Municipal Enterprise

Cape Light Compact

An inter-governmental organization consisting of the 21 towns and two counties on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, the Cape Light Compact strives to serve its 200,000 customers through the delivery of energy efficiency programs, consumer advocacy, electricity supply, and green power options. As part of its focus on consumer advocacy, the Compact provides discounted rates and expanded consumer protection and assistance for eligible low-income residents. Read more about Cape Light Compact...

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey was formed in 1921 as the first bi-state agency in the nation, in order to develop important transportation links between the two states. With jurisdiction over the Port District - a region within a radius of approximately 25 miles of the Statue of Liberty - the Port Authority is responsible for developing: the George Washington Bridge; the Outerbridge Crossing; the Goethals and the Bayonne bridges; the Lincoln Tunnel; upgrading and managing the Newark, LaGuardia, and John F. Read more about Port Authority of New York & New Jersey...

Memphis Unified Development Code

Emphasizing smart growth principles, New Urbanist sensibilities and public engagement, the new UDC replaces assessing what a building is used for with form-based codes. It also replaced a corrupt, politicized process with one where politicians set policy by adopting a map of zoning districts for the entire county. Read more about Memphis Unified Development Code...

Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angles, the largest container port in the United States and the fourth largest cruise passenger facility, is credited with supporting 1.1 million jobs in California and generating $5.1 billion in state tax revenues.  In FY 2013, total operating revenues were $397.4 million. The Port is also a major real estate developer. In 2014, it completed the $32 million project, Downtown Harbor.  Previously a parking lot, the space now features a new harbor inlet for recreational vessels surrounded by a public plaza and pedestrian promenade. Read more about Port of Los Angeles...

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the country's largest public utility supplying water and electricity to the city's 3.8 million residents. Each year, it transfers at least seven percent of its electric gross revenues and five percent of its water gross revenues to the Los Angeles General Fund, helping finance city police and fire protection, as well as recreational facilities.  Committed to green practices, LADWP is also constructing and operating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on its facilities and municipal buildings, and offering incentive payments to encourage the development of residential and commercial solar systems.

City of Kansas City, Mo., Water Services Department

The City of Kansas City, Mo., Water Services Department is an enterprise-fund department that maintains water, storm water, and wastewater for its residents. The water services are entirely funded by user fees, thus are not funded by any general tax funds. Recently, after a 2005 voter approval, the Department has begun construction of a $1.4 million, 150,000 gallon water storage tank at the treatment plant to replace a 1925-built 75,000 gallon tank.  The Department services over 175,000 customers. Read more about City of Kansas City, Mo., Water Services Department ...

Houston First Corporation

Managing 10 city-owned buildings and plazas including day-to-day maintenance and operation of these properties, the Houston First Corporation came into effect in July 2011. Representing the consolidation of City of Houston Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation, Houston First is responsible for the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel, the George R. Brown Convention Center, Jones Hall, Wortham Theater Center, Houston Center for the Arts, Talento Bilingue de Houston, Jones Plaza, Miller Outdoor Theatre and other smaller venues. Read more about Houston First Corporation...

Hilton Americas-Houston

Owned by the City of Houston through the Houston First Corporation and operated by Hilton Hotel Corporation, the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel is Houston's largest convention hotel. A $285 million, 24-story facility with more than 1,200 guest rooms and over 91,000 square feet of meeting space, this hotel is also one of the most energy-efficient in the world, utilizing an innovative energy-saving guest room control sequence. Read more about Hilton Americas-Houston...

George R. Brown Convention Center

Opened in 1987, the George R. Brown Convention Center is owned, operated, and leased by the City of Houston through the Houston First Corporation. Later expanded in 2003, the Center ranks as one of the 10 largest convention centers in the nation with more than 1 million square feet of exhibition, meeting and registration space. For the fiscal year ending June 2011, the Center had hosted more than 244 conventions and other large-scale meetings. Read more about George R. Brown Convention Center...

Riverview Energy Systems

Located in Riverview, about 20 miles south of downtown Detroit, the Riverview gas recovery project is a city-owned enterprise that was constructed in 1987 and has been selling power to Detroit Edison since 1988. Power production from the gas brings in more than 40,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year and reduces annual sulfur dioxide emissions by over 1,200 tons. Riverview's royalties covered the construction costs in its first two years of operation and now add to the city's cash flow. Read more about Riverview Energy Systems...

Denver Housing Authority

Aiming to create vibrant, revitalized, sustainable, transit-oriented, and mixed-income communities of choice, the Denver Housing Authority provides affordable housing to more than 26,000 individuals representing over 10,000 very low- to medium-income families in Denver. Governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor of Denver, DHA owns and operates over 3,900 conventional public housing units, nearly 700 subsidized multi-family units, and about 200 other locally funded housing units. Its homeownership program aims to help residents become “loan ready,” and includes a matched savings component—providing a 1:1 match for every dollar saved up to $1,500.  To date, the program has helped 175 DHA residents become homeowners.

Denver Convention Center Hotel

The City of Denver decided to use public ownership as a strategy to finance the development of a 37-floor, 1,100-room hotel with 1.25 million square feet of building area to support the nearby city-owned convention center. The facility, opened in December 2005 and renovated in 2014, is managed by the Hyatt Regency hotel chain.

The Columbus Land Bank Program

The Columbus Land Bank Program was established in 1994 to improve Columbus neighborhoods through revitalization of vacant and underutilized housing units. The Columbus Land Bank holds property to sell for redevelopment by third parties. They have sold 456 properties to various non-profit and for-profit developers and homeowners. Their Community Garden Program encourages agriculture and community beautification projects, with an average of 30-40 sites utilized for these projects annually. Read more about The Columbus Land Bank Program...

