The Jordan (MN) Independent (9/1, Fiecke) reported, "A month after his last budget update, Scott County Administrator Gary Shelton has slightly reduced his proposed tax levy increase. After consulting with individual commissioners, Shelton returned to the County Board Tuesday with a revised proposal, raising the 2011 tax levy by 1.8 percent instead of 2.5 percent. This generates $1.1 million, less than one-fourth of next year's projected shortfall." Shelton, in order to reach a lower tax increase, said he "relied on a rosier than perhaps realistic estimate of future state-aid reductions. He figured no salary increases in 2012 and no additional state cuts past 2012." The remainder of the $4.7 million projected budget gap, however, "is covered through cost savings in foster home placement, delaying construction of a roundabout, reduced donations to area nonprofits and the elimination of the equivalent of nearly six positions."

The Kenosha (WI) News (9/1, Potente) reported that Kenosha's city administration is currently "not considering employee furloughs as a solution to its budget challenges in 2011." Administrator Frank Pacetti said this idea is "not cast in stone, but that other, unspecified options are on the table." The article notes that Kenosha's "fourth of five furlough days scheduled this year will occur Friday, shutting down many city functions. Police, fire and rescue personnel will continue working, and curbside waste pickup will go on as scheduled. But the Municipal Building will be locked, and streets and parks workers will be off the job." The situation has "undoubtedly inconvenienced residents, but it has generated about $500,000 in budget savings this year." "At this point, we are not looking at furloughs for next year," said Pacetti, adding, "But I'm not ruling out furloughs."

WMAZ-TV Macon, GA (9/1, Lynch-Jones) reported, "Houston County's government employs more than 700 people, but job seekers have not had much luck with the county for the past two years. County Administrator Steve Engle says hiring freezes and a few other cost cutting measures, helped balance a tight budget." However, the article notes that for the first time in 2010, the County Fire department tested recruits. Ten applied for three part-time positions, with one applicant saying, "I would rather have full time to do what I love to do, but part time is just getting my foot in the door." Engle said "personnel makes up 75-percent of their budget, or $33 million. He says freezing jobs, merit pay and cost of living increases for the past two years saved about $1.5 million each year." He added, "We had a $3 million budget deficit. We tried to take a balanced approach to making cuts."

The Dallas Morning News (9/1, Thompson) reported the City Council "unanimously ratified the pay cut agreement city managers worked out with Dallas police officer and firefighter associations." City Manager Mary Suhm said following the vote, "One of the scariest things I've done in a long time was this spring when I needed to go talk to the police and fire men and women about what we were facing in the budget." She added that, "It was hard work. I sat through it...I deeply, deeply appreciate and respect your efforts, at all times, but on this issue in particular." The vote was "key" for Suhm as it was part of her plan to balance the city budget. The agreement states "officers and firefighters will take five unpaid furlough days in the coming fiscal year. They will also take comp time instead of overtime in most situations and not receive step pay increases." The measure will also freeze police officer hiring.

The Arizona Republic (9/1, Buckett) reported, "City Treasurer David Smith told City Council members this week the city's unprecedented budget shortfall for next year is a 'long-term problem' that should be addressed quickly. Scottsdale faces a $28.4 million shortfall in its 2011-12 general fund budget, which takes effect next July 1. The year after, city officials predict a shortfall of $22 million." "Are we doing anything starting right now that would help us to deal with that $20 to $30 million gap?" Councilman Bob Littlefield asked. However, Littlefield explained that he is in favor of "drastic recommendations" to fix the shortage.

The AP (9/2, Gruver) reports the US Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday "people shouldn't drink water from 40 wells in and around" the central Wyoming farming and ranching community of Pavillion, in an announcement that "coincided with the US Environmental Protection Agency releasing its latest findings from testing water wells" in the area. Testing of 23 water wells by the EPA in January "found low levels of hydrocarbons in 17 residential water wells sampled," but "samples from four stock and irrigation wells and two municipal wells did not show hydrocarbon contamination." The contamination "may - or may not - be related to oil and gas drilling in the Pavillion area from the 1960s to the latest day." Encana Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of Encana Corp., meanwhile, "announced that it has volunteered to pay for those affected to get clean drinking water."

The AP (9/1) reported, "The North Carolina National Guard will deploy 81 troops to trouble spots from Hurricane Earl. A statement says the soldiers and airmen are scheduled to gather in Edenton on Wednesday evening to prepare its emergency operations." The AP notes Maj. Matt Handley stated "the troops will respond based on calls from county emergency management officials. An additional 150 Guardsmen are on standby. They will be used for command and control and provide security or reconnaissance assistance to emergency workers

The Courier Post (NJ) (9/1) reported, "Affordable housing grants totaling $4.8 million have been awarded to developments in Camden, Glassboro and Woodbury. The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York funding will help build more than 450 units for low-income residents," according to Rep. Rob Andrews' office, "which also said the grants would generate $85.2 million in development costs."

WUPW-TV Toledo, OH (9/1, Milliken) reported, "Central Toledo may soon see a new $5 million apartment complex aimed at low-income seniors. But will the owners of a former dirty dozen property make money off the deal at taxpayer expense?" Nothing, however, "will happen unless the Toledo Plan Commission approves a zoning change next week." The article notes "former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner put the IRA Apartments near the top of his 'dirty dozen' list of vacant properties that needed to be torn down. In early 2007, the empty eyesore was finally demolished." The vacant site has been up for sale since then, but now "a 25-30-unit apartment complex for senior citizens is planned at the corner of Dorr and Parkside. If the plan commission green lights a zoning change, the non-profit Preferred Properties will apply for a federal grant to build the complex."

