PM Magazine, June 2024

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“Old School” with Your Community Engagement

In an increasingly digital world, there is no replacement for personal interaction with the residents of your community.

Ian M. Coyle, ICMA-CM

A closer look at what it takes to be successful

Alex Torpey

Using Generative AI for Community Engagement: Why and How

Empowering cities and counties to connect, communicate, and collaborate like never before, Generative AI is the future of community engagement.

Eyal Feder-Levy

Approaching community engagement with Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation

Dave Tebow, ICMA-CM (Retired)

How

The

Pooja Bachani Di Giovanna and Billy

Placing

Public Engagement on Steroids

Leveraging AI for local democracy

One of the issues that we struggle most with as local government leaders is how to improve democracy in our city, county, and town governments. Expanding resident involvement in decisions that directly impact their lives remains an ongoing challenge. Most communities suffer from poor public meeting attendance, low participation in engagement activities like forums and surveys, and a general lack of awareness in spite of attempts to inform and publicize impending actions. It’s one of the many reasons I am so excited about the power of AI.

Edge of a New Era

MARC A. OTT is CEO/Executive Director of ICMA, Washington, D.C.

As we begin to better understand how AI can enable the kind of engagement that hasn’t been possible before, it feels as if we are on the edge of a new era. An era where a diverse chorus of voices can be heard. It’s now possible to envision a hundred or even a thousand times the typical attendance at a council or town hall meeting.

Expanding resident involvement in decisions that directly impact their lives remains an ongoing challenge.

In Austin, Texas, where I was city manager before moving to ICMA, we were lucky to have 200 people attend even an important meeting. By opening events to an audience that can attend virtually, that number

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.

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For more information on local government leadership and management topics, visit icma.org.

BY MARC A. OTT

could be 20,000 or even 200,000—that’s 20% of Austin’s population. And during the meeting, real-time data could be collected, polls taken on issues, and questions by council answered by department heads who have the ability to access aggregated data in a variety of ways, instantaneously. Residents for whom English is not their first language could view simultaneous translations available in the most common languages and dialects present in the community.

Integrating Data from Diverse Sources

The ability to gather information from the broadest number of residents possible on any and every issue that comes before local government depends on our capacity to collect, process, and analyze that data. That is a core promise of AI. We can continue to use tools like surveys, focus groups, and committees but layer on top of that social media comments and digital local news commentary. One of the many benefits of AI is its ability to generate insights and provide concise summaries from diverse sources. One critical component that local governments are addressing as these technologies roll out is accessibility.

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ICMA

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.

Wi-Fi hotspots in popular gathering places

allow residents to use their phones to engage. Many local governments have established access points in libraries, recreation centers, and other public buildings where people can provide their input on everything from budget priorities to street conditions.

In-person and Online

It is important to note that no matter how advanced we get, we’ll never replace the benefits that come with human interaction. When

As we begin to better understand how AI can enable the kind of engagement that hasn’t been possible before, it feels as if we are on the edge of a new era.

2023–2024

ICMA Executive Board

PRESIDENT Lon Pluckhahn*

Deputy City Manager Vancouver, Washington

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Tanya Ange*

County Administrator

Washington County, Oregon

PAST PRESIDENT

Jeffrey Towery

City Manager McMinnville, Oregon

VICE PRESIDENTS

International Region

Rebecca Ryan

General Manager

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional

Council, New South Wales, Australia

Colin Beheydt

City Manager

Bruges, Belgium

Doug Gilchrist

City Manager

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Midwest Region

Corri Spiegel* Manager in Transition

Michael Sable* City Manager Maplewood, Minnesota

Jeffrey Weckbach Township Administrator Colerain Township, Ohio

Mountain Plains Region

Kenneth Williams** City Manager Beaumont, Texas

Dave Slezickey* City Manager The Village, Oklahoma

Pamela Davis

Assistant City Manager Boulder, Colorado

Northeast Region

Scott W. Colby Jr.

Assistant Town Manager Windsor, Connecticut

Dennis Enslinger

Deputy City Manager Gaithersburg, Maryland

Steve Bartha* Town Manager Danvers, Massachusetts

Southeast Region

Valmarie Turner* Deputy City Manager Fairfax, Virginia

Jorge Gonzalez*

Village Manager Village of Bal Harbour, Florida

Eric Stuckey City Administrator Franklin, Tennessee West Coast Region

Pamela Antil* City Manager Encinitas, California

Jessi Bon

City Manager Mercer Island, Washington

Nat Rojanasathira**

Assistant City Manager Monterey, California

* ICMA-CM

** ICMA Credentialed Manager Candidate

we interact in person, all the senses are involved, and reactions are so nuanced they can never be fully captured digitally. When I attended ICMA’s Local Government Reimagined Conference in Boston (the west coast event is taking place this month), it struck me that though the topic was AI, the room was filled with people, learning in-person together—bouncing ideas off one another, asking questions, and being shown in a hands-on way how something could be done. It reinforced for me that life going forward will be a combination of being present and sometimes not. Certainly, virtual events are more efficient and cost less, but are not always more effective.

There is so much to learn about AI and how to harness its power to transform data into information that can help us make more inclusive decisions rooted in community needs and desires. ICMA is here to help facilitate this exciting transformation with content, access to great partners (both Zencity and Polco have features on AI in this issue), and conferences with built-in training and networking. Longtime ICMA member Mike Conduff characterized local government leaders as delivering “democracy to your doorstep.” AI offers us an unprecedented opportunity to do that on steroids—exponentially increasing our ability to reach more of our residents in ways that work best for them.

ICMA CEO/Executive Director Marc Ott

Managing Director, Lynne Scott lscott@icma.org

Brand Management, Marketing, and Outreach; Director, Equity & Social Justice and Membership Marketing

Senior Managing Editor Kerry Hansen khansen@icma.org

Senior Editor Kathleen Karas kkaras@icma.org

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Calendar of Events

JUNE

2024 CAMA Conference and Annual General Meeting

June 2 | Conference

A Budgeting Guide for Local Government

2024 3-Part Series

June 4–18 | Online Training

Deploying Your Vision and Strategy

June 4 | Online Workshop

Explore the Future of AI in Local Government (Palm Desert, California)

June 5–7 | Local Government

Reimagined Conference

Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Annual Conference and Trade Show 2024

June 6 | Conference

MuniExpo 2024

June 9 | Conference

Gettysburg Leadership Institute 2024

June 12 | Leadership Development Program (This program is full.)

The Future of Public Sector Retirement Plan Services

June 20 | Webinar

2024 Public Safety Update

June 26 | Webinar

JULY

2024 Equity Summit: Keeping it Moving: The Power of Us

July 25 | 4th Annual ICMA Equity Summit

Local Government Conference 2024

July 31 | Conference

Lead Change. Transform Communities.

Unlock the Power of Inclusive Leadership

Apply for this groundbreaking program, in its 4th year, a 12-to-18-month journey designed for leaders committed to driving meaningful change in their communities.

Why Apply?

Gain Insight: Explore the intersection of race, equity, and inclusion in local governance through expert-led sessions and interactive workshops.

Drive Impact: Equip yourself with practical tools and strategies to address systemic inequities and foster inclusive policies and practices.

