Tamara Letourneau, ICMA-CM City Manager Laguna Niguel, California, USA
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Tips for Effective Governing Body Meetings
The manager’s role is bigger than you think. Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM and Tamara Letourneau, ICMA-CM
Goal Setting for Traction
Mistakes to avoid in setting priorities with governing board and five solutions
Rod Gould, ICMA-CM, Dr. Frank Benest, ICMA-CM (Retired), and Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM 20
Defining the Roles of Elected Officials and City/County Manager
Understanding the various roles of elected officials and how the CAO and staff can best support them.
Julia Novak, ICMA-CM, Tanisha Briley, ICMA-CM, Dr. John Nalbandian, and Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM
Onboarding Beyond Orientation
Helping newly elected officials make the shift from campaigning to serving in the unique role of governing Julia Novak, ICMA-CM and Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM
Confronting the Local Government Trust Dilemma, Part 1
The first in a three-part series on community-based strategic planning as an approach to building trust
Rick Davis, ICMA-CM
The New Council Is In Place, Now Where Can I Find This Robert Fella Who Has the Rules?
The importance of training your newly elected board
John Manning
Do More Arrests Reduce Crime? To reduce crime, you need to focus on
Shannon J. Linning, PhD, Tom Carroll, ICMA-CM, Daniel W. Gerard, and John E. Eck, PhD
and
The
of
Edward Lavallee, ICMA-CM
You Will Shape the Next 100 Years of the ICMA Code of Ethics
The ICMA Code of Ethics, adopted in 1924, celebrates 100 years of ethical local government management.
It’s particularly meaningful to me that my tenure as ICMA president overlaps with the 100th anniversary of the ICMA Code of Ethics. When I think back on my discussions with an early mentor about a career in local government management, those conversations invariably included ICMA membership and the importance of the Code for providing a foundation based on ethics. My mentor had a great deal of pride in the Code and helped me to understand that ethical local government management is the bedrock of our profession and our democracy.
TANYA ANGE is county administrator of Washington County, Oregon, USA, and ICMA president (2024–2025).
Applicable to Every Career Stage
I have always kept a copy of the ICMA Code of Ethics on the wall in my office. It serves as a reminder to me that we are the stewards of democracy. Early in my career, I recall receiving significant pressure from a land use developer to provide incentives without due process, which made me uncomfortable. I walked back to my office and reflected on our profession’s principles in the Code. It reinforced that my decision needed to be about
Public Management (PM) (USPS: 449-300) is published monthly by ICMA (the International City/County Management Association) at 777 North Capitol Street. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002-4201. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. The opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ICMA.
COPYRIGHT 2024 by the International City/County Management Association. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced or translated without written permission.
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ARTICLE PROPOSALS: Visit icma.org/writeforus to see editorial guidelines for contributors. For more information on local government leadership and management topics, visit icma.org.
BY TANYA ANGE
doing what was right for the entire community— for all the people and not just a few.
As I advanced in my career, I went from applying the Code to specific programs that I managed to now relying on the Code to support my board effectively and deliver on my role in successfully managing operations and supporting staff.
A Living Document
Essentially, the underlying values of the Code are inherent in all of the services we perform for our community. If you take a look at the interactive timeline at icma.org/ethics-timeline, you’ll find that since the Code’s adoption in 1924, its core meaning has never changed. What you will observe is the history of a living document—one that is still being reviewed and considered by members to this very day and will be for the next century.
In 1969, for example, the language changed from “city manager” to “member” to include county managers as well. You will find revisions to the guidelines—for instance in 2002, the Tenet 7 guidelines were amended to clarify that members
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Creating and Supporting Thriving Communities
ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communities throughout the world. It does this by working with its more than 13,000 members to identify and speed the adoption of leading local government practices and improve the lives of residents. ICMA offers membership, professional development programs, research, publications, data and information, technical assistance, and training to thousands of city, town, and county chief administrative officers, their staffs, and other organizations throughout the world.
Public Management (PM) aims to inspire innovation, inform decision making, connect leading-edge thinking to everyday challenges, and serve ICMA members and local governments in creating and sustaining thriving communities throughout the world. I
shall not run for elected office or engage in other political activity. What you will not find are changes to the core values of this noble profession.
Where other professional codes may have failed over the years, the ICMA Code of Ethics continues to thrive and serve as a beacon for members and others in local government looking for guidance. This can be attributed to the unwavering commitment of our members. As the ICMA constitution describes, the Code cannot be changed without robust conversation among members, and members must then vote to approve any revisions.
Ongoing Review
The longevity of the Code can in part be attributed to the way it is structured. The 12 tenets define the principles of the profession while the guidelines help members
PRESIDENT
Tanya Ange*
County Administrator Washington County, Oregon
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Michael Land*
City Manager Coppell, Texas
PAST PRESIDENT
Lon Pluckhahn* City Manager Vancouver, Washington
VICE PRESIDENTS
International Region
Colin Beheydt
City Manager Bruges, Belgium
Doug Gilchrist
City Manager
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Lungile Dlamini
Chief Executive Officer
Municipal Council of Manzini, Eswatini
Midwest Region
Michael Sable* City Manager Maplewood, Minnesota
Jeffrey Weckbach
Township Administrator
Colerain Township, Ohio
Cynthia Steinhauser*
Deputy City Administrator Rochester, Minnesota
Mountain Plains Region
Dave Slezickey*
City Manager The Village, Oklahoma
Pamela Davis
Assistant City Manager Boulder, Colorado
Sereniah Breland
City Manager
Pflugerville, Texas
Northeast Region
Dennis Enslinger
Deputy City Manager Gaithersburg, Maryland
Steve Bartha*
Town Manager Danvers, Massachusetts
Brandon Ford
Assistant Township Manager
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
I have always kept a copy of the ICMA Code of Ethics on the wall in my office. It serves as a reminder to me that we are the stewards of democracy.
Southeast Region
Jorge Gonzalez*
Village Manager
Village of Bal Harbour, Florida
Eric Stuckey
City Administrator Franklin, Tennessee
Chelsea Jackson
Deputy City Manager
Douglasville, Georgia
West Coast Region
Jessi Bon
City Manager
Mercer Island, Washington
Nat Rojanasathira**
Assistant City Manager Monterey, California
Elisa Cox*
Assistant City Manager
Rancho Cucamonga, California
*ICMA-CM ** ICMA Credentialed Manager Candidate
understand how to meet those principles. Revisions reflect changes in the profession and society, keeping the Code relevant and accessible. For example, social media didn’t really exist 30 years ago and now it is a dominant form of communication and connection, so the guidelines may be updated to incorporate this societal shift. It remains a priority for the association to ensure that the language and guidelines continue to make sense while staying true to our ideals.
The association also reviews other aspects of the Code. For example, ICMA membership requires a signed commitment to adhere to the Code of
Managing Director, Lynne Scott lscott@icma.org
Brand Management, Marketing, and Outreach; Director, Equity & Social Justice and Membership Marketing
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ICMA CEO/Executive Director Marc Ott
Ethics upon joining and renewing. I encourage all our 13,000 members to make time in your busy schedules to read it. Creating awareness doesn’t stop there. While the website is one communication channel that is updated regularly, information regarding the Code and stories shared by members can also be found in education sessions, training presentations, PM Magazine, ICMA newsletters, and on social media. Workshops, webinars, and online classes are also available to members and their staff. The ethics enforcement process, which commences when ICMA receives a complaint with documentation that alleges a member’s conduct may have violated the Code, is governed by Rules of Procedure and carried out by the Board’s Committee on Professional Conduct. The Board periodically
It’s rare that I am asked to do something that may not be ethically sound. When it happens, it always puts me in a position to reaffirm my commitment to the Code.
As we model the Code in how we conduct ourselves, we inspire others who see us living it every day.
assesses these procedures to ensure that the process works and remains relevant. Educational efforts and creating awareness of how this process works is a priority as well.
A Personal Connection
One of the things I treasure most about my position on the ICMA Executive Board is connecting with students and others considering a career in local government management. While the volume of these interactions has increased significantly since becoming president, the content of our discussions is always enlightening. I have the privilege of learning about the journeys of individuals interested in our profession—how they were drawn to public service and specifically to local government. It also gives me the chance to tell them about the ICMA Code of Ethics, just as my mentors shared with me. It’s thrilling to encounter people who light up when they understand that ours is a nonpartisan role. Our duty is to carry out the policies of the body elected by the people, and this is a principal reason that many are attracted to the profession. I have also spoken with people considering a career in professional management who, once they understand our tenets, like impartiality and policy
execution, they determine they would rather serve as an elected official because they so fiercely believe in a partisan policy platform.
It’s through those conversations that my own commitment to our profession is reinforced, and that’s why I encourage members to mentor someone new to the profession. Many individuals come to city, county, and town management directly from graduate school, but they might as easily be veterans on their second career, or elected officials wanting to make a change. It’s a wonderful chance to highlight our profession’s values. Mentoring a colleague is another way to celebrate your commitment to the Code. Have a courageous conversation if you spot a potential ethics issue. We are all learning together and working to be the best we can be.
Keep Celebrating
As the Code’s first 100 years come to a close, we have the opportunity to live our vision moving into the next 100 years. As we model the Code in how we conduct ourselves, we inspire others who see us living it every day—being that steward of democracy, focusing not on one individual but on the good of the whole.
Another way to keep the celebration going is to connect with fellow members and prospective members. Through these encounters I learn more about my own values and story. We have all had experiences where it is just not possible to talk to someone in our community about an ethical issue. By picking up the phone, you can ask someone, well out of your jurisdictional boundaries, for their perspective, and in turn you can lend your experience to help someone in another community who may be struggling.
It’s rare that I am asked to do something that may not be ethically sound. When it happens, it always puts me in a position to reaffirm my commitment to the Code. I find that I gain the respect of those who may have challenged me, and it creates a positive effect that can impact the organization’s culture. I have learned that by staying focused on the why of what we do and by being purpose-driven we can create our own future. And that’s truly something to celebrate.
Calendar of Events
Invest in Your Organization: Bring ICMA’s Training to Your Organization! In-Person and Online Training for Your Team
Bring ICMA’s Certificate and Micro-Certificate programs to your jurisdiction.
Offered live online and in-person, we will bring the training to you. Choose from 13 topics. Schedule the perfect training for your team at a time convenient for you. Invest in your organization today! Scan the QR code to learn more.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Rethinking Survey Methodology: Leveraging Data to Enhance Community Feedback and Decision-Making in Local Government
December 3 | Free Webinar
Drive Impact with Scenario Planning in Local Government
December 5 | Free Webinar
Strengthening Intergovernmental Collaboration: A Vision for the New Year
December 5 | Free Webinar
A Better Path to Priority-Based Budgeting: How Do We Get There and What’s the Payoff?
December 10 | Free Webinar
Best Practices for Managing Civil Unrest
December 12 | Webinar
Local Government Reimagined Conference | Denver, Colorado, USA
February 26–28 | Conference
VI World Forum of Local Economic Development
April 1–4 | Seville, Spain
Local Government Reimagined Conference | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
April 2–4 | Conference
Gettysburg Leadership Institute 2025
April 9–11 | Leadership Development Program | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Economic Mobility and Opportunity Conference
May 21–23 | Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Accepting Applications for Leadership ICMA 2025!
51st CAMA Conference and Annual General Meeting
May 26–28 | Mont Tremblant, Québec, Canada
Gettysburg Leadership Institute 2025
June 11–13 | Leadership Development Program | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Taituarā Annual Conference 2025
September 3–5 | New Zealand
Reimagined for the next generation of local government leaders, this flagship ICMA program will impart leadership lessons while participants form lasting connections with their peers.
Registration is limited to 35 ICMA members. Application period open through December 31, 2024. Visit bit.ly/LICMA2025 or scan the QR code.
For a full listing of events and details, visit icma.org/events. Shop all courses at learning.icma.org.
“City Momager” and Everything in Between
Juggling parenthood and city management
As a single mom to elementary school–aged children, I’m often asked how I balance an extremely demanding job as a city manager with an equally demanding role as a parent.
When I was considered for the interim city manager role in 2021, there were concerns regarding my ability to prioritize the organization and fulfill my duties. As a newly divorced woman in my 30’s, I allowed the external noises to manifest into doubt, not giving myself credit for my professional and personal accomplishments. I questioned whether I would have the support around me to be successful in this position and if it was the right time.
But let’s face it: old, young, new to the role, or seasoned— every single city manager has a life, family, and obligations outside of city hall, and there is no such thing as the “right” time. If there’s one thing about life that’s consistent, it’s that life is inconsistent and ever-changing.
Through determination, a positive approach to coparenting, compassionate and understanding bosses, learning from mentors and their perspectives, and many Google calendar entries, I eventually found a formula and routine that worked without compromising either role as a parent or administrator.
In reflecting on the past three years in my city manager role, these are the greatest lessons learned in my growth as a city momager:
It’s
Perfectly OK to Be Imperfect.
When I was first appointed, I was hard on myself whenever I missed anything involving my kids because I placed unnecessary pressure to be the impossible “perfect parent.”
I learned that my kids are not gauging me by how many events I attend, but by the quality of time and care when I’m present. I’ve missed some of their sports games and events because of work obligations, but I’ve also balanced those absences with being involved behind the scenes as the “team parent” or volunteering at school on days off. When appropriate, I bring my kids to work events to help them understand what I do when I am not with them and how hard work leads to meaningful results.
Find an Environment that Supports Your Familial Goals and Priorities.
I once worked for someone before I had kids who was less sympathetic to the demands of parenting. Fortunately, since having kids, I’ve worked for bosses with children of various ages, and they understood the importance of maintaining
BY CHRISTINE CORDON
a work-life balance. Some employers are more flexible than others by offering telecommuting or childcare options, but some roles cannot be accommodated with an alternative schedule. It’s important to be honest with yourself and your employer about workplace expectations and assess whether the workplace culture supports your family life.
