Since 1985, the first Sunday in May starts off what has been officially designated by Congress as Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), a time to honor those who work in local, state, and federal government. Organized by the Public Employees Roundtable, events range from a Congressional breakfast and a 5K run/walk in Washington, DC, to school children all over the county meeting the people who make their town councils tick. National or local, small or large, black tie required or blue jeans recommended, to capture the spirit of PSRW, a commemoration only needs one ingredient to be successful, a genuine appreciation for America's hardworking public servants.

April is National County Government Month. Counties across the country are encouraged to raise public awareness of just how important they are in maintaining quality of life for the residents they serve. For instance, counties maintain about 45% of all our domestic roads, own 976 hospitals and operate 91% of all local jails. How much do you know about counties? Take our quiz below and find out!  Then add a fun fact about your county in the comment section below.

Sipping margaritas at the beach. Scoring a hole-in-one on the greens. Or simply playing with the grandkids in the yard. If we could peek into the minds of U.S. workers, we might find these day dreams sneaking in with increasing frequency. That is because a growing number of employees will soon be eligible for retirement. Sometimes referred to as the "silver tsunami," demographers have long noted that the median age of the workforce has been inching upwards due to that huge cohort of folks born between 1946 and 1964 known as the baby boomers. Almost 10,000 of them are already retiring every day with more to come in the future. While this trend affects employers across the board, it has a special implications for government agencies. Statistically, public servants tend to be older than their private  counterparts. How are municipalities preparing for the loss of so much know-how and experience?

Last month, I talked to you about the first of two potential collaboration options for local government: fiscal sponsorship.This month, we’re going to look at the project planning and implementation collaboration process. If you’re a local government, these two articles will provide you with some additional options for finding and qualifying for grant funding opportunities that are limited to IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.