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What about city spending?

Matt Pilon Greg Bordonaro

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut has made significant cuts to city spending in an effort to ensure the revenue they get from taxes goes further. The mayor ensured tight spending by working with local union groups, ceasing new borrowing projects, and cutting the number of unnecessary full-time positions in the city. With the frugal spending, the city has lowered its deficit while not burdening residents with high tax rates.

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Alternative revenue sources could bolster city budget, lower mill rate

Matt Pilon Gregory Seay

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Hartford looks to local governments nearby that have found success in the adoption of creative taxation, from restaurant meal taxes to taxes levied on hotel stays. Massachusetts, which has raised significant funds from these taxes as well as from taxation of recreational cannabis, uses this unrestricted revenue to distribute for local operating budgets.

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Hartford's largest nonprofits contribute more

Matt Pilon

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut looks to Boston as an example of a city that has succeeded in establishing a connection between nonprofits - who can donate payments to the city that are exempt from property taxes - and the local government. With a massive number of successful hospitals and colleges, Boston has created a system in which it can use donated money from these highly profitable institutions to work toward city planning without paying property taxes on the donations; Hartford hopes to create a similar relationship in its own city limits.

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Myriad ideas exist to solve Hartford's high property taxes and unequal tax system

Matt Pilon Gregory Seay

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

The complex issue of structural inequalities in Hartford, Connecticut's tax system has proven difficult to solve. But community members on all sides agree that a collective approach - one that learns from failed town halls and group brainstorms - is the only way to address the city's imbalance of income opportunities. The town's mayor has led several focus groups with local business owners to get local opinions and perspectives, but the town has to keep working to fuse this local ownership with passable legislation.

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Fully fund the state's PILOT program

Matt Pilon

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Connecticut's PILOT program was created to partially reimburse cities and towns for state-owned, tax-exempt properties and take some financial burden off smaller towns. The PILOT program, however, is voluntary, making it easier for state legislators to disregard the reimbursement requests in tough financial times. Now, state officials are urged to make the PILOT program mandatory to keep the response working for the small individual towns and cities around Connecticut.

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How Norway turns criminals into good neighbours

Emma Jane Kirby

July 07, 2019 |

BBC |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Norway, Halden

Norway’s Halden Prison is taking a different approach to incarceration: emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment, which has led to a 20% decrease in recidivism in just two years. Over the past two decades, the country has sought rigorous criminal justice reform, which at Halden Prison means job training and certifications, yoga and other recreational activities, reenvisioning the role guards play, and spaces that look more like home than a jail cell.

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Drinking coffee, talking politics

Aina de Lapparent Alvarez

July 01, 2019 |

The Daily Star Lebanon |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Lebanon

Coffee & Politics is an initiative founded by Tracy Nehme to provide opportunities to explore Lebanese politics and history. The program provides scheduled events and monthly talks on a particular topic. Attendance increased after online advertising and Nehme started inviting guest speakers, like the heads of government agencies and elected officials, to lead the discussions and hold Q&As. Despite lower capacities, coffee shops are the ideal venues because the informal open spaces attract diverse crowds. The initiative’s popularity has already led it to be scaled to another city, with events held in Tripoli.

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Will New Funding And A Comprehensive Plan Be Enough To Bring Change To State Psychiatric Hospitals?

Caroline Covington

June 28, 2019 |

Texas Standard |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Austin, Texas

With hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to making over Texas’ hospital system, designers are looking beyond simply upgrading the physical infrastructure. Instead, they’re reimagining what the entire system could look like. Considering physical space, the upstream causes of mental health issues, and how to attract and retain the best practitioners are just a few of the elements that are being considered in this redesign.

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They were raped during Colombia's civil war. Now they want justice for their children.

Megan Janetsky

June 24, 2019 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia

Following the Colombian civil war, the country enacted The Victims’ Law, which centered on providing reparations to those affected by violence and war. But since its creation, the law has only provided reparations to less than 11% of those who have applied, and for women survivors, it’s even less. Women, who are disproportionately affected by war because of the use of sexual assault, are coming together under the National Tablle for Victim’s Participation, are demanding more.

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This is how the state plans to keep drivers safe in dust storms on Arizona roads

Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Andrew Nicla

June 18, 2019 |

AZ Central (The Arizona Republic) |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona’s Department of Transportation is taking steps to reduce dust-related car crashes with the help of over $50 million in federal funding. Changes include making the highway wider, improving radar detection of dust, and decreasing the speed limit in the most high-risk areas.

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