Work-life Balance Is Not 50-50.
It’s extremely easy to get caught up in the social (media) expectations that work-life balance is always achieved in equal parts. On the contrary, there will be days, weeks, and maybe months where there is a clear tipping of the scale toward either side. However, making a concerted effort to regularly practice self-care is critical to maintaining your mental health and productivity. Maybe you’re unable to take a week-long vacation this year because of a major project, but instead, consider and plan for days off or extended weekends throughout the year for that much-needed mental break. I rarely take periods of time off longer than a few days, but I regularly take walks at the “Happiest Place on Earth,” get crafty on my cricut, and watch documentaries—all things I enjoy—to mentally balance the demands of work and parenting. All work and no play doesn’t just make you dull— it makes you and others around you unhappy.
Lean on Your Support System.
Identify people in your life who support you in their own unique ways and don’t be afraid, embarrassed, or prideful to
Achieve Compliance and Build Resident Trust
Powering and Empowering Government
Like your community, your website is an actively growing and changing entity. To ensure that as you add and update content, links, forms, documents, files, and tools, your website remains accessible to every community member, you need integrated quality assurance and web governance tools. No matter the size of your team and budget, we have easy-to-implement and maintain tools to empower your content creators.
ask for help. You may have a specific friend who is your go-to for impromptu coffee runs, or a family member who helps with last-minute changes to your schedule. Maybe there is a trusted mentor you can seek advice from. A strong support system is important; these are people who care about you and are willing to assist when possible. You’d do the same for them, so let them be there for you. #friendship
Everything Must Be on a Schedule or List.
Whether it’s for meal prepping, meetings, or games and practices, everything is on a schedule. Having everything on a schedule doesn’t always mean that I’m able to stick to it because of unforeseen circumstances, but this gives a birds’ eye view of my time and helps prioritize obligations while managing realistic expectations.
As employers, it’s important to acknowledge the shift in how the next generation of the workforce perceives work-life balance and priorities, especially when raising a family while rising in their careers. Through compassion, encouragement, and communication, we can break down the stigma that parenting hinders people from prioritizing the organization or promoting, especially to executive positions.
For those doubting your own value, skills, and abilities, you’d be surprised at the resilience you have when faced with new or challenging circumstances. Don’t let your doubt psych you out; embrace new opportunities with confidence. You can do it.
Use the QR code to get in touch with us and learn more about web accessibility solutions. You can also call 888-228-2233 or visit www.CivicPlus.com for more information.
When to Step Up or Just Step In
What to consider when your CAO is leaving and you’re deciding your next steps
One day, about a year ago, I got the news that many ACAOs dread: “I am moving on and taking an opportunity in another community.” Your CAO is leaving, and you are (likely) not going with them. What do you do? In my case, the timing could not have been worse. We had a major political situation bubbling to the surface, we were in the midst of budget season, and I was about seven months pregnant with my first child. I found myself in the position of having to navigate becoming a first-time mom and potentially a first-time city manager at the same time.
I found myself in the position of having to navigate becoming a first-time mom and potentially a first-time city manager at the same time.
Quite frankly, it was hard not to panic. While the signs had been there for a few months, the reality of my CAO departing did not really set in that it would actually happen. I wasn’t looking for another job. I couldn’t follow the former CAO. The plan had always been to prepare me to step into their role at the appropriate time. I knew the community well and the city’s operations even better. Naturally, it would make sense for me to immediately step in, at least as interim. So that is what I did. Afterall, that is the occupational hazard of serving in the ACAO role. At any given point, you may have to step in and take the number-one spot. Our elected officials were eager to appoint a permanent city manager, but I was not in the position to immediately agree to the opportunity, given my pending maternity leave and other elements that did not make it an immediate “yes” decision. So, how do you know if it should be permanent, or you should just fulfill the role as interim and go back to being the ACAO?
It is perfectly acceptable to not automatically know what you would do in the situation, even if you feel the immediate sense of obligation by nature of the ACAO role. There are several considerations I’d encourage anyone in this position to think through before rendering a final decision.
1. Do You Have the Right Support System?
Many ACAOs will tell you that the best thing about being number-two is the buffer of the CAO between you (the staff) and the elected officials. You get to be in the room for all the decisions, but you do not have to be the one who is on the hook for the final decision. You are not always on call 24/7 and you have one boss.
BY KRISTEN GORHAM
Stepping into a role where there is no longer a buffer changes the whole experience. While I wouldn’t consider the ACAO role to be an 8-to-5 job, and there are many after-hours demands and obligations, you have the ability to wholly step away, take time off, etc. You answer to one person, not six or more. Having the right personal support system in place to take on the demands of the CAO role is critical. Work-life balance is much more difficult to achieve, and you need to have support to help navigate the late-night meetings, the weekend phone calls or community events, the emergency on-call status during major weather events or other critical response situations, etc. You will also need friends and colleagues who can serve as a listening ear or offer unbiased advice. You will also need to know that you have a supportive elected body and staff behind you.
2. If Not Me, then Who?
Another occupational hazard of being the number-two: If the number-one leaves and you do not want to take on their role, then who do you get? You have to be comfortable accepting the new leader that may be chosen for you. We all know that finding the right city/county manager can be like hiring a good football coach. When you get it right, you may have a national championship. If you get it wrong, you could have several seasons of bad luck. There is a benefit of continuity of leadership for yourself, your staff, and your elected officials. However, if you find yourself in a position where you don’t feel you have the support, can’t take on the risk, or simply do not feel like it is the right time, the gamble of the unknown may have to be the most acceptable solution.
3. Assessing the Risk.
Going from one boss to several is an added risk, especially when they have the potential to change every two to four years with election cycles. You must consider whether you are in the position to take on the employment risk. Is there a split vote among the elected officials? Do you believe you can negotiate a fair contract? There has to be a level of comfort assuming that things may not be as stable as they once were.
4.
Is It What You Want?
I grappled with this question quite a bit before coming to a final conclusion. I had spent my career working toward an opportunity to become a CAO, and when the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t actually know if that was what I wanted in that moment. Life is funny like that—timing of opportunities does not always align with where you are in life,
KRISTEN GORHAM is city manager of Chamblee, Georgia, USA.
and that is okay. While you may feel a professional obligation to say “yes,” ultimately you have to do what is right for you. There is nothing wrong with saying now is not the time, and waiting for the right opportunity if and when you are ready to take it on.
Navigating a significant amount of organizational, professional, and personal change would render enough of a reason to not pursue the job. Every ounce of perceived stability I had as an ACAO changed very quickly and suddenly. Personally, becoming a first-time mother in and of itself is daunting and a huge life change. Adding the element of becoming a first-time city manager on top of that seemed nearly impossible. However, I ultimately decided to lean into the opportunity and take on the challenge of stepping up. I wouldn’t have been able to reach that
conclusion without knowing I had a supportive family life, a fantastic team of employees, and a great body of elected officials who gave me the support and space to come to that conclusion on my own.
Regardless of what you choose, the interim role provides a great opportunity for ACAOs to get experience navigating the number-one spot. Don’t let professional obligations or pressure make you feel like it is now or never to take the leap permanently. Use it as a learning opportunity, ask for space and time to weigh your options, talk to your family and support network, and make sure you are able to clearly decide what is best for you.
TIPS For Effective Governing Body Meetings
The manager’s role is bigger than you think.
BY JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM AND TAMARA LETOURNEAU, ICMA-CM
Most city council or county board meetings are not noteworthy. They go smoothly. The business of the organization is done efficiently and there are no issues. When that happens, it is not by accident.
But so many things can go wrong at a city council or county board meeting. Unhappy people can show up that you didn’t expect. A board member could have a bad morning and come to the meeting cranky. The slide deck could have errors in it. Two items on the agenda could take an inordinately long time with public comments. The mayor might be newly appointed into that
role and not adept in running the meeting. Councilmembers may not be getting along. A particular board member may be regularly accusing staff of hiding something from the dias.
So what can a city or county manager do to create a pattern of smooth governing body meetings? The remarkable meetings should be those that have something particularly positive or exciting happening—not something filled with landmines.
Many things are actually within the manager’s control. There is a cadence to creating a regular, positive experience at your city council or county board meeting. With proper planning well
in advance of the meeting you can set the meeting up for success. Here are the items you can implement in your organization to achieve that success.
Before the Meeting
1. Build the Team.
This means creating a real team out of the governing body working together, with you, by having clear roles and norms that are practiced by all. Establish a foundation of constructive communications, assuming good intent of each other, expectations that board members will ask their questions of staff in advance of the public meeting, and similar practices. The role of the mayor and members of the council or board should be clearly understood, along with the role of the manager and attorney. By building the team and openly discussing and agreeing on roles and norms, the “main events” of the governing body—their meetings—will have a strong starting point.
2. Understand Your Role Relative to the Meeting. The city or county manager’s role is significant. It is to facilitate the entire council or board meeting process. With that in mind, the manager is the one who needs to be on the look out for problems or issues that could derail an agenda item or meeting. A great leader creates the environment where the members of the staff know and feel comfortable to come
The public’s business is done in public, and it is during these public meetings when staff shines or shortcomings are discovered.
to the manager and alert them when an issue is on the horizon so the manager can address it immediately.
3. Ensure Training for the Meeting Chair.
Chairing a meeting efficiently and effectively, and following proper protocols and norms, is a skill. It does not come
automatically just because someone is designated as chair (such as mayor, board president, or board chair). On many governing bodies, the meeting chair is a rotating position, which can mean that every year a new elected official takes on that role. Since council and board meetings are the largest responsibility of the mayor or board chair, it is a good practice to ensure that the chair is provided training in Robert’s (or Rosenberg’s) Rules of Order, how agendas are prepared, the role of the manager, the role of the attorney, and the cadence of the meeting. The manager not only is the person who can ensure this training is provided, but has a clear interest in helping the governing body to have an effective meeting chair.
4. Prepare the Agenda. Work with staff each week to plan the agenda and brief the mayor or board chair on the draft agenda.
Create a planning guide that forecasts agenda items well into the future (minimum of three months and even a year on some items) so that staff can plan and you can brief the council or board on what is coming. This forecast should come with a stated caveat that it is subject to change—but it is an important planning tool. This helps ensure that two major public hearings are not scheduled on the same agenda (if it can be prevented), and that adequate public notice and outreach is provided. It also helps staff from departments other than the lead unit to ensure that they have had adequate review and involvement. The agenda planning guide should be provided to the council or county board so they know what is tentatively coming before them.
Preparing the agenda also means determining the placement of items on the agenda and the order in which
they appear. For the manager, the careful order of agenda items needs to be planned in advance and well thought through. It is a key component to having smooth meetings.
The mayor or board chair may have some helpful input about the order of items or what to expect from the community, so briefing that individual during the draft agenda stage is a useful step.
5. Expect Quality Staff Reports.
The manager should ensure that staff have guidelines for what goes into the report, how they are to be written, the standards expected, timelines for submittal and review, and the overall quality. A template should be provided for consistency. Additionally, training is essential. It should not be expected that staff “automatically” know how
to write staff reports. A logical step is to train staff in expectations, and provide careful review and feedback. The staff reports are the mechanism by which the public and legislative body learn about the subject matter being discussed. This is the most critical written work of the organization and staff’s competence is judged by that work. It matters!
Quality staff reports anticipate council or board members’ questions. They answer the question whether there has been adequate public review for complex issues.
A good staff report provides a clear recommendation, executive summary, states the problem, and explains the process that was followed that leads to the recommendation (for example, public notice, commission or committee review, or environmental
impression in front of the public and governing body. It is worth taking the time to make sure the slide deck works, is readable, and that the presenter can smoothly go through the presentation (tip: without reading all the words on the slides).
7. Brief Governing Body Members.
The “no surprise” rule underlies this step.
review), and analyzes the alternatives. It indicates where the supporting materials be easily accessed by the public.
For complex or lengthy staff reports, it is important to give the governing body more time to read and digest the information, as well as to ask their questions. The standard few days before the meeting may not be enough. It is the manager’s job to anticipate these situations and plan for them.
6.
Conduct Dry Runs of Presentations.
As we like to say, “do not do your dry run in front of the city council.” Have a staff practice session in advance of the meeting so that when they appear before the council or board, they have the kinks worked out. You and your team have one chance at making a good
Brief the mayor or board chair about the agenda, what to expect, whether a group will be appearing, any unexpected facts that may have come up regarding an item, if something needs to be continued another time, or anything else that the chair needs to know to competently run the meeting. Include relevant department heads in this briefing if the matter is complicated. This briefing is a great opportunity to hear concerns of governing body members, and it will help your staff be ready to answer questions. Sometimes, by hearing the questions and concerns in these briefings, the manager can decide that the agenda item is not really ready to be heard—that more research is needed. Better to delay and do it right, than persist and find out that inadequate research was the cause of a vote that might end up requiring even more staff work.
For agenda items that are large issues, it is important to brief governing body members much farther in advance of the actual meeting where the item will appear. This is very practical. It can help the manager understand the community concerns through
Since these meetings are the way that policy is created, it is a good practice to evaluate them periodically.
the eyes of the governing body that will need to be addressed in the research, community outreach, and subsequent staff report. It also helps the governing body be prepared for what is coming. On controversial items, this is essential.
8. Prepare the Mayor or Board Chair for the Meeting.
Prepare a script for the meeting for the chair’s use. There should be a standard script, customized as needed per meeting. Even with an experienced mayor or board chair, we need to remember that in the moment, there is much going on and the chair must manage his or her colleagues on the dais, the public, the order of items on the agenda, and much more. Having a script helps the mayor or board chair stay on track. The mayor or board chair is the public face of the governing body and we want them to be most successful in that all-important setting. Go over the published agenda with the meeting chair prior to the meeting,
as well as any last-minute issues that may have arisen. It is a team effort and it is the manager’s job to help the chair be successful.
