Atlanta City Councilman Alex Wan is thrifty at work and at home

Working in the nonprofit sector brings a unique appreciation for every dollar. Atlanta City Council member Alex Wan. Alex Wan knows this as well as anyone. In June he walked away from his 20-year career as an industrial engineer to become the director of development for the Jerusalem House, which assists homeless and low income families affected by HIV and AIDS. Seven years ago, he started another nonprofit, For The Kid In All Of Us, which collects school supplies and toys for children. “You really appreciate the value of money and resources,” said Wan. “It’s amazing the impact you can have making a small effort.” It’s not a stretch, then, to see this awareness weave its way through his personal life also. While his fellow Atlanta City Council members are not yet privy to his money-minding behavior, those who know Wan best are up-close witnesses to the extents he’ll go to save a dollar. Here’s a look at his spreadsheet, tracking grocery spending: 2007: $4,192 spent; $2,637 …

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Sedona's 2010 city election tally is in

Mayor Rob Adams keeps his seat while four newcomers win posts on City Council All five Sedona City Council candidates supported by the Responsive Sedona Leadership 2010 political action committee were elected by wide margins in the Tuesday, March 9, Read more...

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Strata Tower: The First Building With Wind Turbines Incorporated Into Its Design

Plenty of buildings around the world have wind turbines perched on their roofs at this point, but the Strata tower in London's Elephant and Castle area is set to become the first to incorporate turbines into its original design. When completed in July, developers hope that the 42-floor, 408-unit apartment building will generate 8% of its electricity from the turbines. The $19.7 million skyscraper, nicknamed "The Razor" for obvious reasons, will feature three 19 kilowatt turbines on its roof. The jumbo turbines each have five 29.5-foot blades that suck wind from different angles and accelerate it through tubes with a little help from the Venturi Effect. All in all, the turbines are expected to produce 50 megawatt hours of power each year. But not everyone is convinced that the Razor's design marks the beginning of an urban turbine-filled era. Paul King, the chief executive of the U.K. Building Council, expresses his doubts in the UK Guardian: "You've got to take your hat off to the design team for delivering a building that clearly captures the imagination. I doubt whether wind power will become a common feature in high-rise inner-city projects--but without this type of bold innovation, how would we ever know? Let's see how it works and learn from the real performance data that is gathered." In any case, the Razor won't be the only building with incorporated turbines for long. Paris's Phare Tower will come with both a solar skin and rooftop turbines when it is finished in 2015. [Via UK Guardian]

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Shields Proposes 20¢ Real Estate Tax Hike to Balance F.C. Budget

Stiff Workforce Cut & Reduced Pay Included Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields unveiled his proposed $64.2 million budget to the Falls Church City Council Monday night, recommending a jump of 20 cents in the real estate tax rate from $1.07 to $1.27 on top of deep cuts in City services. Steep declines in real estate tax assessments and other impacts of the wider recession were pinpointed as the need for the measures.

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Pittsburgh City Council Reaches Compromise With Mayor Over Assets Study

A compromise between Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and City Council keeps a trio of parking-for-pensions plans alive, at least until a June showdown that could decide the price of a space and the s...

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Pittsburgh City Council reaches compromise with mayor over assets study

A compromise between Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and City Council keeps a trio of parking-for-pensions plans alive, at least until a June showdown that could decide the price of a space and

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Gardner mayor appoints to new city council members

The Gardner City Council doubled its membership Monday with the appointment of two new council members. Mayor David Drovetta appointed Kristi Harrison and Dan Newburg to fill the seats vacated by Mary Peters and John Shepherd.

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Lexington Council Approves 4 Zoning Changes; Property Owners Negotiate 3 Others

At a work session Tuesday, Lexington's Urban County Council approved four changes to the city's zoning ordinances that will help regulate rental houses around the University of Kentucky.Three more pro...

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Pittsburgh City Council eyes more police oversight in proposals

Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess on Tuesday introduced two more bills that he said are designed to improve public safety and boost public confidence in the police department.

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City Council to look at plan for modern fire station

Plans to replace the Danville Fire Department’s downtown location with a modern headquarters/fire station will be considered at Tuesday’s Danville City Council meeting, following a public hearing about the project.

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