Build Networks: Connect with a diverse cohort of leaders from across the nation, fostering collaboration and peer support.

Apply Today!

Spaces are limited.

Visit icma.org/Lead-the-Change to learn more, and complete and submit the application. Deadline extended to June 30!

icma.org/Lead-the-Change

A Closer Look at the Ethics Enforcement Process

The “why” behind the Code of Ethics and the importance of enforcing those standards of excellence

BY JESSICA COWLES

JESSICA COWLES is ethics director at ICMA (jcowles@icma.org).

Recently I met with state association presidents and secretariats in the midwest region to talk about the ethics enforcement process that ICMA and the states follow through its constitution, bylaws, and rules of procedure. That meeting was the inspiration for this column in demonstrating how the Code of Ethics requires that we hold ourselves to a high standard of personal and professional excellence; provides credibility with employees, governing bodies, and the community; and has promoted good government for over 100 years.

As a refresher, ICMA’s Constitution1 requires the ICMA Executive Board to establish a standing Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC). Each CPC member is selected from among the vice presidents, who are elected by members to serve threeyear terms of office on the executive board.

The CPC members are peers who serve local governments in either the capacity of manager, deputy, or assistant. The committee has three main objectives:

• To review all ethics matters, including investigating ethics complaints with the sole authority to determine when a member’s conduct has violated the Code and recommend appropriate sanctions to the board.

• To review the ethics advice that I provide to the membership.

• To produce a plan to guide its work each year.

The Ethics Review Process

Local governments function best when there are laws or policies in place, and the ethics review process is no exception. The Rules of Procedure for Enforcement of the Code of Ethics2 formalize the peer-review complaint process steps and timelines by governing what occurs and when. It is important to note (1) the Rules are not confidential and (2) it is the complaint process itself that requires confidentiality, as outlined in the guideline to Tenet 3: Tenet 3. Demonstrate by word and action the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all public, professional, and personal relationships in order that the member may merit the trust and respect of

ICMA CODE OF ETHICS Established 1924 YEARS

the elected and appointed officials, employees, and the public.

Confidentiality. Members shall not discuss or divulge information with anyone about pending or completed ethics cases, except as specifically authorized by the Rules of Procedure for Enforcement of the Code of Ethics.

When allegations that public officials have engaged in unethical conduct go unaddressed, this can undermine the public’s trust in local government and harm the reputation of the profession. One crucial element of ICMA’s ethics approach is to hold our members accountable for their conduct.

ICMA publishes an annual report in ethics3 to provide information about trends, data, and reviews in the last fiscal year. ICMA has more than 13,000 members and in the last 10 years there have been 230 ethics complaints, so this is a very small percentage. However, when a member’s conduct raises ethical concerns, ICMA carries out a formal peer review process, illustrated in Figure 1, to objectively determine whether the member’s conduct has violated the Code.

The process has three phases, and it’s worth noting that the CPC is attuned to weaponization of the process in the complaint submission phase. Enforcement is about protecting the profession’s integrity in positions that merit the public’s trust, not using an ethics complaint to exact revenge.

Reinforcing the Code in the ICMA Membership Application

The board’s Membership and Outreach Committee and the CPC both reviewed the current process for joining ICMA membership. The CPC has heard from members going through the ethics review process that they were not aware of their obligations in the Code, so this effort provided further clarity by promoting the Code through recent updates to the membership application and renewal process. Here are the changes that were made:

1. Added a narrative to the online member application: “Promoting an ethical culture in local government management has been at the very core of ICMA’s mission and foundation. The Code expresses the professional and personal conduct expected of members as well as defines 100

ICMA Ethics Review Process

Phase 1

Complaint Submission

Complaint reviewed by staff based on the Rules of Procedure criteria:

1. Did the complainant provide sufficient documentation to support the allegation(s)?

2. If the allegation(s) were proven true, would it violate the Code of Ethics?

Note: Not all complaints go through all three phases.

Phase 2

Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC)* Review

Contact member and give 30 days to provide perspective on the allegation.

CPC recommends no formal review of the matter. The member and complainant are notified.

CPC reviews matter and determines if there are sufficient facts to reach a decision.

CPC requests state association president to appoint a fact-finding committee to gather facts.

Did conduct violate ICMA Code of Ethics?

The member and complainant are notified and the Case is Closed.

CPC determines type of sanction. Private Censure

has 15 days to appeal CPC decision to Executive Board. Public Censure**

has 15 days to request

reconsideration and/or virtual hearing with CPC.

Case goes to Phase 3: ICMA Executive Board for review.

The member, complainant, and state association president are notified. APPEAL APPEAL YES NO

*CPC: A standing committee of up to six members of the ICMA Executive Board.

Case goes to Phase 3: ICMA Executive Board for review.

CPC can reaffirm preliminary recommendation of public censure or change the decision.

If CPC upholds public censure recommendation, then case goes to Phase 3: ICMA Executive Board for review. Member has 15 days to appeal CPC decision to Executive Board.

**Additional sanctions to public censure include credential revocation, membership suspension, membership bar, and membership expulsion.

the principles that serve as the basis for building and maintaining trust in the local government management profession. As a condition for joining ICMA, an individual agrees to adhere to the Code.

A member in service to a local government, or special district, municipal league, or council of governments, regardless of whether it is on a full-time, part-time, or interim basis, or as an intern, must comply with the entire Code.

Members who are working in another field, students, or retirees must follow Tenets 1 (Democracy) and Tenet 3 (Integrity). Tenet 7 (political activity) does not apply to elected officials.”

2. Added a Code badge to the My Profile section of the Who’s Who database when individuals log in to icma.org.

3. Included the Code in its entirety for individuals to affirm as read before signing the member application.

4. Placed the Code prominently on the website to celebrate the 100th anniversary.

5. Updated the Code in the printed application.

6. Continued ethics education efforts, including training sessions, presentations, and articles to raise awareness and celebrate the Code’s 100th anniversary.

Educate, Educate, Then Educate Some More

If CPC changes decision, it can: Reduce the sanction • Close the case, finding the conduct did not violate the Code.

I began my employment at ICMA just over six years ago, coming from a background in local government management. At the core, I think all managers in public service thrive on solving problems for their organization. Sometimes they are easy to fix (celebrate those wins!) and much more often problems require stakeholder consensus that happens over time.

My role as CPC staff liaison involves notifying state association presidents when the CPC asks that a fact-finding committee be appointed to obtain information to help bring an ethics matter to a conclusion. This occurs in only about five to seven ethics cases each year.

Service on a fact-finding committee means offering the member in the ethics review process the opportunity to meet with them, using the records request process to obtain documentation, and preparing a summary report. This can be a heavy lift on top of an already demanding full-time job in local government, so thank you to all that have served the profession in this capacity.

Phase 3

ICMA Executive Board Review

If requested, member can participate in appeal hearing before full board. Board can: Uphold CPC recommendation

• Reduce the sanction Close the case, finding the conduct did not violate the Code.

Decision is final. Notify member, complainant, state association president, fact-finding committee (if applicable). If outcome is public censure, notify governing body, newsletter notice and press release.