USA Today (9/2, Korte) reports that major banks "will now give state and local governments the right to buy foreclosed properties before they go on the market, giving them 'a leg up' on speculators who have often thwarted local redevelopment efforts," Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan announced Wednesday. The First Look program "will give communities a 48-hour heads up on foreclosed properties and the ability to buy them at a 1% discount, Donovan said. The effort is intended to help improve the $7 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program, he said." USA Today adds that the new "plan might come too late to help communities involved in the first round of funding. Many have just days to write contracts or risk losing their federal funding

KTRK-TV Houston (9/1) reported, "A new state law went into effect today and it's supposed to protect your children when they're on the school bus. However, it turns out the law isn't doing anything to help keep them safe." The state law requires that buses be equipped with seat and shoulder belts, but while "The legislature agreed and the governor signed the new rule on paper was to take effect today," the regulation "affects only new school bus purchases after Wednesday. It doesn't require retro-fitting of existing school bus fleets." Furthermore, "there's the money. What began as $10 million in Texas Education Agency funding to help with the seat-belt upgrades to new buses was cut by the agency to only $3.6 million." The school district has 1,000 buses, and the transportation department claims "seat belts adds $7,500 per bus, and although the new law requires seat belts on any newly purchased buses," it remains an undunfded mandate

The State (WV) Journal (9/1) reported that the Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone of WV, Inc. will receive a grant to help with a sewage treatment facility. "According to a news release from the US Department of Agriculture Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone is getting a $200,000 grant. The money is provided through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant." The loan will go to "the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad Coop with the purpose of constructing a sewage treatment facility for a campground business located near Dundon in Clay County."

News 8 Austin (9/1) reported that Austin leaders want Austin to "become a zero waste city. The goal is to recycle or re-use all trash in the next 50 years." The article notes "The Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan is what the city will use to reduce the dependence on landfills. The plan challenges cities and towns to expand recycling, urges consumers to shop smarter and encourages manufacturers to use smart packaging." Bob Gedert with Austin Solid Waste Services said, "So what we're looking at is changing the waste concept from a waste-to-landfill, to a zero waste concept of resource recovery through recycling and composting." The city "plans to have a single stream recycling center up and running this month. The city wants to be zero waste by 2040."

The AP (9/1) reported that Waste Mangement, "the nation's largest trash hauler, said Wednesday that it purchased a majority stake in organic lawn and products maker Garick LLC in order to expand its organic recycling business." Garick's operations will reportedly "add over one million tons of processing capacity as well as commercial and consumer organic products to Waste Management's organics recycling business. Waste Management Inc., based in Houston, has been working on boosting its organic efforts since last year when it made an investment in Terrabon. The company also made an investment in Harvest Power in January." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (9/1, Ross) reported, "The University of Minnesota has tentatively agreed to drop its long-standing lawsuit over the Central Corridor light-rail line, clearing the way for federal funds needed to complete the project." This agreement comes following "months of public friction and dozens of court-ordered mediation sessions." The university and Metropolitan Council announced "they had agreed on a plan to protect the U's research facilities from vibration and electromagnetic interference caused by the $957 million line that is already under construction." However, this agreement "needs approval by the full Metropolitan Council and the U's Board of Regents." "This is maybe -- hopefully -- the last chapter in a very long book," said Rep. Alice Hausman, head of the Minnesota House capital investment committee. Final approval of the light rail "could lead to the federal government funding half the cost of the line that will link Minneapolis and St. Paul."

The Valley News (9/1) reported, "The city of Riverside's free wireless Internet service will be switched to a new network provider tomorrow, and residents who use the municipal Wi-Fi will need to make an adjustment. Beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, Wi-Fi operations will be managed by US Internet, which won a five-year contract with the city earlier this year." AT&T, the previous Wi-Fi Carrier, had been the city's operator since May 2007, and AT&T "told the city last year that it no longer wished to maintain the network because of costs. The transition to US Internet will require Wi-Fi users to change the service set identifier -- or SSID -- on their computers from ATTMETROFREE to SmartRiverside, according to city spokesman Austin Carter" The system "covers portions of the 55-square-mile city, with some 20,000 people logging on daily.

The AP (9/1) reports that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm canceled the state fair, "saying debt-ridden Michigan could no longer afford to subsidize it. Granholm's decision makes Michigan the only Midwestern state and one of few nationwide without a state fair." The Michigan State Fair has been a tradition for 160 years, and was held "Eight Mile and Woodward, within Detroit city limits, since 1905. But the fair had been running deficits and needed $360,000 from the state in 2008 to cover losses. Fewer than 220,000 people passed through last year. At its peak in 1966, the fair drew 1 million." The article notes that a thing that "hurt the Michigan fair was the state's economy. Michigan's unemployment rate of 15.2 percent led the nation in August 2009 when the last fair was held. Detroit's jobless rate is about 30 percent," and part of the problem "seems to have been the fair's inability to successfully marry its agrarian roots with money-making entertainment."

The Houston Chronicle (9/2, Olson) reports "despite concerns from some environmental advocates," Houston "moved ahead Wednesday with plans to allow exploration for natural gas reserves beneath three municipal parks. Under the terms of the three-year, $200,000 lease, Southern Star Exploration will spend about a year trying to determine whether there is any natural gas" below the parks. "If so, drilling would take place on adjacent property and only would reach park land underground through horizontal or 'slant' techniques," according to Mayor Annise Parker. Said Parker, "We're not allowing drilling in the park," adding "that the deal will provide 'a great benefit for the city.'" But "Matthew Tejada, executive director of Air Alliance Houston, a nonprofit group that advocates for clean air and environmental issues, said the lack of debate about the matter was 'troubling.'"