9. Review the Agenda with the Agency’s Legal Counsel, as Needed. When there are sticky issues to be discussed at the meeting, partnership with the city attorney or county counsel is critical. The attorney should be ready for the meeting and also help the manager be prepared. A conversation in advance is important and should include the mayor or board chair so that all parties are well prepared.
10. Provide Supplemental Information to All Members of Council. Sometimes additional information needs to be provided to the council after the report is published. When that is the case, all members of the council should be provided the same information.
During the Meeting
1. Help the Meeting Chair. Be mindful of what is going on in the meeting, watch for cues that you need to assist the chair, and if needed, suggest a break in the meeting. If things get heated in a meeting, a 10-15 minute break can be good for a reset. It can help the chair refocus or the manager or attorney clarify where they are on the matter at hand. If there is a major disruption during the meeting, then a break is needed to clear the room to calm the audience so business can resume.
2. Seek Clarification if Needed.
Don’t be afraid to jump in at the meeting to either provide clarification or ask for it on council or board direction. This is essential for the city or county manager to be able to properly direct staff on how to implement council or board policy. It does not do the governing body any favors to sit in silence and then guess their policy later. You are expected to know the direction given and if you are not clear, ask.
After the Meeting
1. Debrief with Your Staff. Clarify next steps to be taken. Discuss what could have gone better so that next time it can. This can include timing or placement of agenda items, the level of public engagement, the type of staff report prepared, the presentation provided, or any host of things. The manager’s job is to continually improve the quality of staff work that goes into the production of council or board meetings, so this debrief is important.
2. Check in with Governing Body Members.
After a tough meeting or agenda item, debrief with all members of the board to get a pulse on what they thought went well and what might have been uncomfortable. Use that as a learning opportunity.
3. Conduct a “Wellness Check” on the Meetings. Annually, convene with your council or board in a goalsetting session that includes a check-in on their norms for governing together and
reflect on their council or board meetings. This “wellness check” on their meetings can include agendas, preparation, briefings, outreach, whether questions are being asked in advance, or any host of things that go into how efficient and effective the meetings are. Since these meetings are the way that policy is created, it is a good practice to evaluate them periodically.
Conclusion
The manager controls much more than you might think when you are sitting in a meeting at 11:00 p.m. and wondering why it is going so late. You have a role before, during, and after the meeting. Are you missing any of the steps outlined in this article? Can you add the missing ones to your routine?
The public’s business is done in public, and it is during these public meetings when staff shines or shortcomings are discovered. Elected officials want to be proud of their manager and staff. When the meeting goes smoothly, the public’s business is done efficiently and effectively and everyone shines. A key role of the manager is to help make that happen.
JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM is vice president of Raftelis and a retired city manager.
TAMARA LETOURNEAU,
ICMA-CM is city manager of Laguna Niguel, California.
BY ROD GOULD, ICMA-CM, DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM (RETIRED), AND JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM
GOAL SETTING FOR TRACTION
Mistakes to avoid in setting priorities with your governing board and five solutions
Every local agency faces the essential dilemma of too many public needs chasing too few resources. Annual goal or priority setting1 with the governing body has long been considered a best practice in local government as a way to make decisions about which community priorities warrant an agency’s limited resources. However, too often these efforts fail to deliver the hopedfor results. Priorities can be quickly forgotten, goals not achieved, new items can be
thrown at staff during the year, and finger pointing and blaming can begin. When that happens, elected leader/staff relations suffer, and the priority- or goalsetting process itself becomes suspect. The local government’s public trust and legitimacy can even be weakened.
Goal setting often fails for one or more of these reasons:
• Unrealistic goals or too many goals.
• Lack of agreement on the process.
• Disconnect between the governing body’s goals and organizational capacity.
Examples of unrealistic goals:
• Eliminating homelessness in the community.
• Providing housing for all who need it.
• Fully preparing for any emergency.
• Curbing emissions by 50%.
• Reducing single occupant vehicles on the road by 30% within a year.
Examples of more realistic goals for one to three years:
• Establishing a new outreach program to connect the unhoused population with social services. (Staff milestones could include a contract with a nonprofit organization; engaging a minimum of 20 unhoused individuals during the first year of implementation.)
• Providing zoning for new affordable housing units. (Staff milestones could include accommodating 250 new units for low-income families.)
• Increasing the community’s readiness to respond to disasters. (Staff milestones could include training all staff in emergency preparedness by the end of the first year; updating the emergency preparedness plan by the end of the second year of the two-year budget cycle.)
• Transitioning the fleet to electric. (A staff milestone could include transitioning 20% of the special district fleet to electric by the end of the two-year budget cycle.)
• Promoting the use of non-single occupancy vehicle transportation options in the community. (Staff milestones could include developing and implementing a marketing plan including incentives.)
2. Focus on a Few Important Priorities. Even when the goals and priorities are in the realm of the doable, having too many also risks poor attainment. To be successful in reporting measurable attainment to the community, elected leaders should focus on a just a few (perhaps three to five) top goals for the year. What are their true priorities for extra attention by the organization’s management for the margin of capacity not consumed by daily services? This means prioritizing, compromising, delaying, or dropping some items. Moreover, the priorities must be explicit and attainable. Otherwise, the governing body’s priorities can become a laundry list of campaign pledges and personal agendas. Staff simply cannot make progress on them all. Trying yet failing to adequately address a large number of priorities is demoralizing for staff, frustrates elected leaders, and disappoints community members, as well as undermines the agency’s credibility.
The priorities, while being explicit, should also be at the policy level. It is staff’s role to turn them into actions. When the governing body gets into the “how,” roles get confused. In seeking goals, it is best to stay at the high level with the policy makers, while seeking clarity about what they are expecting, and having a conversation about whether those expectations are reasonable and achievable.
3. Create a Process for Narrowing the List. The process of winnowing down lists of goals or priorities to a handful must be carefully thought-out to avoid frustration.
The Delphi technique in the form of dot voting is an easy method to reveal which items enjoy the most governing body support. The rules of engagement need to be stated up front so all know what to expect. For instance, no multiple dots by a single elected official on one goal item, and a majority of the governing body needs to show dots on any given item for it to end up as a “priority” for the year (or years).
Sometimes it is useful to have “tier 1” and “tier 2” goals, with the tier 1 being the 3-5 top items for staff and elected official focus for the year, and tier 2 being another 3-5 (at the most) to pursue as resources permit, but not to get in the way of the top-tier priorities.
Meaningful goal or priority setting necessitates discipline. It is all too common that the elected body adds new items throughout the year to the approved list. If that happens, then the priorities set at the outset can easily be pushed to the side, causing failures and frustrations.
Yet local governments are dynamic institutions and things happen during the year that may justify reshuffling the annual goals or priorities. It must be understood and mutually agreed upon by the elected body that items can be added to the priority list if it comes with delaying or dropping previously approved items to free up the staff capacity and resources for the new item(s). Recognizing that staff capacity is finite is critical. If something is added to the top of the pile, something must come off the bottom.
A good practice is to talk with the governing body about criteria they will use in deciding whether something new should be added to the staff’s plate.
Or whether the “new idea” should just be put on a list for consideration at the next goal-setting session in a year or perhaps at a six-month check-in on status of the agreed-upon goals. If capacity exists to add something at that time, then it could be done.
The following are examples of criteria for deciding whether to add something to the list (and delay or delete something else):
• Is the new idea or initiative an emergency?
• Is there new outside funding that needs to be captured and timing is important?
• Is there a new multi-agency opportunity that is timesensitive and critical to the local government?
Otherwise, discipline should be exercised to not add new items to the plate. When things are added without regard to the agreed-upon goals, it falls to the chief executive to make the call about what his or her staff will spend time on—essentially doing the prioritization himself or herself. Intentional and transparent policymaking by elected leaders, with advice from professional staff, is the hallmark of high-functioning public agencies.
4. Create Strategic Action Plans to Operationalize Policy Makers’ Goals or Priorities.
Effective public organizations turn the policy makers’ agreedupon goals into strategic action plans. This is the staff’s role. After the elected body agrees upon a handful of goals or priorities for the year, the staff should return to the elected body (within a specific timeframe) with concrete actions or milestones to implement those goals or
priorities. This constitutes the staff’s work plan to operationalize the priorities, and it’s how accountability for the priorities can be tracked. These plans will then be synced with the budget, so when the governing body sees the budget, they will understand how their priorities are imbedded within it. Most of the goals that emerge from policy makers require more than one year to achieve, so by using this work plan or strategic action plan approach, staff can clearly show the timeline involved.
It is also how the staff and governing body can ensure
they are on the same page with expectations, as well as with budgetary and other resources needed to achieve the priorities. Staff should also explain what these discrete actions entail and answer the elected leaders’ questions.
This may well involve discussion, negotiation, and adjustments of the work plan items until the elected body and management are in alignment as partners, which is critical for success. It is a chance for the elected leaders and senior staff to work as a team in their respective roles and areas of expertise: policy-
making consistent with public needs married to effective and efficient implementation and administration.
The work plans then become the road maps that guide the departments beyond the rendering of day-to-day public services. See Figure 1 as an example.
5. Results Require Measurement and Accountability.
The fifth most common failure of local government goal or priority setting is failure to follow up, make course corrections, and ensure
accountability. This is the chief executive’s responsibility.
Metrics are needed to ensure staff accountability and governing board oversight. Are milestones specific and tangible with timelines so it is clear whether they are achieved (or not)? Did the results occur as expected or are course corrections needed?
Priorities must be incorporated into the budget and work plans of the departments and city manager, county administrator, or general manager.
Elected leaders should receive quarterly reports at
Reduce single occupant vehicles in town
(1) Open HOV lane on Cumberland Road.
(2) Charge for parking in municipal lot except for carpools.
(3) Add protected bike lanes to Main and Central Avenues.
(4) Ensure 10-minute headways on major transit routes of city bus system.
• Obtain budget augmentation for engineering.
• Complete the design.
• Prepare and distribute public information.
• Construct and implement.
• Draft ordinance for council consideration.
• Construct and implement.
• Complete design.
• Create public info materials/promote.
• Construct and implement.
• Determine major transit routes.
• Conduct cost analysis and identify implementation factors .
• Report to council.
• Establish implementation date of agreed-upon routes, with budget augmentation.
• Create public information material and distribute.
• Dates
• Dates
• Dates
• Dates
Figure 1
Your Priority/Goal-Setting Checklist
Be Realistic.
• Keep it all real and focused.
• Explicitly recognize how much of the budget and staff capacity is already spoken for in the provision of daily public services before the priority/goal-setting session.
• Keep a small amount of organizational capacity for new demands or emergencies during the year.
Focus on a Few Important Priorities.
• Limit the goals/priorities to three to five per year for sufficient focus and accountability.
• Acknowledge the multi-year nature of the priorities.
• Set 30,000-foot goals that are general in nature, but then tie them to objective, verifiable work plan actions or milestones developed by staff.
Create a Process for Narrowing the List.
• Exercise the discipline to add goals/priorities only as needed during the year while removing or delaying existing approved items to free up capacity if new goals/priorities are added.
• If there are anticipated budget and service cuts or big new demands, it may be useful to engage the public early in the process through outreach to commissions, committees, community focus groups, and online surveys.
regularly scheduled public meetings on progress made and difficulties faced in meeting the goals or priorities. This includes the chance for discussion and for the elected leaders to give direction for adjustments and recalibration as needed.
The chief executive should be collaborating with department directors between the reports to keep things on track and adapt to changing circumstances, while keeping the council or board appraised of significant deviations. At year’s end, the staff should prepare and present a report
on goal or priority attainment for public discussion at a governing body meeting. Goal attainment should figure prominently in the chief executive’s performance evaluation as well.
If the agency’s management system includes these steps, staff will be accountable and the council/board will be in the know and in its proper role of overseeing public agency progress toward agreed-upon goals/ priorities. The process is then repeated and becomes the way things are done. The local government gets traction and gains trust and credibility.
Create Strategic Action Plans to Operationalize Policy Makers’ Goals or Priorities.
• Create work plans or strategic action plans that clearly show how the goals or priorities will be carried out, with milestones and timelines included.
• Discuss the work plans with the governing body to ensure that the elected officials and management are operating with the same set of assumptions.
• Provide an opportunity for the governing body to make changes based on the new information, and/or to include resources in the budget so that the priorities can be achieved.
Ensure Accountability.
• Report on progress quarterly or at the sixmonth point (including successes and challenges encountered) in public meetings.
• Take stock annually and reset goals or priorities accordingly, but being mindful of the multi-year nature of most big goals.
• Reflect the priorities in the budget, departmental work plans, and evaluation of the executive.
Goal Setting for Success
Audit your goal- or prioritysetting process with these practices in mind for greater effectiveness and service to your community or constituents. Getting things done requires focus, being realistic, regular communication, and staying on track. Elected officials, staff, and the public served all gain as a result.
ENDNOTE
1 Although there are technical differences between goal setting and priority stetting, for the purposes of this article the terms will be used interchangeably. The common purpose
is to focus time, attention, and resources on the matters of greatest importance to the elected leadership of the agency.
ROD GOULD, ICMA-CM is chairman of the board of HdL Companies, a former ICMA Executive Board member, and retired city manager.
DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM (RETIRED) is ICMA’s liaison for Next Generation Initiatives.
JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM is vice president of Raftelis and a retired city manager.
The Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at the Harvard Kennedy School is hailed as a life-changing, transformational career development opportunity unlike any other.
The William Ferguson, Jr. Scholarship, awarded by ICMA, and named in honor of The Ferguson Group founder, will be awarded to an ICMA member to attend the 2025 program.
Criteria:
• Must be an ICMA member
• Must meet other scholarship criteria.
• Applications open December 9, 2024
• Application deadline: January 31, 2025.
DEFINING THE
ROLES
of Elected Officials and City/County Manager
Understanding the various roles of elected officials and how the CAO and staff can best support them.