= process ends = direction

In my role, I quickly learned that a pending ethics review can span the tenures of two different presidents, and the first a president may have heard about it is my call to them regarding a fact-finding committee request. That was the problem. My solution? Ongoing education and work to demystify the process supported in #6 as I mentioned previously!

I have offered to provide a brief overview of the state associations’ role in ICMA’s ethics review process at one of the state association’s upcoming executive board meetings or a virtual meeting in the next year. Thank you to those state association leaders that have already reached out to me, and I look forward to hearing from others.

Just like local governments, we will continue to find ways to talk about our values and principles as expressed in the Code. Reach out to me and share your success stories!

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

1 https://icma.org/documents/icma-constitution

2 https://icma.org/documents/icma-rules-procedureenforcement-code-ethics

3 https://icma.org/page/enforcing-icma-code-ethics

Authentic Community Engagement Starts from Within

BY ALLISON SCHECK

A successful grass roots neighborhood engagement program that created a deep level of community trust and buy-in.

As my dad, and perhaps your parents, used to say, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. I’ve given many an eye roll to that old expression, but at this point in my life, I’m ready to concede that he was right. We should only make commitments if we are willing to do them wholeheartedly.

Doing community engagement well means getting your house in order so that you have a structure in place internally to coordinate, collaborate, communicate, and respond to the needs of the community.

Before we dig into why an intentional internal structure is important, let me share a little about the city of Wheat Ridge’s community engagement program, Let’s Talk.

residents resorted to name calling, accusing each other of being “pizza-eating, beer-drinking, bike-riding millennials” when sidewalk connections, new roadways, or master plans were discussed.

Wheat Ridge, Colorado: Population 32,000

Let’s Talk is a grass roots neighborhood engagement program borne out of the 2019 Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy that acknowledged a tension in the community between those who wanted to retain the fundamental values central to Wheat Ridge’s founding and those who saw change and progress as inevitable. You see, Wheat Ridge is a landlocked suburb of Denver that incorporated in 1969 because its residents did not want to be annexed by Denver or any other community. The Wheat Ridge community of 1969 valued agricultural and large-lot residential land uses, limited sidewalks, and quiet streets.

Over the last two decades, Wheat Ridge has evolved from a “bedroom” community with a stagnant local economy to a vibrant community with a healthy housing market and thriving commercial centers. The community’s average age dropped, more strollers were noticeable, and residents began organizing and advocating for sidewalks, bike lanes, and breweries, as well as requesting permission to dramatically alter their residential properties. By 2019, it was widely acknowledged that the city’s position had changed since the early 2000s, but the tension was manifesting in unhealthy ways at public meetings. As an example,

In 2019, the city council updated the neighborhood revitalization strategy to determine the path forward for this changing community. A key recommendation of the strategy was to implement a grass roots neighborhood Let’s Talk

Nitty Gritty Neighborhood

is to delve into neighborhoods at the hyper-local level to discover the basic issues and opportunities requiring municipal attention and, through the process, create opportunities for residents to engage with and listen to each other. The program breaks the city down into 10 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood sees a four-to-five-month blitz of engagement opportunities within a two-year cycle. All 10 neighborhood engagement blitzes were complete by September 2023.

During these blitzes, neighborhood engagement specialist Ashley Holland asks residents what they love about their neighborhood and where improvement is needed. She takes that feedback to a cross-functional team of employees from across all departments to discuss potential responsive actions that are practical, feasible, and able to address the issues raised. Residents then weigh in on those actions and, based on that feedback, a work plan is created for the neighborhood.

Some of the work plans include big, capital projects like improving collector streets for driving, biking, and walking. Some of the items are policy driven, such as addressing accessory dwelling units and bulk plane. Others are tactical such as expanding the city’s Dumpster Days cleanup program, enhancing code enforcement work to keep neighborhoods looking spiffy, and improving communication around potential development projects so that more residents can weigh in.

Overall, more than 1,800 residents got involved in their neighborhood blitzes in the first round of Let’s

ALLISON SCHECK is deputy city manager of Wheat Ridge, Colorado (linkedin.com/in/ allisonhamiltonscheck).

Talk, which included 20 surveys and 49 events including open houses, virtual office hours, and park pop-ups. Blitz information, feedback, and work plans can all be found at whatsupwheatridge.com/lets-talk.

What It Takes to Make the Magic Happen

The key to Let’s Talk was the collaboration behind the scenes among staff by every department. Before Let’s Talk launched, we created a cross-functional team dubbed the Community Engagement Taskforce, comprised of team members from each department and lead by Ashley. This team meets monthly to discuss all planning and community engagement efforts across the city, so that feedback is shared, discussed, and coordinated. This team makes sure that the right and left hands are in sync. For example, if a neighborhood blitz produced feedback that a new trail access point to the creek path is desired, this team makes sure this piece of feedback gets into the mix before other decisions are made and a new trail access point is put in a different location. This team ensures that feedback is elevated and that responses to community requests are authentic, realistic, and accurate. In short, this team builds trust and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Building Trust

The Let’s Talk workplan has become an important component of the city’s budget process where we align resources to the desires of the community. Again, some of the desires that emerged are beyond the fiscal capacity of the city’s typical operating and capital programs. But with this level of inclusive nitty gritty engagement, we built support for additional funding mechanisms.

More than 1,800 residents got involved in their neighborhood blitzes in the first round of Let’s Talk, which included 20 surveys and 49 events including open houses, virtual office hours, and park pop-ups.

A half-cent sales tax for certain capital projects was due to expire in the next year. To accomplish some of the bigger projects requested by residents through the Let’s Talk program, we asked the community to extend that tax for another 20 years to raise $75 million. With a small but mighty resident-led “yes” committee and no organized opposition, the ballot measure to extend the tax passed by more than 70% in November 2023. We attribute that success to the Let’s Talk program, which created a deep level of community trust and buy-in.

Back to my dad’s cringy expression that produced many an eye roll from me. Our work for our communities is certainly worth doing, and including robust community engagement into our decision-making process helps us do this work well.

Go “Old School” with Your COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

In an increasingly digital world, there is no replacement for personal interaction with the residents of your community.

BY IAN M. COYLE, ICMA-CM

Istill remember our first Conversations with the County “town hall” like it was yesterday. It was early December 2017, it was snowing, and we held it at a coffee shop in one of our lesserpopulated villages.

Exactly one person showed up. That was one more person than our low mark the following year. However, that one person had some questions on county processes. (She was interested in a position and were challenged with civil service testing requirements and in their words “onerous” restrictions). We had a one-onone, meaningful, fruitful discussion. She received answers to her questions, and I got a wonderfully tasty cinnamon roll and some fresh brewed coffee. A win-win!

Fast forward to today: Livingston County has continuously hosted, with the briefest of pauses during the height of the pandemic, a monthly open community conversation with our residents. This is “old school” community engagement and I recommend you consider trying it in your community if you are not yet doing something of this type. No filters, no agenda, no twominute limits on public comment, no up-front knowledge of what you might face, etc.