Columbus Power

Columbus Power was founded in 1899 in response to the community’s desire for cheaper electricity than that provided by private utilities, and now provides electricity for 14,000 consumers. Columbus Power is one of 129 members of the American Municipal Power (AMP), a non-profit corporation. Founded by Ohio municipal electrics in 1971, AMP has since expanded to include municipal electric companies in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia and Delaware. AMP purchases energy on behalf of its municipal electric company members. Read more about Columbus Power...

Municipal Enterprise

Baller Herbst Law Group

The Baller-Herbst Law Group has specialized in representing municipal utilities in litigation regarding broadband development. Their web site contains a number of presentations and articles regarding municipal broadband and related legal issues.

Center for State and Local Government Excellence

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence assists municipal governments become better employers, allowing them to attract and retain better individuals in public service jobs. Connecting state and local leaders with respected researchers, the Center works to identify and promote best practices for a variety of issues, including how to address the expanding costs of public employee pensions and retiree health care benefits.

Economic Development Directory

Economic development corporations play a critical role in developing many city, county, and regional economic development efforts — everything from traditional business incentives to more innovative efforts based on developing local capacity. This web site contains a directory of websites of over 2000 economic development agencies, consultants and associations worldwide.

Good Jobs First (Washington, D.C.)

Good Jobs First is a national advocacy organization that tracks corporate accountability legislation, including job quality standards (i.e., requirements that economic development subsidies lead to higher paying jobs), disclosure rules (i.e., requirements that the amount of the subsidies that each company receives be displayed in a form that is accessible to the public), and monitoring (i.e., requirements that part of the subsidy money be returned to the government if job employment and job quality commitments are not met). The website includes model legislation, as well as links to descriptions of state disclosure legislation.

In the Public Interest

In the Public Interest provides educational resources on privatization and its impacts on service quality, infrastructure maintenance and costs, and works to ensure that public contracts with private entities are transparent, fair, well-managed and effectively monitored, and that they meet the long-term needs of the community. As a resource center for citizens, public officials, and public interest groups, In the Public Interest is focused on guaranteeing that public goods and services are provided to those who need them, managed by people who are publicly accountable, and affordable to all.

Institute for Local Self Reliance-- Independent Business Initiative

This web site, hosted by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, focuses on the efforts to preserve independently owned retail establishments and resist the proliferation of “big box” retailers. On this site, you will find both articles on local disputes, as well as a number of economic impact studies that document the greater local economic multiplier effect of locally owned retail establishments.

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a nonprofit educational organization that provides research, analysis, and education in the areas of land taxation, land markets, and land as common property.

MuniNet Guide

MuniNet Guide is an online guide and directory to municipal-related content on the Internet. Its emphasis on municipal bonds, state and local government, and public finance serves people in a number of fields, including government administration, municipal investment, municipal research, and urban affairs.

National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, “Case Studies”

This web site provides examples of nearly 50 different instances of public-private partnerships in such areas as wastewater management, transportation, and real estate and economic development.

Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, Fiscal Studies Program

This website provides a comprehensive data source for state government policies and budgetary information. The main Rockefeller website has additional available publications on state and local government and community economic development issues.

Partners for Livable Communities

Founded in 1977, Partners for Livable Communities is a non-profit leadership organization working to improve the livability of communities by promoting quality of life, economic development, and social equity. In particular, the group encourages strategies that employ cultural industries as a strategy for local economic development. The web site includes many examples of best practices, newsletters, and links to other articles and resources.

Public Strategies Group

This website, home to the Public Strategies Group consulting practice, also contains resources on how to “reinvent” government, with a focus on the state and local level. One of their staff members is David Osborne, coauthor of Reinventing Government in 1992 and, more recently, author of The Price of Government, which focuses on need-based budgeting, in 2004.

Taubman Center for State and Local Government (Harvard)

The Taubman Center studies state and local governance and intergovernmental relations. The Center focuses on several areas, most notably: public management, innovation, finance, and labor-management relations; urban development, transportation, land use, and environmental protection; education; civic engagement and social capital; and the impacts of information technologies on both government and governance.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Landfill Methane Outreach Program

This web site provides documents and resources regarding the EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program, which supports local efforts to generate electricity from methane, a practice that can generate revenue for localities while supporting environmental and economic development objectives.

Urban Land Institute

Founded in 1936, ULI is a research and education institute, with more than 22,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines. The website provides links and articles regarding a number of issues, including smart growth, transit-oriented development, and real estate.

Urban Land Institute

Founded in 1936, ULI is a research and education institute, with more than 22,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines. The website provides links and articles regarding a number of issues, including smart growth, transit-oriented development, and real estate.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Landfill Methane Outreach Program

This web site provides documents and resources regarding the EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program, which supports local efforts to generate electricity from methane, a practice that can generate revenue for localities while supporting environmental and economic development objectives.

Taubman Center for State and Local Government (Harvard)

The Taubman Center studies state and local governance and intergovernmental relations. The Center focuses on several areas, most notably: public management, innovation, finance, and labor-management relations; urban development, transportation, land use, and environmental protection; education; civic engagement and social capital; and the impacts of information technologies on both government and governance.

Public Strategies Group

This website, home to the Public Strategies Group consulting practice, also contains resources on how to “reinvent” government, with a focus on the state and local level. One of their staff members is David Osborne, coauthor of Reinventing Government in 1992 and, more recently, author of The Price of Government, which focuses on need-based budgeting, in 2004.

Partners for Livable Communities

Founded in 1977, Partners for Livable Communities is a non-profit leadership organization working to improve the livability of communities by promoting quality of life, economic development, and social equity. In particular, the group encourages strategies that employ cultural industries as a strategy for local economic development. The web site includes many examples of best practices, newsletters, and links to other articles and resources.