Volunteers are the new city employees - USATODAY.com

Volunteers are the new city employees - USATODAY.com:

"In an era of dwindling revenue and slashed spending, volunteerism is becoming a crucial part of city operations and a strategy to solve its most pressing problems.

The goal: Turn piecemeal civic efforts into organized citywide campaigns that concentrate volunteer power on programs that benefit the community at large.

'It's brilliant in its simplicity,' says Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. 'What we've all come to realize is that there are many folks who want to give their time, want to give their talent but, in a lot of cases, cities struggle with how they want to utilize that talent.'

Gee, we are definitely on this this one! From cleaning parks, painting fire hydrants, painting schools, etc.