Our Conversations series originated from discussions that the board of supervisors (our governing body) was having, as they

We get kudos, compliments, concerns, complaints, and everything in between at these meetings. Thick skin is required, but also straight talk and candid commentary.

lamented the lack of public participation and attendance at our regularly scheduled board meetings and public hearings. We rarely get attendees. In years’ past, we moved the meetings to different times, but to no avail. The decision was thus made to go directly to the residents in an unscripted, open forum and to move these meetings around the county’s 17 towns. Originally, we called these Coffee with the County, and they were held in the mornings, often at an actual coffee shop. We then pivoted to evening meetings, as feedback from residents through the Board of Supervisors was that such a change would lead to more participation (which proved true). After some debate about the change of the name (Cocktails with the County was a close second), we centered on Conversations with the County.

The meetings are simple. They are scheduled through my office with the town supervisor, who chooses the locations, which have included diners, breweries, libraries, parks, restaurants, and, naturally, actual town halls. The meetings are advertised on our website and through social media. We begin at 6:00 P.M. and the format is straightforward. It’s just me as county administrator, taking questions and giving updates. I ask the audience in the beginning what is on their mind and what they might have questions about, and then I jot all of those down to

ensure that they get covered. I address those first, then if time allows, I move on to general county updates based on the time of year. These usually include budget updates, capital project news, special projects, information on new programs or expanded services, state legislation impacting the county, etc.

Our most recent discussion included 90 minutes of

respectful dialogue, replete with questions and comments on the following matters:

• The ownership of a municipal airport, the town’s challenges in owning it, and inquiries about economic development assistance.

• A status update on the county’s center for nursing and rehabilitation (our county-run nursing home).

• Comments on the growing

solar project developments in the county and the impact on agriculture and the look and feel of the community.

• The success of the county’s land bank in fixing up a property in the village.

• Main Street funding for building improvements in the downtown area.

• Major projects in development in the county, including our Light Up Livingston Broadband-for-All program.

• Town parks and ARPA funding from the county.

• The status of our countywide emergency medical services program. I’ve conducted more than

70 Conversations with the County in more than six years, and there are a few takeaways I’d like to share.

Face time with residents is crucial. While technology and public engagement software and social media are important tools in the toolbox (in fact, we use them all), there is no replacement for personal, one-on-one, interactive and engaged discussion with your community. There is no like alternative.

Be prepared for curve balls. We get kudos, compliments, concerns, complaints, and everything in between at these meetings. Thick skin is required, but also straight talk and candid commentary as well. People don’t want to hear you pass the buck, deflect, filibuster, or BS.

Spread the word about what’s on the horizon. The vehicle of a monthly town hall can be a great opportunity to inform residents about programs and services. An example would be galvanizing

public support for a legislative change (or a proposed legislation pushback) on a bill that might have an impact on our county government.

There is nothing to match how rewarding it feels when an issue is resolved, a problem is mitigated, or a qualm is assuaged.

Take time to educate on the functions of your local government. Sharing the background and backdrop of our local government operations is another avenue to explore in these engagement opportunities. I usually start each session with a County Government 101 type of primer. I explain the role of county government in New York and the A-to-Z lifecycle services that counties provide, from supporting early intervention and prekindergarten special education through public health to longterm care at our public nursing home. You may be surprised at the newfound appreciation

for the work your government does once explained to the public in a relaxed and informal setting.

Talk tax dollars. With respect to finances, relaying the value of the tax dollar at these meetings has also been a focus. I do a deep dive and spend time explaining to those in attendance the tax rate, the tax levy, where our dollars go, what the average resident pays, and what they get for that annual payment in terms of services and programs.

Announce current job openings. In today’s day and age of recruitment and retention struggles, a monthly town hall is also a prime outlet to share notices of employment opportunities and discuss the diversity and breadth of public service

opportunities to potential job applicants.

The Conversations with the County program has been both personally rewarding for me as a county administrator and a successful engagement activity for county government. There is really nothing to match the genuineness of these discussions or how rewarding it feels when an issue is resolved, a problem is mitigated, or a qualm is assuaged. In fact, these town hall sessions have been some of the most meaningful and enriching experiences of my career in Livingston County.

IAN M. COYLE, ICMA-CM is county administrator of Livingston, New York.

Redefining Authentic and Effective Public Engagement

A closer look at what it takes to be successful

BY ALEX TORPEY

For many of us who work in local government, terms such as transparency and public engagement come up in nearly every conversation.

In some ways, this is great. Local governments should be much better about these things, and there are a range of benefits to doing so. But in other ways, the terms are so common, and they are so implicitly accepted as “good” without deeper thought, that we tend to spend our time focusing on the what rather than the why. In doing so, we miss out on the opportunity to ensure that our efforts and energies are actually connected to and explicitly progressing our goals and our community’s needs.

Before becoming a town manager, I was the inspiration for Ben Wyatt’s character on the tv show Parks and Recreation. I’m kidding, but it does feel that way. After being elected (nonpartisan) mayor of my hometown at the age of 23 (and then not bankrupting the town with a failed ice-skating rink, for the record) I’ve spent the last 15 years working in and around local government in a range of capacities. I got my MPA and have since spent nearly a decade teaching in an MPA program; working as a manager in several towns; working as consultant with dozens more towns, nonprofits, political candidates, and companies through the business I founded; and my favorite part, participating in late-night and early-morning coffee shop and bar debates with other people who work with and think about this stuff.

Through these experiences, several things have become clear:

1. Most organizations’ outreach activities, and the goals and metrics they use, don’t actually forward their broader policy, program, or community goals in the way they think.

2. Most poor policy outcomes can be traced to something wrong happening in a “decision-making environment.”

3. One of the best and most sustainable ways to improve policy outcomes isn’t by pushing on one specific policy lever; it’s by improving the space in which information is consumed, shared, and engaged, and where decisions are influenced and made.

It can be helpful to work from shared definitions. Here is the phrase I’ve been using

I’ve worked for elected officials who say, “Thanks so much for the feedback— that was so valuable!” in a council meeting, then insult and deride that person privately after the meeting adjourns. That won’t work.

for some years to try and sharpen our focus when we talk about these things, and it’s ultimately the foundation of all the work that I do: authentic and effective public engagement. Let’s break it down word by word.

Authentic

This means that the people doing the work have to actually mean it. They have to personally and intrinsically believe, on some level, that things such as sourcing feedback from others, allowing differing perspectives, and integrating and evaluating new information are good. Unfortunately, I’ve worked for elected officials who say, “Thanks so much for the feedback—that was so valuable!” in a council meeting, then insult and deride that person privately after the meeting adjourns. That won’t work. If your leaders don’t believe that other people can bring valuable insight or perspectives to the table, then the efforts are unlikely to succeed in the

long term. In an ideal world, this might mean people who get involved and run for office intrinsically believe these things. We don’t live in an ideal world, you say? Fortunately, these ideas can be discussed with a robust training, team-building, or goal-setting process with your board or governing body, and I have seen a few instances where people did genuinely shift their mindset toward what we’re discussing here.

Effective

Most of the time, your efforts won’t be merely a one-time thing, such as holding a meeting, making records available, or slapping a public comment period on a public meeting like a FlexSeal commercial. Activities that forward your goal of authentic and public engagement need to be evidence-based, measurable, and disciplined. They may be hard to do and will likely take a long time. If people are not committed to organized, strategic work, the efforts are unlikely to succeed in the long term.

