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More U.S. cities are hiring than at any time since the Great Recession as the reviving economy and rising property taxes allow higher spending for a second straight year, according to a report released today.

One-third of cities and towns expanded their workforces this year, compared with reductions in 18 percent, according to an annual survey by the National League of Cities.

This is the first year since 2008 that job additions outpaced cuts. The gains come as 80 percent of cities said their financial position is stronger than a year ago, the most in at least 29 years.

Growth in those jobs is a good sign for the economy, said Christiana McFarland, the research director for the Washington-based league. Things are going in a positive direction.

The shift erased a drag on the nations recovery that persisted after the recession ended in 2009, as shrinking budgets prompted municipalities to fire police officers, firefighters and other employees.

Yet while local governments added 113,000 to their payrolls since March 2013, they employ 482,000 fewer people than in July 2008, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

When you pull back the layers, you still have a way to go before you see a full recovery, said McFarland. When you put it in the broader context of how far city finances sunk during the Great Recession, they still have a ways to come out.

With the economy accelerating and home prices rising, tax collections have increased. Property taxes rose 1.6 percent during 2014, adjusted for inflation, according to the survey of 354 cities conducted from April to June.

Sales taxes rose 3.6 percent this year after a jump of 4.6 percent a year earlier. Income taxes gained 0.6 percent, slowing from a 4.3 percent increase in 2013.

Cities continue to face pressure from underfunded pensions, health-care costs and the need to spend more on infrastructure. Total revenue growth failed to keep pace with rising costs and dropped by 0.5 percent in 2014 when inflation is taken into account. Spending growth rose by 1 percent on that basis, less than half the rate a year earlier, according to the report.

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Cities Hiring Most Since 2008 as Economy Eases Strains

The temperature is just over 60 degrees Tuesday morning, so the second-grader at Sul Ross Elementary school tucked her hands into the sleeves of her bright blue sweater while she trudged outside of the school building to the nurse's office.

She wasn't alone, though: Mary Jane Gray, an instructional aid in physical education classes, led the brown-haired student along the sidewalk to enter into the main building.

The second-grader had fallen ill during PE, Gray explained. She is required to be escorted by a teacher or staff member from the gym to the nurse, for Sul Ross is composed of one main structure and three separate wings. The spaces between the buildings are wide-open, so anyone can, and does, move through the school grounds.

This means no children are allowed to walk around outside by themselves -- students moving from wing-to-wing to go to the gym or to lunch must walk in a line as a class along with their teacher, and children needing to visit the front office or nurse must be lead by a staff member.

After Gray dropped off the young student at the nurse's office, a front office staffer would call her parents to have her picked up from school or escort her back to her class.

"We're not enclosed, so we never want a child to wander outside of the building," Gray said. "They're always escorted, all the time. Safety is our main concern."

The layout of Sul Ross Elementary is one of the issues that district and campus officials wish to fix in order to increase student safety. The elementary is one of two Bryan schools that would receive a new campus if the $132 million bond issue is passed by district voters in November.

With voter approval, the district plans to construct a new school building that both improves the safety and security for the students and prepares for enrollment growth in the future. The new school would cost close to $16 million, according to the district's facilities master plan.

The elementary school was constructed in 1961 and was last renovated 14 years ago, said Sul Ross principal Kristina Brunson. As of Tuesday, 316 students were enrolled, and the building has a total capacity of 360, she said.

The new elementary school would hold between 600 to 650 students as a buffer for future growth. The new building would also be encapsulated, so all of the students and staff members would be under one roof.

Excerpt from:
If passed, $132M bonds would put Sul Ross Elementary students all under one roof, repurpose Milam Elementary

Although it was built in the early 20th century, the former firehouse on North Main Street is one of Chalfonts most historic buildings.

As it redevelops the property for a new police station and public parking, borough council is committed to preserving the original 1903 portion of the structure, which once housed borough hall, the post office and the Chalfont Fire Co. The borough, which paid $465,000 for the building and grounds, took ownership Oct. 1.

Council on Tuesday night approved a $3,500 contract with Boyle Construction Management, of Allentown, to examine two options for reuse of the site and come up with cost estimates.

Both alternatives envision renovating the two-story historic section, which has rusticated concrete block walls and a peaked shingle roof, and possibly renting space to outside tenants. The first option calls demolishing two modern rear additions on both sides of a five-bay garage, which would be converted into a police station. The second option would raze all additions and construct a police station from scratch.

