#local-government

#local-government

Sanford used extensive public records of ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot logs from city employees to show, among other things, the city of Bellingham's draft AI policy was written with the help of ChatGPT. I get excited when I see an intriguing use of FOIA to demystify local government. And leading Poynter's AI work, you can imagine how I geeked out when I saw Sanford's investigations. Here is how they start:

"Ryan's subsequent termination by the Select Board was purposeful retaliation for refusing to simply go along with the dictates of Chief Minnich." A former West Boylston town administrator who was fired after a spat with the longtime police chief over a Trump flag filed a lawsuit against the town, alleging he was wrongfully terminated.

Rosemary Duckett, 80, a retired magistrate and former chair of her local YMCA, and her husband, Anthony, 88, have been providing accommodation in a room above their garage to Ukrainian refugees since 2022. The couple were dismayed when the council recently told them they could no longer use the room, which has a small bathroom attached, to provide somewhere for Ukrainians to live without applying for a change of use for the room, at a cost of 600-800.

"an enterprising initiative"

"careful consideration"

We don't want to see thousands of flags on every lamp-post. I am doing a piece of work over the next few weeks to address that situation to see if we can help that situation. I would like people to relax a little bit for a few weeks and then I will come out with an option that will please everybody. If you look at the law, defacing a piece of council property could carry a FPN [fixed penalty notice]. I'm not saying we're going to do that, but let's just be sensible and speak to us before doing anything.

"The two hour limit... is merely a guideline... to encourage citizens," Toyoake Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement.

We're a new administration, in place for around three months, and finding the right people for the job is very important. I'd like to thank Joseph for his efforts and helping to establish our new team. Adult social care deserves its own focus and I'm delighted to welcome Carl to the cabinet. Kevin brings a lot of experience and I'm pleased he's joining our leadership team.

Drivers in south London have been refunded £485,000 in bus lane fines due to an administrative error found by Southwark Council.

John Lewis has provided bottled water to Longstock residents after high nitrate levels made local supplies unsafe. This issue stems from fertilizer pollution affecting drinking water.

The Conservative Party branded the move a kick in the teeth to drivers, criticizing Labour's approach to heavy-handed policies against car owners, especially in London.

Fuentes shot back: "You know, I hate hearing that there won't be due consideration for the amendments we put forward, because the rainy day is now. Many of the amendments I have put forth are because organizations are losing federal funding, and to think that we're talking about where our reserve policy is three, four years from now, as a point of contention, to me, is just wild. Fuentes reminded Council that 'when I entered in 2021, our reserve policy was 14%."

Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has defended his decision to withdraw from legal action against the State, stating that accusations of hypocrisy are merely cheap political point-scoring by councillors.

In response to Cleveland and other local governments around Ohio being targeted with cyberattacks and ransomware threats, the state of Ohio will soon require all counties, cities, townships, school districts, libraries, and other local governments to have a cybersecurity policy that adheres to certain standards.

The pothole near Reedham Station in Croydon reportedly caused significant damage to vehicles, with one driver stating he spent over £1,000 on repairs.

Commissioner Kionne McGhee has expressed concerns over Miami-Dade's budget, indicating that the approval of $46 million for World Cup expenses needs to be reconsidered as funding for local nonprofits falls short.

The task of actually implementing and adhering to the latest exemptions to CEQA fall squarely on the shoulders of city councils and counties.