Public Engagement

This has three key components:

1. Government learns from the public. This means that people in the government, including elected and appointed officials and staff, need to actually learn from the public. Yes, collecting data through surveys can be valuable, but it’s deeper than that—a true belief and implementation of systems that allows you to source valuable information from public constituencies.

2. The public learns from the government. Government is complicated, don’t we all know. The moving pieces are hard to understand, even for those of us who regularly read journals and attend conferences. We don’t need to be shy about educating the public on how things work or sharing our expertise gained from lived experiences of doing the work that we do.

3. Support of truly interactive spaces.

This can’t be a public comment period. It means small, trusted, authentic conversational spaces where people feel comfortable sharing opinions and ideas, discussing with each other, and maybe even, gasp, changing their mind! Think of well-facilitated charettes that many communities conduct during a master plan type of process.

Your Mission and Vision

We don’t always have to accomplish every goal that we have, but we should set our sights high to push ourselves to constantly improve.

What we’ve discussed here is basically a local government organization’s mission statement, meaning it’s the mechanism by which we get to our vision, the way that we will travel to a destination. If the vision is the destination we want to get to, the mission is the road we take to get there.

Then what is your organization’s vision, really? My argument is that your vision, and one of the most effective ways to invest resources, is to help create something like: A community capable of and actively engaged in making thoughtful, evidence-based, and broadly representative decisions that improve its future.

That’s a mouthful. How about this: A more effective and constantly improving decisionmaking environment. A decisionmaking environment is the place where (a) individuals; (b) groups, families, organizations; and (c) communities do things such as:

• Consume information.

• Share information.

• Integrate new ideas into existing understanding (or not).

Ultimately, it’s a place where decisions are either influenced or made. Your organization’s

decision-making environment is the space between needs existing on one end and outcomes happening on the other.

It probably won’t ever be perfect. And it may not ever be as positive and wonderful as I’m describing. But that’s OK. Part of our responsibility as leaders in the public sector is to be aspirational with our policy, much like our forefathers were several centuries ago. We don’t always have to accomplish every goal that we have, but we should set our sights high to push ourselves to constantly improve.

In Summary

If you commit to authentic and effective public engagement, and align your public outreach and engagement activities to a clear, community-based vision, and help create a place where great decisions can be ideated, discussed, and made, there should be no limit to what you can accomplish. Or at minimum, you can avoid bankrupting your town from a failed ice-skating rink.

ALEX TORPEY is town manager of Hanover, New Hampshire, as well as the host of the Hanover Happenings podcast, and a graduate professor, consultant, and speaker.

Using Generative AI for Community Engagement:

Why and How

Empowering cities and counties to connect, communicate, and collaborate like never before, Generative AI is the future of community engagement.

BY EYAL FEDER-LEVY

There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Generative AI, which can be used through ChatGPT, MidJourney, or a slew of other cool new AI tools released in the past few years. All of these technologies have grown in popularity like wildfire. In fact, ChatGPT was the fastest consumer technology to reach one million users, which it achieved just five days after its launch in November 2022.1

And this popularity has a very good reason. This technology is super powerful, and we’ve just begun scratching the surface of what it can do for us. In many ways, this is an “iPhone moment”—a point in time where a new and powerful technology is about to change how we do many things.

While this will be true for many areas of our lives, one of the most exciting “low-hanging fruits” is local government work, specifically, community engagement. Generative AI, or “GenAI” for short, has the potential to improve community engagement in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.2 And in this piece, I want to explore why—and what that could look like.

What is Generative AI?

But first, we need to understand what generative AI is. GenAI refers to a class of advanced artificial intelligence models and technologies designed for natural language understanding and generation. GenAI models operate based on deep neural networks and are trained on vast datasets of human language. These models excel at tasks such as text generation, language translation, question-answering, and content creation.

These capabilities can help us do a lot in government,3 but they are especially well suited to help bridge the two key pains of community engagement:

1. Reaching only the “STPs”— the same 10 people that always show up at every engagement opportunity.

2. Spending endless staff time and resources on creating engagements and analyzing the community input in them.

GenAI-powered translation tools can break down language barriers, ensuring that all community members can participate fully in discussions and activities.

Practical uses of AI

Here are five practical ways this technology can supercharge your community engagement right now:

1. Create Content

One of the key ways that GenAI can improve community engagement is through content creation. Imagine you’re part of a community organization, and you want to announce an important event or development. GenAI can be your trusty assistant in crafting compelling press releases and engaging social media posts. It ensures that your message is informative and captures your audience’s attention, making them more likely to participate in your community’s activities.

2. Translate to Create More Inclusive Engagement

In a globalized world, communities often consist of members from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

GenAI-powered translation tools can break down language barriers, ensuring that all community members can participate fully in discussions and activities. This promotes inclusivity and diversity within the community.

3. Analyze and Understand Trends

GenAI can analyze and quantify information, helping community leaders understand

GenAI isn’t just about collecting data; it’s also adept at creating summaries and reports to share the findings with your community.

trends and patterns within their community. Particularly, it excels at clustering openended text data, such as survey responses4 or discussion forum threads. Community leaders can gain insights into what matters most to their members by identifying common themes and sentiments. This understanding allows for more targeted engagement efforts and the development of initiatives that align with community interests.

4. Set Up Online Engagement Websites

GenAI can streamline the process of setting up online engagement websites or platforms for your community. Whether you’re launching a new forum, a dedicated website for events, or a community blog, GenAI can assist in designing and populating these platforms efficiently. This makes it easier for community members to access information, connect with each other, and engage with your

organization online. The strategic plan webpage for the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA, is a great example.5

5. Create Summaries and Reports

GenAI isn’t just about collecting data; it’s also adept at creating summaries and reports to share the findings with your community.6 By automating the generation of reports, you can inform your community members about key developments, trends, and insights. This transparent approach fosters trust and engagement, as members are informed about the community’s progress and future plans. SummaryGenAI is not just a technological innovation; it’s a powerful tool for enhancing community engagement. By creating compelling content, breaking down language barriers, analyzing open-ended text data, setting up online engagement platforms, and

generating informative reports, GenAI empowers community leaders and members to connect, communicate, and collaborate more effectively. As we continue to harness the capabilities of AI, GenAI promises to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of community engagement. Embrace this technology, and watch your community thrive.

Summary

Generative AI is not just a technological advancement; it’s a pathway to more meaningful and inclusive community engagement. By breaking down language barriers, providing insights into community trends, and facilitating easier access to information, GenAI empowers us to connect, communicate, and collaborate more effectively than ever before. As we continue to explore the capabilities of AI, let’s do so with optimism, caution, and an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and ethical practice. The future of community engagement is here, and it’s accessible to everyone. Join us in this exciting journey by visiting zencity.io/contact-us and witness how generative AI can help your community thrive.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

1 https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ chatgpt-users

2 https://blog.zencity.io/resources/chartingthe-future-cities-and-counties-embrace-aiwith-innovative-policies

3 https://blog.zencity.io/resources/2024the-year-of-ai-in-government-navigating-theevolution

4 https://blog.zencity.io/resources/aienhanced-community-surveying-pioneeringa-new-era-in-local-governance

5 https://nantucket-ma.civilspace.io/en/c/ town-of-nantucket-strategic-plan

6 https://blog.zencity.io/resources/ maximizing-the-usage-of-publicengagement-data-in-local-governments

EYAL FEDER-LEVY is CEO of Zencity (zencity.io).

