Cybersecurity experts say that it’s not if local governments will experience a security breach or ransomware event, it’s when it will happen. The risk of a cybersecurity incident, and its potential effects, is a hot topic across the nation. In the government realm, local governments rely somewhat on federal and state assistance for a natural disaster, but that won’t help them when dealing with a data breach or ransomware issue. In addition to feeling prepared, there are many benefits for local governments in planning a security breach response plan. Enough other governments and … [Read more...] about Security Breach Response Plan for Local Governments

A basic review of United States history will help you to recall the authority of federal, state, and local government functions. Specifically, the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants all powers not given to the federal government back to the people by way of state and local government. Citizens tend to use many of the local government departments every week without thinking about them. The federal government consists of three branches of government including the executive, legislative, and judicial departments. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t require the state governments to follow … [Read more...] about What Are the Primary Functions of U.S. Local Government?

Local government offices manage a wide variety of citizen services and needs. If you’ve ever taken a trip to your local government offices, you will most likely have seen that they were bustling with activity. It’s a place where citizens expect to see effectiveness and efficiency in action, as local government leaders should always be good stewards of the community’s tax dollars. With so many tasks to complete every day – and every week – some local government employees may have an inclination to do things the way that they’ve always been done rather than look for new and innovative ways to … [Read more...] about How to Become an Adaptable and Effective Local Government

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit Chicago, Illinois, you’re sure to have heard someone refer to this major city as the “Windy City.” What you may be interested to know is that Chicago didn’t get its nickname from the gusty winds that blow across the city from Lake Michigan. In fact, Chicago is only the 12th-windiest city in the nation among major cities. According to the Chicago Tribune, the most likely source of the nickname dates back to the 1800s and originates from long-winded politicians. The University of Illinois found that the northern district of Illinois had 1,642 … [Read more...] about How to Report Corruption in Local Government