BY JULIA NOVAK, ICMA-CM, TANISHA BRILEY, ICMA-CM, DR. JOHN NALBANDIAN, AND JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM
Management is a supporting and essential role in local governance. Management supports the organization, the community, and, of course, the governing body. There is a dance that managers must do with their elected officials as they navigate the curved and blurry line between politics and administration, but this symbiotic relationship is built on the foundational premise that management is a supporting role. To be clear, it is an active—not passive —role. Managers are also leaders, but within the context of their roles as head of the organization and policy advisor to the elected body.
Just as a manager’s role changes with each situation they encounter, the role an elected official plays also shifts and changes. In 2016, Julia Novak and Dr. John Nalbandian began working to define the various roles that local elected officials must play and to identify how those roles relate to effective governance. Since that time, they have worked with dozens of elected bodies to understand these roles, the activities associated with each role, and how elected officials envision they can enhance their own effectiveness.
These insights can be valuable to managers as they define the “support role” and understand what can be done to help their elected body govern effectively together. Support means leading, proposing, recommending, making decisions within the organization, and ensuring accountability. It is not passive and does not mean that managers wait for the governing body to initiate policy- or goal-setting. The manager is crucial in identifying what tools and resources will be helpful for the success of the community—at the governance level and within the organization. It is a partnership. The governing body cannot do it alone, nor can the manager.
The Roles
The six council governance roles identified by Novak and Nalbandian are Strategic/ Vision–Big Picture Thinker, Community Builder–Bringing People Together, Oversight, Trustee–Steward, Decision Maker, and Representative–Constituent Advocate.
or short term. This role often concentrates on the future and what might make a difference, while seeing possible connections and relationships and thinking beyond present data and constraints.
The Trustee–Steward role involves listening to and respecting constituent views.
may run counter to constituent wishes if the decision is in the interest of the greater good.
1.
The Strategic/Vision–Big Picture Thinker role focuses on decisions that can have a significant impact on the community, both long This
The Trustee–Steward feels responsible to the community as a whole, as well as future residents, and will make uncomfortable decisions that
When operating in the Representative–Constituent Advocate role, an elected official acts as a “customer service representative.” In this capacity, the elected official is a conduit between residents and local government services. Often, residents see this elected official as most responsive to their individual concerns.
In the Community Builder–Bringing People Together role, an elected official focuses on relationships and consensus building.
The Community Builder fosters relationships and can work through differences. Community is not just a casual word to the elected official who gravitates to this role.
The Decision Maker sees their role much like a judge, wherein information is presented, and the
Figure
Decision-Maker votes it up or down. This is not an easy role, but often it is a more passive role in contrast to that of the Community Builder.
In the Oversight role, the focus is on the accountability of manager/executive to the elected body.
Since their development in 2016, the six governance roles have been incorporated into retreats with governing bodies across the country. During these retreats, the groups discuss the activities associated with each of the roles and then individuals are asked to rank for themselves the roles that come most naturally.
It is interesting to note that none the more than 200 elected officials we have worked with identified Oversight as the role that they naturally gravitate toward, and yet this is the role that creates distance/ tension between staff and the governing body. The oftentoxic nature of public discourse has residents sometimes
demanding a vicious watchdog on the governing body to lord over the staff. That approach actually deepens the public’s distrust in their local government—if the elected officials distrust staff, how can the general public trust them?
Oversight must be seen as a constructive and intentional role that recognizes the governing body’s responsibility as an employer and as an entity that encourages public investment in the community.
Once we understand how each individual ranks and identifies with the six roles, we are able to provide an aggregate ranking or group profile. The following is the collective distribution of which roles governing bodies naturally gravitate toward:
1. Representative–Constituent Advocate.
2. Strategic/Vision.
3. Trustee–Steward.
4. Decision Maker.
5. Community Builder.
6. Oversight.
What can the manager and staff do in this supporting role to help the governing body achieve the best for their community?
Then they are asked to discuss what roles they should focus more on to enhance effectiveness. The following is the collective distribution of which roles governing bodies feel they should focus on to be (even) more effective:
1. Strategic/Vision.
2. Community Builder.
3. Trustee–Steward.
4. Representative–Constituent Advocate.
5. Decision Maker.
6. Oversight.
The challenge for managers is to support the governing body in each of the roles to enhance effectiveness. Figure 2 allows us to see the juxtaposition of a few key elements of this ranking. Generally speaking, Representative–Constituent Advocate is the number-one role that elected officials naturally gravitate toward and Community Builder is number five. When asked where to focus to enhance effectiveness, Community Builder jumps to number two and Representative–Constituent Advocate moves to number four. Finally, the Oversight role is the lowestrated role in both scenarios.
The Activities
A quick summary of activities associated with each role is shown in Figure 3. The reality for our elected officials is that there are times when these roles are in opposition to one another. Residents may be asking the council to vote a particular way on an issue because of how that decision impacts them in the moment, but the “Trustee” will consider long-term implications and perhaps make a different decision. When discussing this tension with Nalbandian at a council retreat, one councilmember described this as a mindset they take on when considering important decisions: “If I think of our residents, the voters, my neighbors, as my customers— then I am their customer service representative; but when I think of them as owners, then I am their trustee.” The Trustee is duty bound to make decisions in the best interest of the community, even despite “customer” opposition to do so.
Which roles elected officials naturally
What
roles elected officials want to pay gravitate toward… MORE attention to…
Representative–Constituent Advocate
Strategic Vision
Trustee–Steward
Decision-maker
Community Builder
Oversight
The Community Builder role deserves special attention since there is noticeable separation from actual and desired ranking. As elected officials think about moving the needle on their own performance as a governing body, they see the Community Builder role as a potential pathway. Parks, gathering areas, community centers, and town squares are physical spaces we can build and maintain that allow people to gather and be connected to their neighbors. Programming those areas with special events and celebrations encourages people to engage directly with the local government and the community.
Convening conversations about important community issues are also an opportunity to reinforce that the local government cares about the events and issues facing the community and wants to hear from residents. The balance, of course, is to create an environment for true civil discourse. Many of our traditional methods of getting public input, such as public hearings where people get three minutes to state their opinion, are not consistent with community building— or even real engagement.
Community building
In our work with hundreds of elected officials, only two governing bodies felt it was most important to focus on their Oversight role and, in both those situations, the manager moved on within the year.
is deeper. According to Nalbandian, “win-lose politics have no place if community building is the goal.”
Given the divergence between the actual role a governing body gravitates toward and their desired role, the question is, how do we do this? What can the manager and staff do in this supporting role to help the governing body achieve the best for their community? Our practical experience as consultants and managers suggests the following:
1. Intentionally plan for opportunities for the
Strategic Vision
Community Builder
Trustee–Steward
Representative–Constituent Advocate
Decision-maker
Oversight
governing body to fulfill each role, and create a time at council meetings where councilors can share their recent activities in the community. This publicly encourages councilors to reach out.
2. Create systems for efficiently addressing constituent concerns so elected officials can turn these issues over to the staff and not feel like they must be the ombudsman for the public, while at the same time, receiving credit for staff responses.
3. Refer to strategic plans and long-range goals when executing programs and projects to create connections between the daily work of the organization and the priorities of the elected officials. This could mean connecting agenda items directly to governing body priorities.
4. Discuss both short- and long-term consequences of action (or inaction).
5. Support the governing body in establishing ground rules for civility and mutual accountability.
6. Demonstrate accountability to the governing body by updating them on the status of agreed-upon priorities
and ensuring a meaningful process exists for performance evaluations. In Gaithersburg, Maryland, there is a long tradition of strategic planning, financial stewardship, civility, and community engagement. When Tanisha Briley became their city manager, her job was to build on this foundation and “level up” organizational performance. “The challenge was to take an already highperforming governing body and integrate new elected officials into the best part of the governance culture,” she said. “We did that by intentionally talking about the importance of working well together to achieve results and refreshing the strategic plan so the council was connected and committed to the long-term goals of the city.”
A Cautionary Conclusion
As was stated in the beginning, management is a supporting role— with leadership. While their primary focus is the complexity of service delivery issues, being successful in that role means supporting the governing body in each of theirs. The manager must carry them out with intention, being in tune
Figure 2.
Roles Associated Activities
• Strategic Planning
• Determining what is important in the short term
Strategic Vision
Representative–Constituent Advocate
Trustee–Steward
Decision-maker
Community Builder
Oversight
• Identifying community wants and needs
• Seeing interconnections
• Answering calls and emails from residents
• Connecting residents with the local government to help resolve issues
• Looking at the long-term implications of decisions
• Fiduciary role
• Reading briefing materials
• Participating in study sessions
• Listening to residents
• Voting
• Being present and listening to individuals and community groups
• Convening important community conversations
• Celebrating accomplishments
• Participating in events
• Conducting the manager’s performance evaluation
• Reviewing the audit
It takes a trusting partnership to foster alignment between “politics and administration.”
with the priorities of the elected officials, and being effective in translating those into administrative/service delivery decisions and results. We have facilitated governance conversations with dozens of governing bodies and hundreds of individual elected officials. Only two governing bodies
felt it was most important to focus on their Oversight role to improve effectiveness and, in both those situations, the manager moved on within the year. Accountability is an important part of being a local government professional and builds trust between the governing body and the administration.
It is equally important for the manager to identify processes and tools for supporting the governing body in achieving their objectives. It takes a trusting partnership to foster alignment between “politics and administration.” Getting important things done for the community and achieving aspirational goals are most successful within a collaborative mentality on the governing body and with the manager.
Original PM article published in August 2022 by Julia D. Novak, ICMA-CM, Tanisha Briley, ICMA-CM, and Dr. John Nalbandian. Updates provided in September 2024 by Julia Novak and Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM.
JULIA NOVAK, ICMA-CM is executive vice president of Raftelis.
JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM is vice president of Raftelis.
Figure 3.
Onboarding Beyond Orientation
Helping newly elected officials make the shift from campaigning to serving in the unique role of governing
BY JULIA NOVAK, ICMA-CM & JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM
Every election cycle brings fresh faces into local government, but are we preparing them for the real complexities of governing? While orientation programs for new officials have become standard practice, are we focusing on the right things?
Too often, orientation only highlights the operational side: field trips, work plans, ride-alongs, and departmental overviews. While the operational focus helps them understand the range of services provided, getting into detailed conversations about operations can inadvertently draw elected officials into the “doing” of dayto-day tasks that is the work of the manager/administrator.
The real work of the governing board is governing, and thus, onboarding should focus on how to make the shift from campaigning to serving in the unique role of governing. Governing is about making tough policy choices at times, establishing service levels, steering the future direction of the community, and working collaboratively with colleagues and staff!
One of the realities that often takes newly elected officials by surprise is that regardless
of whatever career they had prior to their election, they are not likely to have had direct experience as a member of a governing body that sets policy. Their prior training, education, experience, and expertise do not always directly translate to their role as an elected official.
Attorneys elected to a governing body aren’t there to serve as general counsel or provide legal advice to their colleagues or staff. Finance professionals aren’t elected to calculate the budget or conduct the audit; contractors aren’t elected to review plans and issue building permits. The elected officials’ job is to set policy and establish service levels through the appropriation process—and a majority vote of the body.
The reality of being part of a governing body can leave newly elected officials in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory.
There is an adage that says,
“You will find what you seek.”
The companion adage in this instance is, “They will go where you take them.” Is it possible that getting into the weeds of the work of the government actually invites them into staff roles? If so, then it is time to expand orientation and onboard them by helping the governing body prepare to focus on their real work, the policy trade-offs and complex decisions they will face, and the unique environment they will work in.
No doubt, there is a need to help the new governing body members (your board of directors) understand the complexity of the services they are responsible for providing to the community. But more importantly, we need to have conversations that focus our elected officials on what it means to govern together and the ideas of policy choices and value trade-offs. We can help
them learn the range of services, but if they do not understand their roles, governing together as a body will be challenging.
Understanding Their Roles
Good governance begins with an understanding of roles. While our instinct is to think of the governing body’s role as “policy” and the manager’s role as “administration,” there is far more to their job than navigating the politics/ administration dichotomy.
In 2016, Dr. John Nalbandian and Julia Novak identified six roles that elected officials will play. Explaining those roles should be embraced as part of the onboarding process. An article that further defines these roles appeared in Public Management Magazine in August 2022.1 See the previous article in this issue (page 20), which provides some basic definitions of each
role for reference. While each member of a governing body may be drawn to one role versus another, they all will perform each role at different times as they serve on the governing body.
Discussing the roles and the activities that are associated with them can be a useful part of onboarding. The roles can be misunderstood and become unproductive when taken to the extreme. While sometimes the public is a demanding (and perhaps vicious) watchdog, the reality is that the governing body’s role is to perform the oversight role through the executive. The 2022 article points out that it is unusual for a governing body to believe their effectiveness is actually enhanced by tuning into this role. The governing body is uniquely situated to plan for the long-term future of the community (strategic vision/ big-picture thinker) and bring
the community together through the community builder role.
More than a Legislator Council-manager government is inherently different from the model we see in our state and federal governments. In those two government levels, the legislative and executive branches are separated, and the judicial branch combines to create a system of checks and balances.
In our council or board/ professional manager form of government, the legislative and executive “branches” are combined, with the executive directly accountable to the governing body. So rather than a legislative branch of the government, the elected officials become a member of a governing body that provides direction in a singular voice. They have no power or authority individually;
collectively, they determine the policy direction and appoint the accountable professional executive.
Dr. John Nalbandian points out that a board member or councilmember cannot use a state or federal legislator as their role model for how to govern because it is not at all the same. Councilmembers or board members must work together to lead the community. Jim Oliver, the former city manager of Norfolk, Virginia, observed that “effective elected officials recognize that their most important constituency is one another—if they want to get anything done!”
Our system is designed to have a governing body that works together. It takes a majority vote to move any policy forward. This means that negotiation and compromise are skills of the political craft.