CONFERENCE ASSISTANCE SCHOLARSHIPS

To help ICMA members experience the difference that attending the ICMA Annual Conference has made for so many, ICMA offers the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to support your conference attendance.

2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONALS

ICMA members with three years or less experience as a full-time local government employee.

WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

ICMA members who are from historically marginalized or underrepresented populations.

SMALL COMMUNITY EMPLOYEE

ICMA members serving in small communities with limited financial resources. (no minimum population)

EDWARD O. STENE

ICMA student members, who are full-time first year graduate students.

Details at icma.org/annual-conference/scholarships Apply by July 12, 2024

LOOKING AT CONFLICT THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

Approaching community engagement with Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation

BY DAVE TEBO, ICMA-CM (RETIRED)

Like most of you, during my career as a local government administrator I have tried to support new and imaginative ways of engaging community residents. The creation of book circles, study groups, research committees, educational seminars, citizen academies, community-wide strategic planning sessions, and online dialogues were all part of my search for the holy grail of active resident involvement in community decision-making. Some of these projects were effective but they usually ended up only impacting a small group of people.

While I do consider some of these creative approaches to public engagement to have been successful projects, when I look back on my 30-year career as an administrator, I am also confronted by the many difficult times I had dealing with the resident engagement issues and conflicts that faced the communities I served.

How often did my ego and insecurities as an administrator keep me from handling community conflict well? How frequently did I view resident challenges as an accusation of my professional management and value rather than an expression of valid disagreement that needed to be heard and understood? Instead

of seeking real engagement, how regularly did I hope no one would show up for meetings? After all, wasn’t it my job to keep board meetings conflict free, things running smoothly, and my community out of the glare of media coverage? In retrospect, what an unhealthy view of conflict and community engagement!

Figure 1

My attitude toward and understanding of community conflict and engagement was transformed as I sat in a recent training session introducing me to the principles and practices of Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation (KNV). As the trainers explained, Kingian Nonviolence is an approach to conflict resolution that emerged from the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s. The curriculum was first codified by Bernard LaFayette, an early follower of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., working with civil rights activist David Jehnsen in the 1980s. The name “Kingian” is representative of a period in history and not just a single individual. The KNV theory and methodology utilizes the foundations of nonviolent and dialectical thinking of Hegel, Gandhi, and JudeoChristianity, and recognizes the tremendous contribution of a great many civil rights leaders of the time.

Looking back, how often did I view resident challenges as an accusation of my professional management and value rather than an expression of valid disagreement that needed to be heard and understood?

The Six Principles of Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation

1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

2. The beloved community is the framework for the future.

3. Attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil.

4. Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve a goal.

5. Avoid internal (emotional) violence of the spirit as well as external violence.

6. The universe is on the side of justice.

Source: “The Briefing Booklet: An Orientation to the Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation Program and The Leaders Manual,” © Bernard LaFayette Jr. and David C. Jehnsen

as well as the importance of negotiation, compromise, and yes, even reconciliation with those who might oppose us following disagreement?

Our Attitude Toward Community Conflict

This KNV session gave me a strong sense that what we need in our local governments is not more innovative structures and technologies for engagement, but a reimagining of the core beliefs guiding how we as administrators, elected officials, and residents view and carry out our public conversations and discourse. A reimagination of how we deal with conflict!

How have we lost our ability to see that conflict should be a normal part of life and decision-making? Shouldn’t differences in opinion be viewed as natural,

Nonviolent public management, as proposed by KNV, is really not much different than what most of us practice every day. We strive to frame issues well so that conflicts can be better understood and resolved. We seek to build community in fair and equitable ways. We attempt to face intense controversial problems with neutral facts, research, and wisdom. I see KNV as supportive for our work and for the ICMA Code of Ethics, offering with it stories of successful nonviolent confrontation with racial discrimination, added emotional resources, inspiration, and tools to increase our resilience as

In

Kingian Nonviolence, conflict is never over until reconciliation takes place and the community is moving forward together.

be managed wisely so it can offer the creative opportunity for improving relationships in our communities. Especially in today’s contentious public square, we also need to be keenly aware of how we as appointees, our elected officials, and our residents may engage in emotional violence when relating to each other. Name calling, shouting down, or failing to listen to an opponent is not providing an opportunity for true engagement.

A Framework for the Future

we face the difficulties of the public arena today. KNV’s timeless principles and practices can serve as guideposts for us when we lose our vision or sense of why we got into public service in the first place.

Courageous Public Management

It goes without saying that our responsibilities must be carried out without violence, both physical and emotional. Yet being nonviolent can be misinterpreted. It does not mean to run away from conflict, hide from it, or hope that it disappears. It means we must face conflict consistently and courageously, with all the positive spiritual, emotional, and intellectual energy within ourselves. A nonviolent approach asks us to not respond in kind, or retaliate against, abusive criticism or violence and be willing to sacrifice for the sake of what we believe to be true. Our job as a nonviolent public manager is to understand conflict as a neutral element that needs to

KNV offers a fundamental shift in how political change is usually made in our communities. Rather than an “us versus them” adversarial approach, or trying to discredit and vilify opponents, there is an attempt to work in such a way that would potentially turn our opponents into allies and win general support from the community. Our commitment goes beyond just conflict resolution to reconciliation of relationships.

In KNV, conflict is never over until reconciliation takes place and the community is moving forward together. Tenet 4 of the ICMA Code of Ethics asks us to serve the best interests of all community members in a fair and equitable manner. I believe the KNV curriculum and Dr. King’s definition of community building can inspire and support these efforts. In his 1958 book, Stride Toward Freedom, King uses the Greek term agape to describe how he was able to continue to seek community with those who were firebombing his home or burning his churches. For him, agape means love in action, not a weak or passive love. It seeks to preserve, create, and insist on community even when others seek to break it. Agape is a willingness to sacrifice in the interest of community and a willingness to go to any length to restore community. It is a love in which the individual does not seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. It is a neighbor-regarding

The Six Steps of Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation

1. Information gathering.

2. Education.

3. Personal commitment.

4. Negotiation.

5. Direct action (not necessary if negotiation is successful).

6. Reconciliation.

Source: “The Briefing Booklet: An Orientation to the Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation Program and The Leaders Manual,” © Bernard LaFayette Jr. and David C. Jehnsen

concern for others that seeks to discover the neighbor in every person it meets. Agape is a redeeming good will for all humans and it attempts to see goodness even in our enemies.

Our North Star Experienced and practical local government leaders may think the KNV approach is too idealistic and does not adequately consider the political difficulties facing an appointed administrator or the rough and tumble world of today’s polarized communities and frenzied social media environment. In response, I would like to end with a story shared by Kazu Haga in his brilliant little book, Healing Resistance, written about KNV Conflict Reconciliation. The story recounts how slaves walking north toward freedom along the underground railroad would find the North Star each night as their guide. They were not walking to the North Star specifically—it was millions of miles away—but they knew if they kept moving toward the star, they would eventually get to the freedom they desired. Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation can serve as our North Star as we work toward it every day, holding on in faith to that famous phrase popularized by Dr. King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

DAVE TEBO is a recently retired ICMA-CM and owner of WI2 Community Consulting, LLC, in Greenville, Wisconsin, USA (dtebo.wi2@gmail.com).

