisco’s new zoning opens the door for more housing — but it might bring less than expected

    The city needs a plan for 82,000 additional housing units by 2031 to meet state mandates. A study predicted the new zoning will lead to only 14,600.

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    As EPA moves to fast-track data centers, some cities are moving to slow them down

    The EPA is streamlining Clean Air Act permitting to accelerate development. Will local communities pay the price?

  • Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (C), marches in the 54th Annual Buena Vista Labor Day Festival parade with Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor, Senator Ghazala Hashmi (R), and Democratic Nominee for Attorney General, former state Delegate Jay Jones.
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    Virginia data centers must pay ‘fair share,’ incoming lieutenant governor says

    “There is new energy in this legislature, and with it a real opportunity to build new energy right here in the Commonwealth,” said Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi.

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    DOT extends deadline to apply for intercity passenger rail grants

    About $5 billion in funding is available to states or groups of states for new or improved rail service outside the Northeast Corridor.

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    FEMA

    Local governments need to step up as FEMA’s future remains uncertain, experts say

    The upheaval in emergency management could ultimately strengthen a long-overlooked profession, former FEMA leaders said Monday during a Carnegie Institute panel.

    Updated Dec. 16, 2025
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    Bellevue, Washington, wants faster permitting. Can AI help?

    As the housing crisis rages on, cities are testing artificial intelligence to improve permitting processes.

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    Trump calls for federal policy framework preempting state AI laws

    Under a new executive order, states could lose federal funding if their AI laws are found to be burdensome.

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    HUD withdraws homelessness grant opportunity ahead of court hearing

    The department said it still plans to change the Continuum of Care program, but future changes will be “well in advance” of the next funding deadline.

    Updated Dec. 15, 2025
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    What a $1.48 trillion pension gap means for cities and states

    Unfunded liabilities have dropped, but public pensions remain deeply underfunded, a new analysis found. The report’s author calls for benefit-structure and cost-sharing reform.

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    Tracker

    Robotaxis: The latest developments

    Waymo adds four more cities for public robotaxi rides as it sets a ridership record for 2025.

    Updated Dec. 15, 2025
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    FEMA

    Emergency managers expected direction on FEMA’s future. They got silence instead.

    Capping nine months of reduced federal support and legal disputes, the abrupt shutdown of a FEMA review vote Thursday deepens uncertainty around disaster planning, experts say.

    Updated Dec. 12, 2025
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    Making special days special in the world’s wedding capital: 2024 Exemplary Public Servant Paula Cook

    Clark County, Nevada, Records Administration Manager Paula Cook works to create a welcoming environment for couples looking to tie the knot in Las Vegas.

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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Column

    As federal environmental health protections stall, cities and counties can still protect their residents

    Federal resources, state and local best practices and taking a “health in all policies” approach can help local governments make progress on environmental health.

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    Judge blocks federal control of California National Guard

    The district court judge says the Trump administration overstepped its authority when it nationalized state troops and sent them across state lines, “effectively creating a national police force.”

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    Tasos Katopodis / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Bipartisan housing package left out of new defense bill

    Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle nonetheless indicated support for the ROAD to Housing Act, which aims to boost supply by simplifying regulations.

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    Illinois law tightens state limits on federal immigration enforcement

    State leaders say the law will curb abuses following high-intensity federal enforcement in Chicago. New York and New Orleans city officials have offered other measures intended to increase accountability.

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    Climate change is rapidly altering cities. Here’s how some are responding.

    As cities heat up, leaders continue to pursue sustainability, panelists at the National League of Cities City Summit said.

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    DOJ expands litigation seeking to force access to voter records

    The Trump administration is suing 14 states that have refused to turn over full voter rolls. Cities should be allocating resources to data security and due-process protocols in preparation, a legal expert says.

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    Drug use on public transit erodes safety and traumatizes staff. A 7-step plan can help cities respond.

    A five-city assessment of transit drug use calls for an integrated response that includes naloxone policies, station redesign, better partnerships, stronger outreach models and unified communications.