In onboarding, we include the charter or ordinance prohibition of individual councilmembers, or board members directing staff, and we brief them on how the chief executive prefers communications to take place. This is important to enable the chief executive to carry out their role in managing the organization. But we must dive deeper into the power the elected body has collectively and the need to work with colleagues to accomplish their individual priorities.
Protect the Brand
The governing body plays a key role in setting the tone for the organization and the community. What does public discourse look like and sound like? How are disagreements handled? How are people treated, including staff, community members, and one another on the governing board? We in government can sometimes grow exhausted from
hearing that “government should be more like a business” because we know that there are very real limitations on how we must operate and provide services that consider more than the bottom line. However, the “run like a business” analogy has some helpful aspects that we can use with our elected officials.
Our governing bodies do operate in some ways like a private sector board of directors. If we accept this, then we also know that the numberone responsibility of the board is to protect the brand! So much depends on the tone that is set by the elected body.
Major business investments are often tied to the stability and predictability of the elected body, their policy decisions, their long-range planning, and whether they are acting in productive ways. Do businesses considering investing in the community think the governing body is focusing on the right things? When they watch council or county board meetings, is a positive and respectful tone observed? Are executive session conversations kept confidential? When potential department head candidates watch council meetings, what do they see?
If the elected body demonstrates a distrust for staff in a public setting, the public will wonder if they can trust the organization. While problems may exist in the organization, it is not helpful for the governing body to call out staff in a public arena. Problems need to be addressed with the chief executive, who in turn is responsible for what goes on in the organization.
We need to help our elected officials understand that what they say and how they say it
matters a great deal—either to build a positive sense of community and a great place to work and invest—or not. The advice, “praise in public, correct in private” serves everyone well.
Newly elected governing body members also need to appreciate that they now represent the organization as an employer. They are best served when staff can comfortably share information, knowing their professional reputation and integrity will be guarded by their elected officials.
The question for the elected body to ponder on the dais and in the public eye is, “How is what I am doing and saying affecting the value of our brand?”
Support Their Group Development
Sometimes elections can be challenging—things are said, prior decisions may be criticized, and feelings can be hurt. Newly elected officials will have to come together with those already on the board to form a cohesive body. That takes intention. The onboarding process is an important part of that, as is regular one-on-one communication with the manager and perhaps the mayor/chair. Retreats where the governing body can discuss their aspirations for the community, how they will govern together, and what they hope to accomplish together are also important components of starting well.
Some Onboarding Tips
1. Provide a high-level (not detailed) overview of the government’s services and explain the governing body’s role in those services.
Note that it is not to solve specific problems, but rather focuses on:
• Establishing service levels through the budget.
• Adding programs and adopting policies through a public process.
• Referring constituents to staff for follow-up of specific complaints using an established process.
2. Review the roles and limitations of the governing body and how it is grounded in the form of government:
• Hire and evaluate their direct reports (e.g., chief executive officer/city manager/general manager; chief legal counsel, etc.)
• Establish policy through a public process and vote of the governing body.
• Keep the chief executive informed about community interests and concerns.
• Establish goals and priorities for the coming year or more through a collaborative, public process of the governing body and chief executive.
• Communicate through the chief executive and their designated process.
3. Review the adopted norms and protocols and how that helps move the government forward in meeting its goals:
• Protect the brand and foster civility.
• Foster a collaborative mindset to move the community forward.
• Promote agreement for periodic check-ins on the governing body’s norms, ways of working together, working with staff, and working with the community.
4. Discuss what the newly elected official can expect
from the chief executive to help the new individual be successful in the new role:
• Regular communications and the same information to all members of the governing body.
• Accessibility.
• Problem-solving.
• Partnership.
• Encouragement to participate in regional and state professional associations for continuous learning and relationship-building.
5. Describe what the chief executive needs from the newly elected official (for all to be successful).
• Regular communications.
• Raising questions as issues arise.
• Respecting roles.
• Respecting workload, priorities set by the governing body as a whole, and working within established protocols.
Thoughtful Onboarding for Desired Results
Being thoughtful about designing an onboarding process that introduces elected officials to the organization and their role in it will yield benefits. Regular communication builds trust, and it is essential to plan to support their development as members of the governing body.
JULIA NOVAK, ICMA-CM is executive vice president of Raftelis.
JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM is vice president of Raftelis.
CONFRONTING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRUST DILEMMA,
Part 1
BY RICK DAVIS, ICMA-CM
The first in a three-part series on communitybased strategic planning as an approach to building trust
As I sometimes reflect upon my college days, particularly my graduate studies, I do not recall a single discussion, a single concept presented that touched deeply on the subject of trust as an essential element of local governance. There were meanwhile more than an abundance of lectures and assignments that seemed to focus on finance, budgeting, and statistics. However, it seemed that no one was talking, at least in the early ’90s, about how to engender trust with residents. That dearth continued into my early working years when I became an assistant to the mayor and chief administrative officer.
On one occasion, during one of my very first encounters with real residents, I was asked to moderate a meeting with angry residents who were convinced that one of our city’s stormwater conveyance canals was leaking into their basements. The tests the city performed
showed that it was not our water seeping into their homes. Because we had introduced dye into our water and the water penetrating the adjacent homes failed to show the dye, we concluded that naturally migrating ground water was likely the culprit. I couldn’t wait to see their faces when I introduced my irrefutable evidence and conclusion.
I began the meeting, overhead transparencies in hand, and introduced our staff and myself. Then I launched into my presentation. To my astonishment, they did not believe me! In fact, many talked over me, interrupted me, and a few actually walked out. Frustrated at one point, I snapped my fingers at one of the residents and insisted, “Hey, I’m talking here!” Despite my best efforts and preparations, the meeting was a complete failure. “How could they refute the evidence?” I muttered as I slinked back to my office. The reality I would learn years later is that it wasn’t about the data. It was about trust. It wasn’t that the information was wrong or that the conclusions were off target. They simply didn’t trust me. Heck, I think I could have told them the sky was blue, and they still probably wouldn’t have believed me.
Jim Collins, in his groundbreaking book, Good to Great, introduces something he dubbed the “Hedgehog Concept.” A Hedgehog Concept is a crystal clear, concise statement that describes in no uncertain terms why an organization exists, and as such sits at the intersection of three conclusions: (1) What you are deeply passionate about, (2) What you can be best in the world at, and (3) What drives your resource engine? Collins meanwhile states that the resource engine has three basic components: time, money, and brand. In contrasting that concept with the realities of the social sectors, Collins concludes that, to a large degree, social sector resource engines are fueled by our ability to engender public support. After more than 30 years in the social sector, I believe I’ve seen enough to conclude that what actually drives our resource engine in local government is trust. Without it, the wealthiest communities are left impotent. With it, even poorer communities can do great things.
Our Shared Trust Dilemma
If you’ve been in the local government business for a while, think of that one city. It could be right next to yours, in the general area, or maybe it is yours! Regardless, the community always seems to be in some state of upheaval. Their residents frequently appear to be outraged about this or that, and extremism is everywhere, along with conspiracies galore. There’s a lot of elected and administrative transition, low voter turnout (just the outraged show up to vote), you get the picture. All of these symptoms and more are in reality signs of a trust deficit. Actually, more than a few local governments are afflicted by trust deficits. Unfortunately, instead of addressing the root cause—the trust gap itself—they hack at the branches. “Let’s have a citizen appreciation day!” “How about we fire the city manager?” And an oldie but goodie, “Let’s lower the property tax rate!” Disappointment usually sets in when they realize they can’t fill a trust gap with free stuff, throwing money at people, or even offering up a human sacrifice. They must build trust!
It’s not that local governments, compared to the federal and state governments, do all that bad. In fact, according to a Gallup study
going all the way back to 1972, local government in the United States stands head and shoulders above its counterparts in terms of its ability to generate trust. Still, it has scarcely in that period of time pierced the 70th percentile. Sadly, about a third of citizens do not trust their local government, meaning they do not have confidence that their local government has the desire and/or capacity to address the issues that they believe are most important to them. That’s why, when it comes to trust, I call local government “the prettiest horse in the glue factory.” We may be better than the federal or state government, but that ain’t sayin’ much. And while we may not be getting much worse, we certainly haven’t been getting better over the last half-century.
As an American people, we have weathered a dozen armed conflicts, four world pandemics, five full-out recessions, a variety of bubble bursts and other economic meltdowns, and a number of national scandals since 1972, but the stats do not appear to support the conclusion that any of these have had a direct impact on trust in local government. Actually, what cities and counties do or don’t do impacts trust more than anything. Certainly, headlines sporting unfortunate incidents in other communities don’t help engender trust in local government; we conclude that to some degree, what happens to one of us impacts all of us. I nevertheless assert that regardless of bad news at home and abroad, regardless of stories coming out of communities far from us or even next door, it is what we are not doing that is perpetuating our chronic trust deficit.
There are two kinds of cities: those with a trust deficit and those who are actively building trust with their residents. Trust is not static. You are either building it or backsliding into a deficit.
caring enough to completely understand a need and then acting upon that understanding with professional will and capability. Competency is not talent or ability alone. If we do not do as Covey counsels, “seek first to understand,” we cannot demonstrate our competency and therefore cannot generate trust.
This concept that trust is the construct or product of both trustworthiness and competency wasn’t an entirely new concept to me when I entered the public sector in 1994. In the 1980s, I had a public relations career going, and the Stephen R. Covey organization was a client of mine. I was therefore well aware of the Covey perspective of trust. However, as absurd as this may seem, once I became engaged in the social sector, at least early on, I failed to be introspective enough to realize that our city might be guilty of the same trustdepleting behavior as the business world had been engaged in for decades. Ironically, it was an experience with the private sector that caused an epiphany.
Those of you who have read my book, Elevating Trust in Local Government, know that I relate a horrific customer service experience in the form of the “Parable of the Chicken Sandwich.” I won’t spoil the story for those who have not yet read it, but the saga involves the efforts of a restaurant manager to force me to accept something that I had not ordered. In fact, nearly the entirety of his energy during that encounter was expended on the exercise of convincing me of the quality of what he had provided, regardless of whether it was wanted.
To explain what I am saying here, I have another story. While living in Arizona years ago, I was advised by those who had resided there much longer than our family that termites are simply a reality of living in the Sonoran Desert. In fact, one neighbor told me, “There are two kinds of homes around here: those with termites and those about to have termites.” That would have made a great slogan for an extermination company! Similarly, there are two kinds of cities: those with a trust deficit and those who are actively building trust with their residents. Trust is not static. You are either building it or backsliding into a deficit.
The Crucial Ingredients of Trust
Stephen R. Covey, the late management guru and author, pointed out that trust is generated when trustworthiness and competency collide. In other words, if we want to build trust, we have to show both characteristics. University of Houston researcher and author Brene Brown described trustworthiness like this: “It’s choosing courage over comfort; choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast, or easy; and practicing your values, not just professing your values.” I have defined trustworthiness as that quality that merits another person’s extension of trust; and that quality entails everything Brene Brown describes. It is an authenticity that people feel when they, as author Simon Sinek describes, perceive that you share their values and have their best interests at heart. Competency, on the other hand, entails
In the moment, of course, I was not entirely reflective and philosophical about the incident. I just wanted to put as much distance between me and that restaurant as possible. However, much later, a terrible question bubbled to the top. “Could we at city hall be guilty of the same kind of trust-corrosive behavior?” My organizations through the years have always been full of genuine, dedicated, talented people who work hard every day. The vast majority of those with whom I’ve worked have done a superb job in making life better for thousands. This much has never been in question, any more than I questioned the quality of the product the restaurant manager was forcing upon me. The question is often going to be, “Is this what our residents are expecting us to do for them?”
I am afraid that many of our colleagues, as I once did, naively think that an election process largely satisfies the community’s appetite for self-determination and governance. One senior gentleman put it this way to me, “When I was a boy, my older brothers played a game called ‘keep away.’ They’d throw the ball above me and around me, so I couldn’t touch it. Now, every election, it feels like I’m just electing new people to play keep away.” The reality is that many residents want to be involved in defining the future of their community beyond election day. The fact that such an opportunity rarely materializes for them may help explain why voter turnout sits at historic lows.
At the same time, I recall seeing an ICMA State of the Profession report showing that just one-third of the 66% of cities that even
have a strategic plan made the effort to involve their residents in that process in any meaningful way. Even fewer have translated their plans into real action. This is why I have been, over the last decade, advocating for a community-based approach to strategic planning. Such an initiative allows us to ultimately demonstrate both essential elements of trust: trustworthiness and competency. As we engage our residents in defining the future of their community, truly listening to what they believe will most likely elevate their quality of life, we most assuredly demonstrate trustworthiness. By then delivering on those expectations, we show our competence. Why would any of us ever distrust a person or institution we knew completely understood our desires and then repeatedly demonstrated a competence in delivering on those expectations?
The Importance of Engaging Your Residents in the Process
I recognize that by exclusively espousing this concept of community-based strategic planning, I may appear myopic and insensitive to the reality that there are other ways to demonstrate both trustworthiness and competency. If so, I apologize. The key isn’t that you take your residents through the next strategic planning process with you. The key to trust building is that you demonstrate trustworthiness and competency to them. It’s just that I haven’t found a more effective exercise for accomplishing this than communitybased strategic planning, followed by robust implementation of the plan.
So at this point, it is my hope that we share an understanding that all of us in local government suffer from a trust dilemma; that we are either building trust within our community or that trust is declining; that a trust deficit can manifest itself in a variety of ways that make local governance difficult at best and impossible at worst; and that the best way to build trust is to demonstrate our trust worthiness and competency.