Figure 2

GUIDE THE WAY LETTING DATA

How AI can unveil data connections for more informed governance

BY JESSIE O’BRIEN

We know that air pollution affects health, urban design can influence social interaction, and traffic can alter our mood. Data can help us see how these different elements interact and influence policy. But in this era of infinite data, it’s impossible for humans to uncover all the potential correlations with red string and thumbtacks on a wall.

AI, with its power to analyze vast amounts of data, is changing what’s possible. Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, for example, collects a lot of data. Brent Stockwell, assistant city manager, said the city’s data scientist found that the city receives more noise complaints when it’s loud on Wednesdays than any other day of the week, even though weekends were louder.

The data scientist observed that residents may be less tolerant of higher volumes during the week, which tracks with common logic. With data confirming the connection between expectations and noise level, the city is working to draft updates to its entertainment-related sound ordinance requiring businesses to have lower sound levels on weekdays.

This is one small example of using data connections. Now imagine this analysis times 100. There are galaxies of data floating around online. AI has the power to analyze that data and illuminate correlations that humans might miss.

“By analyzing data using AI, you could do analysis much more quickly,” Stockwell says. “People tend to be limited by their own biases and perceptions rather than really trying to look for the significant and important patterns. There may be something there that’s not readily apparent to a person.”

There are galaxies of data floating around online. AI has the power to analyze that data and illuminate correlations that humans might miss.

Decision-making in Local Government Today

Right now, most local governments do not use data to inform decision-making as much as they could. “Too frequently we’re using human intelligence to say, ‘Here’s what we think the issues are,’ rather than a data-informed, datafocused approach, and looking at the patterns,” Stockwell says. According to David Swindell, director of the Center for Urban Innovation

at Arizona State University, about 40% of cities collect data.1 Yet, only a fraction use it for performance management. The government data that does exist is collecting digital dust.

As a result, Stockwell says there may be too much reliance on brainstorming in local government rather than looking at data and trends. Creative thinking is important, but governments often spend too much time, money, and energy on items that people perceive to be a problem, rather than actual problems that might benefit their communities more in the long run.

For governments that don’t use data at all, lack of resources, funding, time, staff know-how, or desire to implement new processes can all contribute to the lack of a data-driven culture.2

How Well-Trained

AI

Can Help

AI can quickly present accurate facts up front to streamline the decisionmaking process. “As local

government professionals, we’re decision support. We’re helping other people to make decisions, and we should use the tools available to us to do that,” Stockwell says.

It’s important to note that most creative AI tools, such as Open AI, often generate biased and misleading information. The tech will happily give you a five-step guide to levitation or crank out a report on egg-laying trees. That’s because ChatGPT is working off everything on the internet, which is teeming with false information.

However, with the right training, an AI tool can be taught to report reliable information. So, for an AI analyst to work, cities need high-quality data to begin with.

Luckily, good data and well-behaved AI are out there. For example, Polco (info. polco.us), a data analytics, AI, and community engagement company, built an AI analyst (info.polco.us/ai-analyst), Polly. Polly is trained on the company’s large databases of resident opinion and

AI can equip local government decision-makers with the data analysis they’ve always dreamed of.

makers with the data analysis they’ve always dreamed of. Instead of wasting time brainstorming or arguing over priorities, government leaders can focus their attention and energy on where it will make the most difference in their community.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

1 https://blog.polco.us/turn-big-datainto-successful-community-decisions

government performance metrics curated by data science experts into one AI system. Designed specifically for the public sector, Polly is limited to working off of these databases, it presents verifiable statistics, and it cites its sources, making its analysis much more reliable.

Tools like this reduce the time and money required for data collection and analysis. Because it’s easily accessible and user-friendly, AI like Polly gives all governments large-scale community data insights for maximally informed decision-making.

In this way, AI can equip local government decision-

2 https://blog.polco.us/how-to-builda-data-driven-culture-for-successfulcommunity-decisions

JESSIE O’BRIEN is copywriter at Polco (info.polco.us), leaders in government performance analytics, AI, and community engagement. She publishes the company’s newsletter, The Civil Review (info.polco.us/the-civil-review), and co-hosts The Civil Review Podcast (info.polco.us/ podcast). Local governments can save months of time on data collection, analysis, and reporting with Polly, Polco’s AI analyst. Sign up for a Polco account to try Polly for free at polco.us/ai-analyst.

BUILDING TRUST THROUGH DIGITAL SERVICES

The importance of a mindful, holistic approach to digital engagement

BY POOJA BACHANI DI GIOVANNA AND BILLY TRAKAS

Our lives are becoming increasingly digital, and as it happens, we are making assessments in real time on how digitized elements serve us in all aspects of life. Local government too is becoming more digital by transitioning services online and enhancing their digital presence.1 As a result, both local government leaders and community members are adjusting, adapting, and assessing new technologies to determine the right fit for them. We’re reimagining all of our processes including public engagement, begging the questions: what does public engagement look like in the digital age? How can we incorporate digital engagement in a way that continues to build trust?

One popular response to digitization is that it undermines the relational aspect, which subsequently builds trust, of the dialogue between local government and communities. While it is true that nothing can take the place of in-person, face-to-face communication, a CivicPlus report found that community members expressed increased satisfaction and trust in local governments with digital service technologies.2 Furthermore, trust levels were higher among residents who engaged digitally with their local governments more than once a month; they were almost five times more likely to trust their local government compared to less frequent users. At a time when trust in local government is generally low,3 this report suggests a causal relationship between digital engagement and trust, and serves as a catalyst for a reimagined, intentional, and mindful approach to incorporating digital service technologies within local governments.

Digital Engagement as Part of a Holistic Approach

The CivicPlus report shows that the integration of modern technologies in public works departments plays a vital role in enhancing residents’ perception and trust. The digitization and provision of tracking service requests and initiatives online can significantly boost trust and engagement. So why not make everything digital? A fair question to ask, no doubt.

The reality is that there is no singular formula that contains the perfect combination for digital and analog elements that will

work for all communities alike. We are seeing that an increased incorporation of digital elements in local government services and public engagement is increasing trust, which leads us to recognize that digital is certainly a part of the mix. For example, in the city of Gilroy, California, USA, in response to census data that revealed that roughly 46% of the city speaks a language other than English at home, the local government adopted a real-time digital translation service that allows residents to attend city council meetings and listen in their preferred language.4 This AI-based digital application

allows community members to engage remotely and ask questions in a language of their choice, thereby promoting more inclusive public engagement and building trust. Ten to 15 years ago, we could not have imagined digital technology making such a dramatic impact in our ability to reach community members who speak different languages.

However, it is important to note that balance is the key to a holistic approach to digital engagement based on local government’s understanding and knowledge of the community they serve. What works for the city of Gilroy may not work well for another city; another community may not have the digital literacy levels that allow for easy adaptation of a translation app. Thus, digital interactions must be balanced with traditional engagement methods in order to ensure that there is something for everyone. Furthermore, digital equity continues to play a key role in the process of developing holistic and balanced public engagement processes and services. The efficiency of digital platforms can be leveraged while simultaneously exercising a mindfulness toward the need for balance.

