As Midterm election results reveal a greater appetite for cannabis, Accela’s Vice President of Strategic Solutions Greg Felix explains best tools and strategies to manage regulations

Accela’s Vice President of Strategic Solutions Greg Felix speaks to city officals about effective cannabis regulation at the National League of Cities City Summit. (Accela) Voters gave legalized marijuana another commanding victory in this month’s midterm elections prompting cities to take note at the 2018 National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit.The event, that ran from Nov. 7-10, offered its 3,800-plus city leaders opportunities to discuss key topic affecting their communities. The impacts of the cannabis industry and its regulatory issues held a key place in these discussions,… Continue reading

Tags: cannabis, legalized marijuana, marijuana apps, marijuana legalization, Marijuana Licensing

The Awards Spotlighted Individuals and Organizations that Delivered Transformative Services in 2018

The 2018 Navigator Awards were held on the first night of the National League of Cities 2018 City Summit. (Accela) Accela customers took home a sizable share of this year’s Route Fifty Navigator Awards, representing six out of the 10 winners.Coinciding with the first night of the National League of Cities City Summit, Route Fifty presented the awards at a special ceremony in the GRAMMY Museum in downtown Los Angeles. The event honored the Accela customers of California; Tennessee; Boston; New York City; Arlington, Texas; San Jose, California; and St. Louis, Missouri for their transformative efforts and initiatives in their communities…. Continue reading

Tags: Civic Tech, civictech, customers, govtech, innovation, National League of Cities, nlc, route fifty, smart cities

The Colorado County Uses Accela for Environmental Health to Inform Residents About High Risk Restaurants and Spot Food Inspections Issues

(Alpha / Flickr) Whether it’s craft beer at Oskar Blues, rigatoni at Red Gravy or gluten-free sweets at Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery, the cooks in Colorado Springs have a dish for almost any visitor. Yet with roughly 23 million tourists visiting the mountain town each year, food inspectors have made safety a top priority by using smart city tools like data analytics and mobile technologies to monitor compliance.Sitting near famous outdoor sites like Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark Park,… Continue reading

Tags: environmental health, food inspections, Government Software, public safety, smart cities

The U.S. Digital Service, shown above, is one of many federal agencies applying agile development to improve IT projects at the federal and local levels of government. (Photo credit: USDS) This article was originally published by the National Environmental Health Association’s (NEHA) Journal of Environmental Health in its November issue that can be found here.Editors Note:A need exists within environmental health agencies to increase their capacity to perform in an environment of diminishing resources. With limited resources and increasing demands, we need to seek new approaches to the business of environmental health. Acutely aware of these challenges, NEHA has initiated a partnership with Accela called Building Capacity…. Continue reading

Tags: Agile Development, digital strategies, environmental health, Government Software, IT development, smart cities

See the Tools, Services and Digital Strategies That Can Benefit any Environmental Health Department in this Infographic

Environmental health departments often find themselves on the frontlines of community health issues. They fight food contamination, safeguard children from lead poisoning, ensure safe drinking water conditions and regularly inspect apartment buildings, restaurants, industrial sites other locations to keep residents safe. In this infographic we point to 10 essential items every environmental health department should consider when modernizing their information management system. For more details see the infographic below or learn about our Accela Civic Solution for Environmental Health…. Continue reading

Tags: environmental health, public safety

This Infographic identifies the Key Issues and Potential Fixes Governments Can Find in Today’s Short-Term Rental Market

A photo rendering of apartments in San Francisco, home to Airbnb and other short-term rental companies. (Daniel Hoherd / Flickr) The short-term rental (STR) market is shaking up the regulatory environment for cities as they try to ensure proper housing practices and collect tax revenues from this new business type. With this new breed of business owner, state and local governments are facing an array of challenges. Hosts renting out apartments or homes through apps like Airbnb often lack an understanding of proper STR standards. Some residents have a hard time seeing their STR activities as business transactions…. Continue reading

Tags: Airbnb, housing, rentals, Sharing Economy, Short-Term Rentals

The News Signals Significant Industry Growth and Provides U.S. Cities and States Another Reference Point for Regulation

(Vaska037 / Flickr) Policymakers and industry analysts are already speculating about demands for new licensing and enforcement measures this month after Canada legalized recreational marijuana.Canada’s Cannabis Act, that took effect on Oct. 17, set Canada apart as the second country to legalize the drug nationally since Uruguay approved recreational marijuana  sales in 2017. The decision to legalize cannabis has prompted a rush for the drug in Canada with consumers standing in long lines and flooding retail websites. The Quebec Cannabis Society (Société Québécoise Du Cannabis, SQDC), an organization tasked by the Canadian government to manage cannabis sales,… Continue reading

Tags: canada, canada cannabis, cannabis, cannabis inspections, cannabis permitting, recreational marijuana, smart cities

https://vimeo.com/295689839Update: Event dates have been updated to Oct. 6-9, 2019.In 2019 Accelarate, Accela’s customer conference, is moving to the Mile High City from Oct. 6-9. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has rolled out the red carpet for the government innovators, influencers and change makers that will meet in Denver for a week of talks, training, panel sessions and networking opportunities.As a pioneer in digital innovation, Denver and the state of Colorado are known for their efforts to modernize services through smart city technologies like open data, smart infrastructure, autonomous vehicles and have one of the best cybersecurity programs in the country. Denver is also a pioneer in emerging markets like cannabis,… Continue reading

Tags: Accelarate, Accelarate 2019, Colorado, Denver

State and Local Agencies Showcase Digital Innovation Initiatives at the Accelarate Trendsetter Awards

After three days of keynote talks, breakout sessions, panels, product demos and networking, officials in government technology space closed Accelarate, Accela’s customer conference, by honoring agencies and individuals that had made an impact in their communities.On Friday, Accela’s Chief Product Officer Jonathan “J.K.” Knight announced the winners of this year’s Trendsetter Awards at the Atlanta CNN Center. Awardees represented a divers mix of cities and counties from across the U.S. Each distinguishing themselves in the innovative ways they leveraged Accela’s Civic Platform to improve services and the lives of residents.Under the theme of “Governing the Future together,”… Continue reading

Tags: Accelarate, Accelarate 2018, Innovators, smart cities, Smart Counties, Smart States, Trendsetter Awards

The Former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Urges Governments to Innovate with Each Other and the Private Sector

The former U.S. Chief Technology Officer and President of CareJourney Aneesh Chopra speaks at Accelarate’s morning keynote on Oct. 11 at the CNN Convention Center. (Jason Shueh) Open innovation will become the next major catalyst to modernize government. That was the message of Aneesh Chopra Thursday as he spoke at day two of Accelarate 2018, an industry conference for Accela customers and partners. The former U.S. chief technology officer, and current president of the open data medical care company CareJourney, said for governments to be effective in the future,… Continue reading

Tags: smart cities