I believe I have also made it abundantly clear that a communitybased approach to strategic planning is not the only way to demonstrate both trustworthiness and competency. It is simply the most effective approach I have found so far. Meanwhile, you may ask rhetorically, “Aren’t there cities and counties that enjoy great trust while never having implemented a community-based approach?” While visiting with a city council in Colorado several years ago, I was asked whether it was my opinion that their city ought to scrap their current strategic plan in favor of pursuing a community-based approach. They had described their current plan as the construct or creature of a few councilmembers, senior staff, and a lay citizen. Together they had composed an unambiguous blueprint for their city’s future, complete with goals, metrics, timelines, and strategies. However, beyond a few less-than-wellattended open houses, they had not involved their residents to any great degree in creating the plan.
As I often do when posed with similar questions, I asked a Dr. Phil-style question of my own. “Well, how well is the current
plan working for you?” They replied that they felt like it was working well and that surveys showed that their services were appreciated—highly valued, in fact—and that trust was robust. I then answered their question, “Sounds like you’re doing all the right things. I wouldn’t recommend that you throw the baby out with the bathwater. What I would recommend is that the next time you update your plan you consider bolstering resident involvement and input earlier in the process.” There are certainly cities and counties—and you may be currently serving in one— that appear to be doing all the right things. Their residents love their local government, trust is sky high, and life is good. May I first congratulate you if such describes your circumstances, but to you and everyone else, may I suggest a few things.
First, remember that trust is fluid. Nothing in our business is static. We are either building trust or trust is declining. If you’ve been around local government for any appreciable amount of time, you know what I’m talking about. Communities that were once bastions of progress and trust declined into unstable, almost schizophrenic basket cases, and vice versa. It is therefore incumbent upon us to always seek ways to build trust. Second, one can certainly hit the center of a dartboard with eyes shut, but why on earth wouldn’t you prefer to open your eyes before you launched your dart? Wouldn’t you want to maximize the chances that you’ll hit the target?
It has always perplexed me why some cities not only neglect but downright refuse to involve their residents in the strategic planning process. Said one of my colleagues, “It’s not that we haven’t tried to involve our the community in strategic planning. We just haven’t found the exercise fruitful.” I recently heard a resident, if you can believe this, during the public comment portion of a council meeting, as the elected body contemplated a strategic planning initiative, declare, “We’re already heading north, and we don’t need a bunch of residents telling us we ought to be heading south!” Astounding. It’s as though the manager in my parable was telling the girl up front, “Look, they may come in looking for chicken sandwiches, but tell them we’re too busy right now cooking hamburgers.”
You may indeed be able to hit the target of the dartboard with your eyes shut, but you won’t be able to do it repeatedly. And your customers may shut up and eat their burger now, but they won’t do it forever. Therefore, in part two of this article series, I’m going to share a simple approach to strategic planning using methods that I’m sure you’ve already employed. There’s nothing secret or proprietary this approach. In fact, I don’t even claim to have invented it. So, in my next article, I’m going to give you an extremely high-level description.
RICK DAVIS, ICMA-CM, is assistant city manager of League City, Texas, USA. He is the author of Elevating Trust in Local Government: The Power of Community-Based Strategic Planning. (rick.davis@leaguecitytx.gov)
The New Council Is In Place, Now Where Can I Find This Robert Fella Who Has the Rules?
The importance of training your newly elected board
BY JOHN MANNING
Does your governing body consist of the lawyer, the teacher, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker? Did they run for office due to a passion to serve, build their resume, free time in retirement, or “to fix this place”? Regardless of the who or why, what is most important is the what and the how—what are they going to do and how are they going to do it? And the way you help set them up for success is through training, but much more than what many may refer to as
orientation. After an election, the most important function of a city/county management team is to help prepare the new council/board team by providing them with the training they need to succeed personally, as a governing body, and for their constituents. While city/county governing boards are composed of community members with diverse backgrounds, they are tasked with navigating the complex challenges and crucial decisions that impact
everyone’s lives—and usually without the experience required to do the job. The goal of training is to improve capability, productivity, and performance. This is precisely why comprehensive training is not just beneficial but critical for the newly elected. And timing is critical. This training must occur as soon as possible since there really is no transition period. Board meeting numberone is a board meeting where the business of the city/ county is expected to occur regardless of the longevity of the councilmembers. Their first board meeting will likely be indistinguishable from any other, thrusting them headfirst into the deep end of complex discussions and demanding decisions
with full authority on day one. Additionally, there can be a steep learning curve caused by being in the unfamiliar territory of local government laws, budgeting, and the many unknowns or actions required outside a candidate’s campaign platform. Staggered election cycles further complicate matters, creating uneven experience levels within the board and hindering its effectiveness. To help the board members “form, storm, norm, and perform” on behalf of the city/county, it is critical to not only provide them with the training they need, but to do so immediately after an election. While the topics for new councilmember training are vast, prioritizing two key areas can be game-changing:
understanding the council’s strategic role and mastering effective meeting management’. Imagine a council in which their meetings are efficient and decisions well-informed thanks to members who understand the nuances of parliamentary procedure and strategic planning. Mastering the tools for conducting effective governing body (aka business) meetings fosters efficient and effective decisionmaking, active engagement, and clear communication. Additionally, understanding the strategic view of the council’s ’role allows members to contribute meaningfully and collaboratively, ensuring they serve not just as individuals but as a cohesive unit driving the organization’s success. I have
found success by conducting discussions with the following five specific topic areas and points for the members to consider.
1. Putting Municipal Democracy into Action
I always like to start with a reminder about their specific voters. While every city/county is different, it is highly likely that only 10% of the population voted and that each member won by a very small margin of that very small percentage. But the election is over, and they now represent their entire ward/district, including those who voted against them. Early on in training, it is also a good idea to remind them of their mission to focus on their constituents and to dedicate
themselves to activities that impact this group. A key point to make is to remind them to stay engaged with their constituents. For instance, “In April, your residents voted for you so that you could vote on their behalf, but don’t forget to maintain contact with them so you know what they want and need. A routine ‘coffee with your councilmember’ is a great way to keep the lines of communication open.”
This is also a good time to remind them that regardless of their election platform, they are now the “owners” of the city/county “platform.”
A great example is a preview of the city ordinances—the ordinances that they are now the authors and owners of, regardless of when they were
elected. This is also a good opportunity to highlight their role in sponsoring changes and/or future ordinances and policies—actions that are impactful to their city/county. These discussions also help with the realization that the board sets the ordinances/ policies that are executed by the professional city staff on their behalf and for their constituents.
2. Visualizing Their Area of Focus
Show your board or council an image similar to Figure 1, which demonstrates the complex world that an elected official navigates. One particular Area of Responsibility represents their ward or district made up of the specific residents who elected them. Next comes the Area of Operation, encompassing the entire city/ county they serve alongside their fellow governing body members. But the responsibility doesn’t stop there. The outermost ovals and circles,
the Areas of Interest, represents areas outside the physical boundaries of the city/county that can have a significant impact on life within the city/ county. As we all realize, we vote where we sleep, so this Area of Focus topic provides the opportunity to highlight all the nuances influenced by
the board’s decision-making, such as the number of business owners who live outside the voting districts but hold business licenses within the voting districts. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist described this perfectly: “The imaginary line defining a city’s corporate limits cannot corral
the influence of municipal actions. A city’s decisions inescapably affect individuals living immediately outside its borders.”
3. Appreciating the Fundamentals
Just like people need food and shelter before they can pursue higher goals, cities thrive on a foundation of essential services. Analogous to Maslow’s psychological hierarchy of needs, this framework underscores the significance of addressing fundamental municipal elements before embarking on transformative endeavors. This helps show and describe the work of the various departments and services within the city staff and points out the relevance of some city elements that the governing body may not be fully aware of. Just as Maslow emphasized physiological needs as the cornerstone of human well-being, in urban planning, a focus on utilities and public works is the bedrock for community vitality.
Area of Responsibility Ward 1
Area of Responsibility Ward 2
Area of Responsibility Ward 3
Area of Operation (all)
Areas of Interest (not all-inclusive)
Figure 1. An Elected Official’s Areas of Focus
This conversation lends itself well to also explaining to your board the concept of land acquisition, re-zoning, and lifecycle management of equipment. Products are developed, mature, and decline; buildings are designed, built, used, and eventually demolished; roads are planned, designed, built, maintained, and eventually destroyed. Everything has a life cycle and associated costs in each phase of the cycle. When considering the cost of annexing five acres of land, at what point of annexation or during an increase in housing developments will you have to consider hiring additional police and emergency management personnel? What is the cost-benefit of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride versus crosslinked polyethylene pipes for often-frozen sandy soil in new housing areas? Remind your newly electeds that nothing lasts forever and there are costs associated with growth.
4. Seeing the Moving Parts of an Emergency Response
Another great way to allow the board members to have a good understanding of city services is to set up an emergency management training exercise. A good training exercise will allow them to realize the resiliency level of the city/county, the professionalism of the staff, how the elected officials should engage in emergencies, and the importance of communication and leadership skills critical to working through a crisis. Leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and
To help board members “form, storm, norm, and perform” on behalf of the community, it is critical to not only provide them with the training they need, but to do so immediately after an election.
them to use the obituary as somewhat of an individual preamble before every board meeting to help them stay on track with their vision. As we all learned from Dr. Stephen Covey, “begin with the end in mind,” and a well-crafted, personalized obituary will help keep elected officials on the path to achieving their goals.
All That Other Stuff
your governing body understands the basics, at the very least. After all, “He who masters Robert’s Rules rules the order.”
Conclusion
improving the organization. Leadership in emergency situations—situations that are volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—is helping everyone understand the standard, processes, and procedures, combined with bold, inspirational, fearless, and focused determination to make the tough calls on behalf of the community. Board members should see this type of activity during training exercises before the inevitable real-life emergency.
5. Defining Their Role by Considering Their Legacy
I always like to end the initial training sessions with a request that each member consider writing their “council/board member obituary.” This is another (slightly more dramatic) way to ask them to define their goals and how they want to be viewed and assessed by their constituents at the end of their term. Encourage
Yes, for everyone who onboards new members of their governing body, provides their initial introduction to the community, and prepares them for their first public meeting, I realize this article is missing many topics. Other items that should certainly be part of the onboarding process:
• What is the budget cycle and what are the engagement points of the governing body members?
• When and how do we develop our overarching strategy along with the comprehensive plans?
• When is the city/county manager’s contract up and what is the process to retain or replace?
• How do we measure the performance of individuals and departments?
• How and when do we prepare the State of the City/County address?
• What committee seats are available and how do we fill them?
• What are the tools and processes we use to address our residents?
• And who can forget Robert—General Henry Martyn Robert, the author of America’s foremost guide to parliamentary procedures? Make sure
As I look at the ICMA Code of Ethics, I can’t help but think that one good way to ensure our adherence to Tenets 4, 5, and 6 is to develop robust and tailored training programs for our newly elected council/ board members so that they can hit the ground running, make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and lead with confidence. A good training program is not simply a box-ticking exercise; it’s an investment in building competent, confident leaders who can serve their communities to the best of their ability. Remember, a training program is not a one-size-fits-all solution. I recommend the simple ADDIE (analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate) process to start tailoring a training program that fits your unique situation. Competent, ethical leaders foster public trust, attract talented professionals, and drive sustainable growth. By investing in comprehensive training for your governing body, you’re not just ticking a box; you’re building a foundation for a brighter future for your community. Start today, and watch your community thrive under the guidance of informed, confident leaders.
JOHN D. MANNING is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a former assistant city manager.
Do More Arrests Reduce Crime?
TO REDUCE CRIME, YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON OUTCOMES.
BY SHANNON J. LINNING, PhD, TOM CARROLL, ICMA-CM, DANIEL W. GERARD, AND JOHN E. ECK, PhD
This is the fourth in a series of six articles about crime reduction.
Where Should Your Focus Be?
Imagine this scenario, based on true events: An intoxicated driver kills a mother and child in a vehicle collision. The event leads to residents packing the next city council meeting. They line up at the podium to demand action, usually to “get tough on crime” and hire more officers.
The city manager and police chief agree to increase patrols, ramp up publicized sobriety checkpoints, and authorize overtime. They also pledge to assign a community liaison officer to visit all licensed bars and alcohol-selling stores to assess their safe serving and selling practices.
In a subsequent council meeting, the city manager reports that there has been a reduction in arrests for intoxicated driving, a reduction in crashes involving intoxicated drivers, and a reduction in hospitalizations linked to collisions.
Residents question the city manager as to why arrests have gone down and why they have not seen any additional officers patrolling in their neighborhood. Some residents accuse the police of not taking intoxicated driving seriously. Should residents be upset? Did the police fail?
Stories like this are common. Faced with a crime problem, many people leap to increasing arrests and hiring more officers as the solution. City officials often acquiesce. Complying with such requests can demonstrate sympathy
but it rarely solves the problem.1 There often are more effective tools to reduce crime. In this article, we will show why arrest- and hiring-fixations blind people to alternatives that work better.
What Will Solve Your Crime Problems?
Focusing on Outcomes. The residents in our example fell into a common trap: they focused on the wrong parts of the crime prevention process. Let’s break down the process into four parts: inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes (see figure 1).2
Inputs are the things you use to produce outcomes. This includes hiring more officers, officer salaries and benefits, buying equipment for the police department, fuel for police cars, information technology, and so on. The processes put those inputs to use. In our example, processes included meeting with the employees of alcohol-selling establishments and carrying out sobriety checkpoints. Processes produce outputs. In policing, this often includes the number of arrests made, community meetings attended,
Inputs
Resources, raw materials, clients, and staff that go into a program
Examples:
• # of officers
• # of police cars
• Computer software
tickets issued, successful prosecutions, and so on. Outputs are not indicators of success; although occasionally they indicate that the process is working. But many outputs produce costs. Vehicle stops, for example, interrupt people’s lives, thereby producing a cost. The number of community meetings may produce benefits, such as increased trust in the police, but this is done at the cost of the time participants could have spent doing other things.