Council President John Engel said the consultant will examine issues affecting the original building, including a leaky roof, water infiltration, asbestos insulation, lead paint and cracked concrete blocks.

For budgetary purposes, we need to get our arms around the cost of preserving that building, he said. I believe there is a strong desire of council to preserve the historic part of the building.

Other council members indicated their support for preserving the former firehouse. The building is within Chalfonts historic district, which is both certified under the states historic preservation law and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Borough Manager Sandra Zadell said Boyles report will provide initial cost estimates for preservation, the police station and parking. The 2015 budget will allocate $140,000 for engineering and architectural work, with the expectation that construction would begin in 2016.

The borough will apply for grants to offset some of the cost, but it is too soon to tell whether the town will need to dip into its capital reserve fund or borrow money to cover expenditures, according to the manager.

We dont know the future price yet, she said.

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Chalfont contemplates plans for former firehouse

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With a goal to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent over the next decade, Penn State will tighten its leaky faucets, install LED light fixtures and replace outdated heating systems as part of the U.S. Department of Energys Better Buildings Challenge.

In its third year, the Better Buildings Challenge has committed three billion square feet to improving infrastructure efficiency throughout the United States. It involves 190 different organizations and 600 manufacturing facilities, according to its website .

Penn State has been focused in this area for a long time, Assistant Vice President of Office of Physical Plant Steve Maruszewski said. Being involved in something like this allows us to team up with our peers to find better solutions to learn from each other so we can be more effective at conserving energy.

Penn State is the largest university in the program, with 23,000 acres of land and 32 million square feet of buildings , Alex Novak, director of Communications for the Office of Physical Plant and the Sustainability Institute , said. Other universities in the challenge include University of Virginia and University of Michigan .

Joining the Better Buildings Challenge is part of a longstanding effort to improve the universitys utility functions and replace its outdated infrastructure, Novak said.

Our energy density has already been dropping over the last 10 years, Novak said. This is a pledge to continue with that trend.

Since 2003, Penn State has invested $75 million in energy improvement programs. The university is also making a $60 million investment in energy savings over the next five years. Of a $2.7 billion capital plan, 60 percent is dedicated to building renovations , Novak said.

Participating in the Better Buildings Challenge furthers Penn States energy conservation initiatives.

Really, all of this has been going on for more than 10 years and its gone on under the radar, Novak said. People just dont know whats happening, but were becoming more and more efficient and thats really positive.

Rob Cooper, director of Energy and Engineering for the Office of Physical Plant, said of the projects include improving Penn States heating and air conditioning units, increasing ventilation in laboratories and installing carbon dioxide sensors.

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Penn State to reduce energy usage through Better Buildings Challenge

LAS VEGAS - The temperature is cooling down, but crime is heating up. Police say criminals are targeting easily accessible homes and cars.

Metro Police says auto theft is up nearly 19 percent this year. While home break-ins are slightly down, police urge homeowners not to get complacent.

Police say criminals mostly target open doors and windows. Many homeowners leave garage doors open, providing a tempting target for thieves. Open car windows also present an open invitation.

Take all your items out of your vehicle. If anyone is looking at vehicles and they're looking to commit an auto theft or an auto burglary, they will look in that vehicle, said Metro Police Officer Larry Hadfield. If they see high-valued or high-tag items in there, such as an iPod, tablets, laptops or cell phones, they can get in that vehicle. If given the opportunity to get in the vehicle, then they also have the opportunity to steal the vehicle."

They're looking at the house that's easiest to get into, that they, that they're not going to get caught, Hadfield said. They're not motivated by violence. They're in there to get things of value, so they can pawn them or hawk them off to gain profit."

According to Scout.com, the most common areas for crime are in the central part of the valley. Scout.com says there is a one in 31 chance of becoming a property crime victim. Las Vegas also has one of the highest rates in the country for vehicle theft.

Technology can help. In addition to monitoring high-crime neighborhoods on websites like Scout.com, people can download smart phone apps like Next Door, which creates a neighborhood watch online.

Surveillance cameras have also become affordable and easy to install. While criminals who are caught on camera may still get away with stolen property, the cameras help police identify and catch them.

If you forget to close your garage door, a smart phone app can help. Several apps enable users to open and close their garage doors when they aren't home. There are also apps that enable people to shut and lock their doors.

Bear in mind, criminals have access to technology too. Some criminals can use universal remotes to open locked doors.

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Police warn of crime as temperatures cool

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