Nation's Cities - September 5, 2011

6 NATION’S CITIES WEEKLY
September 5, 2011

Spotlight on Nampa, Idaho: NLC 50-Year Milestone Award Winner

by Member Relations
Incorporated in 1886,
Nampa, Idaho, is located in
what used to be miles of sage-
brush, and was built with the
promise of irrigation. Homes,
schools and businesses are now
surrounded by green lawns, rich
agricultural fields and an abun-
dance of recreational and civic
opportunities for adults and
youth alike. It is the second larg-
est city in Idaho, with a popula-
tion of 81,557, with almost half
the population under 30 years
old.

Members of the Teen Council
have also attended NLC nation-
al conferences.
While Nampa is a big city for
Idaho, it still has the heart and
spirit of a small town, with peo-
ple coming together when they
see a need and getting done what
needs to be done. Community
members helped build several
of the city’s parks, recreational
facilities, schools and churches.
Through community part-
nership efforts between indi-
viduals, businesses and local
government, the city built
the Nampa Civic Center, the
Nampa Recreation Center and
the Idaho Center.
At the Nampa Civic Center,
residents enjoy an incredible
array of concerts, live theater and
community events in a beautiful
downtown facility.

see page 7, column 1

White House Rural Council Focuses on Jobs, Economic Growth

by Stephanie Spirer
In June, President Barack
Obama issued an executive
order establishing a White
House Rural Council to coor-
dinate the Administration’s
efforts in rural America, fur-
ther the Administration’s rural
economic strategy and promote
public-private partnerships to
address challenges and solutions
specific to rural communities.

Meetings in states including
Wisconsin, Iowa and Maryland
have focused on ways in which
federal agencies can work to
improve economic conditions
and create jobs in rural areas.
Several more roundtable meet-
ings are expected.
The White House Rural
Council also released a report,
“Jobs and Economic Security
for Rural America,” highlight-
ing efforts and accomplish-
ments already underway in
rural communities. According
to the report, the Obama
Administration will invest in
five key areas: creating jobs and
economic growth; promoting
innovation and investment;
improving access to affordable
healthcare, housing and educa-
tion; expanding outdoor oppor-
tunities for sustained economic
growth; and supporting veter-
ans and military families.

Details: The White House
Rural Council maintains a web-
site at http://www.whitehouse.
gov/administration/eop/rural-
council.
U.S. Communities Offers Deep Discounts on Maintenance,
Repair and Operating Supplies and Services

by Marc Shapiro
The U.S. Communities Government
Purchasing Alliance, the national purchas-
ing cooperative sponsored by NLC and
other national organizations, is pleased
to announce that its lead public agency,
Maricopa County, Ariz., has awarded
the Maintenance, Repair and Operating
Supplies contract to The Home Depot,
HD Supply Facilities Maintenance and
Applied Industrial Technologies.

Details: Contact Marc Shapiro at
NLC, (202) 626-3019 or shapiro@nlc.
org or visit www.uscommunities.org.
PTI Accepting Applications for Citizen-Engaged Communities Designation
by Laura Bonavita and Julia Pulidindi
Citizen-Engaged Communities is
a designation program for cities and
counties in the United States. Through
this program, the Public Technology
Institute (PTI) promotes both an incen-
tive and a guide for local governments to
connect their citizen contact and service
delivery systems through improved pro-
cesses and technology.

Details: To apply for the 2011-
2013 Citizen-Engaged Communities
designations, please visit http://www.
pti.org/index.php/ptiee1/more/738/.
Applications are due by September 16.
For more information, please contact
Julia Pulidindi at pulidindi@nlc.org.