Outcomes are the impacts that the outputs have on the problem. In our example, the desired outcome was a reduction in crashes involving intoxicated drivers and the reduction in hospitalizations linked to collisions. Usually, outcomes can be described as reductions in harmful events— the events that infuriate the public.
In our example, rather than keeping their eyes on the reduction of crashes, injuries, and deaths averted, residents fixated on the number of arrests. But arrests are an output, not an outcome. It is possible that the liaison officer who worked with place
Arrest fixations
and hiring
fixations
blind people to alternatives that work better.
managers of alcohol-selling businesses successfully reduced the number of intoxicated people getting behind the wheel.3 If true, then fewer people are driving while intoxicated. And if fewer people are driving while intoxicated, then fewer people are eligible for arrest. This means the police achieved their goal of fewer crashes, injuries, and deaths (outcomes) while simultaneously reducing the number of arrests (an output). Another reason arrests should not be the goal is because crime is highly concentrated. We discussed this in our second article.4 While only a few places experience most of a city’s crime, there is also a concentration of offending; only a tiny fraction of people commit crime. A systematic review of 73 studies found that “the most active 10% of offenders account for around 41% of crime.”5
Processes
The sequence of activities generated by a program
Examples:
• Patrolling
• Responding to calls
• Investigating
The offender concentration becomes even more pronounced when you look at violent crime. In Fort Myers, Florida, USA, for example, 0.3% of the city’s population were responsible for 67% of the city’s homicides and non-fatal shootings between 2012 and 2017.6 In Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 0.3% of the city’s population committed 75% of the city’s homicides between June 2006 and June 2007.7 Thus, devising strategies to increase arrests is misguided. Instead, your officers should focus arresting only the tiny fraction of people committing most of the crime.
Arrests continue to be a focus of the public, politicians, and administrators because they are easy to count. At best, arrests indicate “something” was done but they do not show that the right thing was done. You need to look beyond arrests. A similar logic explains why hiring more officers is unlikely to reduce crime.
Outputs
The immediate result of the processes
Examples:
• # of stops
• # of tickets
• # of arrests
Outcomes
The impact that the process had on the problem
Examples:
• Fewer intoxicated drivers
• Fewer unwanted events
• Fewer harms per event
Figure 1. Focus on Outcomes
Will Hiring More Police Officers Reduce Crime?
Following significant crime events, politicians often pledge to hire more police officers. This too usually has no impact on crime. Why? Because hiring more officers is an input, not an outcome.
Dr. YongJei Lee and colleagues sought to answer the question, does hiring more officers reduce a city’s crime rate? They published a systematic review of the 62 police force size studies conducted between 1972 and 2013.8 They discovered that the studies were wildly inconsistent. Thirty-two studies suggested that adding officers to a police agency reduced crime, while 30 studies found no evidence for the relationship. When they combined all the studies, and adjusted for study quality,
they found that adding police officers had a miniscule and statistically insignificant impact on crime. When they compared the impact of hiring on crime to the impact on crime of other strategies, adding police was the least useful. Policing strategies such as problem-oriented policing, hotspot patrols, focused deterrence, and even neighborhood watch were far better at reducing crime than increasing a department’s number of officers. In short, the strategy of the police department matters more than the size of the department.
What explains these results? A likely answer lies in the economics principle of diminishing returns. This is the idea behind the expression, “too many cooks in the kitchen.” The concept predicts that the usefulness of hiring
The strategy of the police department matters more than the size of the department.
extra workers declines as more workers are hired.
Policing is no different. If your city had zero officers, crime would likely be out of control. Then if you went from zero to 25 officers, you’d likely see a big drop in crime (left portion of the graph in Figure 2). But as you add officers, the benefit of hiring more officers levels off (right part of the graph in Figure 2). In Lee and colleague’s systematic review, the results suggested that most police agencies in the United States operate in the region denoted by the gray box. Adding a few officers to agencies in
The green curve shows the hypothetical relationship between police agency size and crime. On the far left, if there were no police, crime would be high; adding even a few officers would have a large impact on reducing crime. As police agenices get larger, adding the same number of officers has less and less impact on crime. So, at the right, adding more officers has no detectable impact.
If the number of officers your police department has is in the flatter part of the curve, the only way to reduce crime is to change the policing strategy the officers use (i.e., shifting from the green line to the blue line).
this region would see little noticeable benefit.
Take Cincinnati, a city of about 310,000 people, as an example. Their police department has about 1,000 sworn officers. If the mayor pledged to hire 10 more officers (incurring an estimated cost of over $1 million),9 this would only be a 0.9% change in police department size: too small to influence crime.
Whereas the Cincinnati example depicts a minor fluctuation in officers, what happens when you have a big change? Eric Piza and Vijay Chillar show this in their study of two similarly sized
Lee and colleagues’ study suggests that most police agencies in the United States operate in this region. Modest fluctuations in police agency size have tiny, undetectable impacts on crime.
Strategy A
Strategy B
Police department size
Figure 2. Using a More Effective Strategy Works Better than Adding Officers
neighboring New Jersey police departments.10 Following the 2008 U.S. recession, the Newark Police Department laid off 13% of its department (167 officers). Newark experienced significant increases in property and violent crime after layoffs. By contrast, Newark’s neighbor, Jersey City, did not lay off any police and did not experience an increase in crime. So big changes in police force size can make a big difference.
Piza and Chillar note, however, that the layoffs forced the Newark police department to also abandon its hotspots policing strategy. The police department retreated to using its remaining officers for large area patrols and responding to calls for service. Thus, the change in strategy, due to the layoffs, probably contributed to Newark’s rise in crime.
Returning to our question about whether you should hire more police officers to reduce crime, the answer is it depends. If you have millions of dollars in your budget to hire a substantial number of officers, then this may be fruitful. But if you only have the capacity to hire a few officers, this would be a dubious method to reduce
crime. Instead, apply effective strategies that reduce crime (i.e., change from Strategy A in green to Strategy B in blue in Figure 2). And tailor hiring decisions to the needs of these strategies.
Conclusion
We titled our article with the question, do more arrests reduce crime? Our answer is no. When a sensational crime happens, residents demand action. Often someone will cry for more police and more arrests. As we described, neither approach is likely to be helpful because they focus on inputs and outputs, respectively, but fail to focus on reducing harms (an outcome).
Instead, ask yourself, what is the desired outcome? You need to identify and evaluate the outcomes you want officers to achieve. Improving outcomes requires that you adopt strategies capable of reducing crime-related harms.
What strategies should police use? In our next article, we show that when officers are problemsolving with place managers to dismantle crime opportunities, they achieve the desired outcome of reducing crime.
Other Articles in This Series
Part 1: “Do Solutions to Crime Need to Be Complicated?”: icma.org/articles/ pm-magazine/do-solutionscrime-need-be-complicated
Part 2: “Is Crime Widespread?”: icma.org/ articles/pm-magazine/ crime-widespread
Part 3: “Do Residents Matter Most in Reducing Crime”: icma.org/articles/ pm-magazine/do-residentsmatter-most-reducing-crime
5 Martinez, N., Lee, Y., Eck, J., & O, S. (2017). Ravenous wolves revisited: A systematic review of offending concentration. Crime Science, 6 (1), pp 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163017–0072-2
6 Engel, R.S., Baker, S.G., Tillyer, M.S., Eck, J.E., & Dunham, J. (2008). Implementation of the Cincinnati initiative to reduce violence (CIRV): Year 1 report. Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati Policing Institute.
7 Haberman, C.S., Desmond, J.S., Gerard, D.W., & Henderson, S.M. (2018). Fort Myers Gun Violence Reduction Initiative Gang Activity: Year 1 report. Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati Institute of Crime Science.
8 Lee, Y., Eck, J.E., and Corsaro, N. (2016). Conclusions from the history of research into the effects of police force size on crime—1968 through 2013: A historical systematic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 12(3), 431-451. https://doi. org/10.1007/s11292-016-9269-8
9 Meade, B. (2016, March 16). Recruiting, selecting, and retaining law enforcement officers. National Policing Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.policinginstitute.org/ onpolicing/recruiting-selecting-andretaining-law-enforcement-officers/
10 Piza, E.L. & Chillar, V.F. (2021). The effect of police layoffs on crime: A natural experiment involving New Jersey’s two largest cities. Justice Evaluation Journal, 4(2), 176-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/24751979.2 020.1858697
SHANNON J. LINNING, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. She researches place-based crime prevention and problemoriented policing.
TOM CARROLL, ICMA-CM, is city manager of Lexington, Virginia, USA, and a former ICMA research fellow.
DANIEL GERARD is a retired 32-year veteran (police captain) of the Cincinnati Police Department, USA. He currently works as a consultant for police agencies across North America.
JOHN E. ECK, PhD, is an emeritus professor of criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati, USA. For more than 45 years, he has studied police effectiveness and how to prevent crime at high-crime places.
Examining Employee Programs Across Public and Private Agencies
The critical value of human resource management
BY EDWARD LAVALLEE, ICMA-CM
Government agencies should run like private businesses. It’s a comment you hear sometimes if a resident thinks that their local government is not meeting the expectations of the public in terms of output or efficiency. An inference from the statement suggests that private industry may have a better business model for performance or service delivery.
At a glance, public and private agencies appear to have some things in common. Typically, they have a policymaking body, a chief executive, a set of operating guidelines, and a pyramid-type structure of employees, as well as a mission statement, goals, and objectives. The two also have notable differences, which raises the question, how alike or how different are public and private agencies? To address the question, this article will examine some policies and practices among public and private agencies and present some empirical data to assess the relative effectiveness of those policies, and the suitability of integrating private industry practices into a public agency.
Private vs. Public
It’s helpful to recognize that there are visible differences between public and private organizations’ environments. Take a look at the common elements of a private business. It generally operates for a profit, and to that extent may be accountable to stockholders or investors. The business is typically obligated to pay taxes, and so it may employ strategies to reduce that obligation. The policy makers, or board of directors, are chosen internally by investors or shareholders, and not by the public. Free market forces affect business decisions. Private businesses compete with other similar businesses for market share of their products and services. Public agencies are supported with taxpayer revenue. They are not profit oriented, and in fact are
cautious about the amount of revenue they can hold in reserve. Operating policies are debated in a public forum by policy makers elected by the public. Fiscal practices are regulated by local, state, and federal accounting rules. The records and activities of public agencies are subject to public scrutiny. Government agencies operate within predefined jurisdictional boundaries, and do not compete for market share. Because they are not competing in the sense that private industry does, public agencies share information about operational practices and hold seminars and conferences to share business practices that may better serve their respective constituencies.
Surveying Agencies on Their Common Element
Given the differences among public and private organizations, for a basis of comparison, this article will address a feature that all organizations have in common—people. In a conventional organizational structure, the human resources (HR) department is responsible for establishing and managing the policies that govern employee behavior. To gather information about HR practices, a survey was conducted among area public and private agencies soliciting information about their HR policies.
The survey produced results from 22 public and private organizations, ranging substantially in size from fewer than 20 employees to more than 1,000 employees. Consisting of 22 questions,
The survey revealed that public agencies are more likely to offer educational opportunities, employee reward programs, ongoing training opportunities, and formal onboarding than private agencies.
of HR programs than their private agency counterparts. In the survey sampling, the public agencies are more likely to offer educational opportunities, employee reward programs, ongoing training opportunities, and formal onboarding than private agencies.
the survey asked about the size and type of the organization; the presence, composition, and function of their HR department; and the organization’s HR policies and practices.
The first group of questions asked if the organization has an HR department, and if so, what programs it operates. Specifically, does it have a formal onboarding program, ongoing employee training, educational opportunities for employees, cross-training across divisional or department lines, a formal recognition and reward program, and an employee assistance program? Does the organization have more defined enhancement programs, such as employee think tanks or employee retreats? The results revealed that in many cases, a higher percentage of public agencies provide these types
The presence of specific employee enhancement programs may be an indication of the organization’s commitment to employee development. However, the existence of these HR programs in public agencies does not necessarily imply organizational success. If they have proven to be that effective, why aren’t all organizations using them? What are observable or measurable indicators of the effectiveness or value of these programs? What are some measures to assess organizational success? The following assumptions would lead to an acceptance of the critical value of personnel management in a public agency:
• Efficient and effective public agency performance is a desired outcome and an indicator of organizational success.
• A policy-focused commitment to human resource management has a measurable positive effect on organizational stability.
• HR-driven enhancement programs increase effective and efficient employee performance. The survey results are summarized in Figure 1. The data indicates by percentages which of the specific HR programs listed are offered in public and private agencies.
As shown, in six of the eight programs listed, a higher percentage of public agencies offer the specific HR programs. The list of programs here is not exhaustive but does represent a broad sampling of programs commonly found in organizations with an HR function or department.
If the assumptions are made that HR-driven enhancement programs have a positive effect on employee performance, what empirical measures are available to validate the claim? Further, from an external lens, what agency indicators might be attributable to employee performance?
Public vs. Private Employee Attrition
Employee stability and resultant consistency in performance are positive benchmarks of an organization’s health and sustainability. A major disruptive factor to that stable condition is employee attrition. The loss of employees with institutional knowledge; the disruptive forces of replacing employees; the time and energy required to solicit, interview, and hire new employees; and
the cost of orientation and training all impact the desired condition of a stable predictable work environment.
An April 2024 news release from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the following for the period of November 2023 through February 2024:
• Employee “quit levels” for all categories of private industry: 2.2% each month; four-month average of 2.2%.
• Employee “quit levels” for government agencies: .08.09% per month; four-month average of .85%.
• Based on this data, the annualized rate for government agency quits would be approximately 10%.
Total employee separation rates for the period of February 2023 through February 2024:
• For all private industry, a range of 3.5% to 3.8%.
who are dissatisfied, feel unappreciated, or sense that they are not valued tend to look for other employment opportunities. To test this premise, the City of Venice, Florida, conducts an annual employee satisfaction survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary. The survey consists of 15 questions, including the following:
• I have clearly defined attainable goals.
• I have the tools and resources I need to do my job.
• I am fairly paid for doing my job.
• I have the opportunity to make a positive difference.
• I have access to sufficient training.
• My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
• Overall, I am satisfied with my job.
The HR employee enhancement programs offered by a public or private agency are indicators of the agency’s awareness of the critical value of a positive working environment.
• For all government agencies, a range of 1.4% to 1.5%. The survey sampling of 22 organizations is relatively small, and the BLS report is a snapshot in time, but the results tend to support the assumption that HR-driven enhancement programs have a positive effect on employee retention, thereby contributing to overall employee performance.
Case Study: Venice, Florida
An organizational tool commonly used in public and private industry to test the condition of the work environment is an employee survey. Satisfied employees tend to stay. Employees
A total of 58 employees, or 17% of the labor force of 351, responded to the most recent survey. On a scale of one to five (five being the most positive response) the ratings by employees range from 3.66 to 4.05 for all questions asked—very positive overall. If the assumptions about employee enhancement programs impacting organizational performance and organizational success are true, then the attrition rate should reflect that premise. Based on the data presented in the BLS April news release, the quit rate for government agencies is approximately 10% and is measurably higher for private industry. The quit rate for Venice in the current year is 6.6%.
With the proposition that private industry may operate a business model with policies and practices that would
Figure 1. Percentage of Public and Private Agencies Surveyed that Offer Various Employee Programs
be desirable for replication in public agencies, this article is focused on the HR function of public and private organizations to compare the features of each and to analyze the suitability of transferring private industry management policies and practices into public organizations. The research demonstrates that public and private agencies both operate similar employee enhancement programs, and in a survey of area organizations, public agencies tend to offer broader employee enhancement opportunities than the private agency counterparts. So, at least as far as HR programming is concerned, public agencies can and do employ programs comparable to private organizations. Can the assumption be made that the more expansive HR-driven employee enhancement model reduces attrition, thereby contributing to the stability of the workforce? As indicated in the BLS news release, for at least one reporting period, the government agencies reported a measurably lower “quit rate” than the private industry agencies. If these statistics are typical, should private agencies be motivated to adopt the more expansive public agency employee enhancement model? Figure 2 is a graphic illustrating some of the employee-focused policies and programs at the City of Venice. The city’s “quit rate” of 6.6% presents a compelling argument that investment in employee enhancement programs can be cost effective.
The HR employee enhancement programs offered by a public or private
agency are indicators of the agency’s awareness of the critical value of a positive working environment. The structured HR programs are easy to catalog. Collectively, they reflect a managementlevel commitment to investing in the health of the organization through enhancements for its most valued asset—the employees. Many of the programs operated by public and private agencies have proven value. Some are interchangeable as reflected in the survey. Some of the Venice programs were adopted from private industry. The essence of an organization’s health is not found in one or two HR programs. As with many public and private agencies, stability, high performance, and low attrition are symptoms of a deeply
embedded culture that enjoys success because of the value it places on employees. These programs only work because of the culture that dignifies and sustains them.
In a private sector environment driven by fierce competition for market share among business competitors, the organization’s fiscal strategies may differ considerably from a public agency environment where the goals are high-quality and cost-effective core service delivery to a defined constituency. However, aside from the obvious differences in service and products, market competition, and fiscal strategies, there are similarities among public and private organizations. The incorporation of human resource programs into the operating guidelines are
classic examples of programs that can be interchangeable. Getting back to the question, how alike or different are public and private agencies, the answer is that they are different. Private organizations have a mission and goals particular to their specific industry. But there are enough intrinsic organizational similarities to allow for the exchange of strategies and practices in areas such as human resource management. Both public and private agencies have a greater chance of success when they invest in their most important asset— their employees.
USA.
EDWARD LAVALLEE, ICMA-CM is city manager of Venice, Florida,
Figure 2. City of Venice, Florida: Employee Programs Offered
Illinois Senior Advisors
We are here for you!
BY BRADFORD J. TOWNSEND
Most of you reading this PM Magazine article are active members who are on the front line of public service. The ICMA Senior Advisor Program is a public service provider, too. We are here for you! Senior advisors are a volunteer resource, providing guidance and advice to members free of charge. We bring to the table our hardearned experience and knowledge that you may find useful. Let me tell you about the efforts of Illinois senior advisors to show how you may benefit from our service, or that of your own state’s senior advisors.
Senior Advisors in the Land of Lincoln
In Illinois, seven senior advisors are assigned designated geographic areas: four in the Chicago metropolitan area (Robin Weaver, John DuRocher, Tim Frenzer, and myself); one in the north and northwest (John Phillips); one in central and east central Illinois (Steve Carter); and one in the St. Louis metropolitan area and southern region (Scot Wrighton). But feel free to speak with any of our senior advisors.
Our service boils down to two things: confidential conversations with members regarding work and career issues, and public discussions with residents and elected officials on the merits of professional local government management. Here are some recent examples of the services we’ve provided and the various ways we stay active:
Recent Confidential Member Services
• Counseled more than a dozen members in transition, including guidance during their job search, advice on
J. TOWNSEND,
interviewing, feedback on their resume and cover letter, and other matters of a personal nature that relate to their efforts. Most were able to secure permanent employment and others secured temporary assignments while continuing to search.
• Listened to and answered questions from members who were struggling with on-the-job challenges. Topics included behaviors of elected officials, citizens, special interest groups, and others in the community.
• Followed up with members in transition and other members to check on how things were going since the initial conversation.
Recent Community Service
• Advised members nearing retirement on ideas to consider while moving from full-time employment to their next stage of life.
• Assisted governing bodies in selecting an interim chief administrative officer (CAO) to keep operations on course while deciding whether to recruit a new CAO or engage a recruiter.
• Along with ICMA director of advocacy Jason Grant, advised communities during referenda on the council-manager (CM) form of government (FOG). Voters adopted the CM FOG in two communities, and the CM format was retained in another community. A referendum failed in one community, but CM received enough votes for proponents to consider a second attempt.
BRADFORD
ICMA CM is an ICMA life member and senior advisor.
Outreach in Other Ways
• Organized and participated in affiliate group gatherings, including breakfast and lunch meetings of CAOs and assistants.
• Convened day-long retreats called “The Leadership Institute” for new CAOs (members and nonmembers) in two different regions of the state. Volunteer CAOs led the sessions. This effort has been well received over the years and have inspired nonmembers to join ICMA and ILCMA.
• Each senior advisor contributes one column per year in the ILCMA newsletter.
• ILCMA’s “Local Gov Stories” podcast discussed a successful CM FOG referendum and the critical assistance provided by a senior advisor.
• Presented a senior advisor workshop
session at the ILCMA Conference using a roundtable format facilitated by each senior advisor on a variety of topics related to careers, staffing issues/ tactics, community relations, and manager/council relations.
• Assisted with an ILCMA idea exchange webinar that featured the ICMA/ ILCMA Senior Advisor Program.
• Participated in ICMA senior advisor coordinator quarterly meetings, ICMA Midwest regional director quarterly meetings, and ILCMA board of directors meetings and strategic planning sessions.
Partly Professional, Partly Personal
Serving professional associations and several communities became a driving force for me during a career of 40-plus years. The senior advisors that preceded me shared this mission as well. Many thanks to each
of them for helping me during the ups and downs of my local government career. I fondly recall colleagues, friends, and family members who have mentored or supported me. Many times, this overlapped with opportunities that ICMA, ILCMA, and other groups offered for career development and networking. One such opportunity was when I served on the ICMA Strategic Planning Committee that recommended the Credentialed Manager program. The song from the musical Hamilton, “In the Room Where it Happened,” comes to mind. I better appreciate now, than I did at that time, when our working group reached consensus on a way to recognize members who voluntarily adhere to technical, educational, and ethical standards. Thankfully, the committee, the ICMA executive board, and the full membership embraced the proposal. I’m proud to continue to renew my ICMA-CM designation nearly 25 years later.
We Are Here for You
I echo all the ICMA announcements praising 2024 as being a landmark year. It is the 100th anniversary of the Code of Ethics and the 50th anniversary of the Senior Advisor Program. What we are really celebrating is public service, which senior advisors contribute to by offering our time to members of an organization that did so much for us. I invite you to reach out to us. We are here for you!
Local Government Technology Policy
Issues to Consider
BY MARC PFEIFFER (WITH SOME EDITING HELP FROM CLAUDE.AI)
Being tech fit means that government leaders must think beyond the basics like password policies and emergency response plans. When using technology for public services, there are bigger issues to consider. The issues are wide-ranging. For example, consider the implications of:
• Collecting and storing personally identifiable information (PII) and personal health information (PHI).
• Online access to public meetings and the availability of agenda-related information.
• Using surveillance-related technologies.
• Public access to government records (i.e., open records practices).
• Technology used in response to climate change in the agency or community.
• Using “smart cities” services and the data collected by their sensors (a.k.a., the Internet of Things).
• Reconciling the increasing digitalization of government services and the digital divide.
Addressing the digital divide is especially important because some people can’t easily use the internet due to their income, location, or disabilities.
MARC PFEIFFER, an ICMA Life Member, is a marginally retired New Jersey town administrator and state agency manager. He is currently a senior policy fellow and assistant director at Bloustein Local, a unit of the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University.
(marc.pfeiffer@ rutgers.edu)
The British local government support group Socitm (socitm.net) provides useful guidance on this. They believe that agencies should ensure that “... technology affects the pursuit of the common good and does no harm; it preserves human agency, is fair, transparent, and environmentally friendly.” Their 12-point guide for local governments is a practical tool that can help you make better decisions.1
The next few Tech Updates columns will dig deeper into the policy challenge. In the meantime, when your team is making decisions about adopting new technology, you need to:
• Consider what the public thinks about the technology; should you get their input first?
• Think about how you’ll collect, use, and store data. How long will you keep it, and who’s responsible for keeping it safe?
• Think through what would happen if the information were to become public.
• Look at maintenance and storage costs, and whether the tech’s benefits justify them.
• Decide where you’ll use the technology and decide whether to put up signs to let people know it’s there.
• Make sure all potential users can access the system, including people with limited internet access or disabilities. You may need to offer non-digital options as well.
• Plan how your staff will use AI tools responsibly and ethically.
State laws can affect what local governments can do with technology. Public records laws cover digital information. Rules about how long to keep records also apply to digital data. Some state agencies have specific rules about things like police body cameras, traffic cameras, and automated license plate readers.
Laws vary by state, and older laws might not cover new technology well. Someone should review these issues so you can make informed decisions. Where the state does not have policies, consider whether you need to develop your own. Checking in with peer organizations and professional associations can help resolve those questions.
Public policies also have spin-off effects beyond the policies themselves. Regulatory measures have short- and long-term budget implications. They can affect public buildings (e.g., video cameras) and employees.
Some state lawmakers are paying attention to these issues and are proposing legislation. Municipal leaders should engage their local representatives or work with state and local government associations to monitor these bills. Your input can help lawmakers understand how these laws affect local governments. Do not forget the challenge of data management. Some data with PII can be anonymized; however, when they are combined with other data sets, identities can be exposed. Pay time and attention to your handling of sensitive information to ensure it is secure and properly managed. The advent of AI has new implications for how data is used and maintained. It is a critical element of managing tech and its implications for public policy. Finally, engage your technology team in your tech policy discussions. We live in an environment where digital tech touches almost everything a municipality does. Previous articles in this series have highlighted how important it is that tech leadership has input into the tech applications and tools your agency is planning to adopt. That also applies here. They should be part of the team that participates in policy discussions around it.
This column is based on and expands upon the author’s presentations at the April 2024 ICMA Local Government Reimagined Conference on AI. For a deeper dive and additional resources, download the presentation deck2 and supplemental material.3
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The Best of #ICMA2024 includes the 28 recorded sessions below from the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. All sessions convey credit for maintaining the ICMA-CM designation; 7 sessions qualify for AICP-CM*.
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in Government—It Is Possible!
• Empowering the Public to Engage, Collaborate, and Develop a Community Action Plan*
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• Transformation of a Parks and Leisure Department into an Award-winning, Industry-leading Operation Within the United Kingdom
• How Effective Local Government and Police Leadership Relations Enhance Public Safety Strategies
• Intentional Communication
• Culture Wars Come Home: When Local Government Decision-making Becomes a Platform for Culture Wars and How to Work Through It
• So Much More Than the Strip: Southern Nevada Goes All-in on Interlocal Climate Collaboration*
• Blueprints of Tomorrow: Strategic Planning with Data Insights
• The Next Big Things: 10 Trends for the Next 10 Years
• It’s Not If, but When: Critical Incident and Mass Shooting Preparedness for City Managers
• Harnessing the Strengths of Your Local Economy: Integrated Planning and Strategic Action in Albemarle County, Virginia*
• Local Government Engagement with Our First Nations People: An International Perspective from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada
• Right-Sizing Best Practices for Public Safety and Racial Justice*
• Visualizing Success: New Ways to Show the Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• When #2’s Move Up: A Ten-Year Reflection
• Pride vs. Prejudice: Lessons from LGBTQ+ Public Administrators
• Connecting Through Data: Transforming Community Engagement
• Help! Protecting the Lives of People with Disabilities*
• Solving Government’s Hardest Puzzles: Leveraging Collaboration to Bring the Pieces Together
• Leading and Managing Multigenerational Teams
• A Working Guide to Generative AI in Local Government
• Leading a Small Community: Challenges, Solutions, and the Power of Transparency
• MyBlue, Building the Bond Between the Police and Residents; A Chief for Every Resident
• Climate Action Through Shared Leadership: How One Community Is Using Consensus and Civil Discourse to Reach Its Climate Goals*
• Generative Artificial Intelligence and Storytelling: How to Effectively Use the Tools for Authentic Human Connection