Enhancing Digital Presence Mindfully

Community members value transparency and easy access to government decisions, and the influx of digitization has made that possible. Community members reported an increased level of satisfaction with their local governments when self-service features were easily available and when governments regularly updated their meeting and agenda software. The demand is there

for user-friendly digital services, but the process of digitization must be done mindfully with digital equity at the center of the process.5

For example, the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, used census data, artificial intelligence, and mapping technology to create a disability characteristics map to represent the diversity in abilities of the city’s residents.6 This map is designed to help policy makers better understand the diversity in their communities to help inform decisions on resources during emergency situations and distribution of grants. For community members, the map also incorporates AI technology that has tools designed to make local government decisions and information easily accessible for those with disabilities.

In a press conference, the chief of the city’s office of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Josie Pickens, said, “Everything we do as a city should be accessible to people with disabilities and should be inclusive of them. That’s what makes this map so innovative.”7

Degrees of digital literacy and levels of digital comfort vary in our diverse communities, and it is essential that we be mindful of that when seeking to enhance our digital presence. It

is important to think through what will be best for your community and proceed with an appropriate balance between digital and analog services. The best way to get a sense of where your community is with respect to digital services and digital literacy is to conduct a comprehensive and inclusive public engagement process. Some common challenges include strategy alignment, budget constraints, implementation, and resistance to change internally and externally. Incorporating digital services and kickstarting a transition process is not easy, and these common challenges are just a few of the things to consider as you seek to enhance your digital presence.

Conclusion

As we continue to reimagine what local government, and specifically public engagement, looks like we must remember that at the heart of digital transformation in local government is the community and meeting their needs for transparency and trust in their leaders. This belief will remain a steadfast pillar of public engagement even as we seek to mindfully incorporate new technologies and approaches to enhance our ability to reach our full communities and build trust.

Building a strong relationship with your community is integral for success in all areas, and while many cities are seeing an increase in trust as a result of incorporating more digital services, what works for one city may not work for another. Regardless of where you are in the process, it is important to remember that digital engagement is a part of a holistic, balanced approach to build services that meet your community where they are.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

1 https://the-atlas.com/city-covidimpacts/covids-silver-linings-for-cities/ 2 https://www.civicplus.com/ infographics/cxp/secret-solutionincreasing-resident-trust

3 https://news.gallup.com/poll/512651/ americans-trust-local-governmentcongress-least.aspx

4 https://www.cityofgilroy.org/977/CityCouncil-Real-Time-Translation-Servi

5 https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/ digital-equity-and-public-engagement

6 https://www.govtech.com/govexperience/new-philadelphia-map-putsaccessibility-into-action

7 https://www.facebook. com/watch/live/?ref=watch_ permalink&v=166490306506738

POOJA

BACHANI

DI GIOVANNA is the assistant director at the Davenport Institute and works on curriculum development and program delivery, communications, and strategic relations.

BILLY TRAKAS is the founder of A Community Engagement Company, which specializes in building capacity for local governments to adopt an online strategy for all its projects. Billy has over five years of experience in digital community engagement working at various firms in the local government space. (billy@ communityengagement.co)

THRIVE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 2024 COACHING PROGRAM

UPCOMING FREE WEBINARS – Register at icma.org/coachingwebinars

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

Ethics – Ethics at the Helm – Staying the Course Despite Unethical Elected Officials

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

Skill Building – Navigating Workplace Challenges: Strategies to Maximize the Performance of Difficult Employees

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21

Workplace Development – Talent Retention Toolbox –Strategies for Keeping Your Best Talent

All Webinars start at 1:30pm Eastern time.

Miss a webinar? Watch it anytime!

Register and watch digital recordings from your ICMA Learning Lab Dashboard.

Don’t miss out on these FREE 2024 coaching webinars.

REGISTER TODAY!

Additional free coaching resources at ICMA Coaching:

• Access digital recordings on ICMA’s Learning Lab

• Career Compass monthly advice column

• CoachConnect for one-to-one coach matching

• Live speed coaching events, talent development resources, and more. Join our list for coaching program updates and more. Email coaching@icma.org.

Community Values Guide Planning and Engagement in Golden, Colorado

Placing importance on what matters most to residents in their daily lives

BY ROBIN MAYER

Golden, Colorado, USA, is a city of 20,000 nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, just outside the city of Denver. It has a rich history of mining, a vibrant downtown, and is home to one of the largest brewing facilities in the world. With access to recreation and jobs, Golden has long been an attractive place to live and work along Colorado’s Front Range.

However, Golden’s population grew by 30% between 1990 and 2000, presenting numerous challenges across the city. In 2009, in response to continued change in the community, Golden city officials initiated Golden Vision 2030, a

community-wide engagement process to determine the core values of the community in order to better plan for the future.1

Using the Community Heart & Soul© model for engagement, Golden provided numerous opportunities for all segments of the population to participate in directing the future of their city. Block parties, community summits, festivals, and chili socials provided opportunities for more than 2,000 city residents to give their vision of what mattered most to them regarding Golden’s future.

A facilitated focus group extracted data from the more than 350 video stories that were shared. The information collected was distilled into 10 community values, articulating what matters most to residents of Golden. Three guiding themes emerged:

1. Accessibility and walkability.

2. An active outdoors environment.

3. Safe, clean, quiet neighborhoods. These themes became ingrained in land-use decisions, code changes, and community investment decisions. Golden’s community values and themes were not just platitudes— they are still used today in

Golden’s community values and themes were not just platitudes— they are still used today to inform planning and policy making.

meaningful and tangible ways to inform planning and policy making, including the city’s comprehensive plan.

Rick Muriby, Golden’s director of community development, has been with the city since 2008, and stresses the importance of broad community engagement.

“We learned how to go about engagement to be more inclusive and to learn from each other.” They learned, for example, that “we must go to where the people are. They won’t come to us.” He

went on to say, “We have a greater understanding of our history now. Golden is the first community in Colorado to conduct a Native American ethnography study to identify tribes and their importance to this area.”

Community engagement in Golden is an ongoing process, and the city continues to innovate as it seeks new ways to involve residents. In 2019, the Guiding Golden website launched (guidinggolden. com), offering a new mode of community engagement to inform residents of upcoming meetings and collect input online. The city recently developed a Community Engagement Planning Guide to provide a framework for all city employees looking to implement community engagement processes.2

Based on public feedback, the city began working on The Heart of Golden, a special project looking at ways to improve the city’s Clear Creek corridor.3 The project launched with walking tours along the corridor. The city council approved the Heart of Golden planning document in August

2022, a strategic plan to guide community engagement and decision-making specific to the area.4

As recently as August 2023, Golden reached out to residents through a community-wide meeting, updating participants on the progress of the corridor plan, noting revisions due in part to budgetary constraints and asking for input on the revised plan. It was particularly important to hear from the residents at this time, as two of the themes—walkability/ accessibility and active

outdoor environment—were important factors in the land use along the creek for residents who often believed that they had to compete with visitors to use creek-front recreation areas. Rick noted, “In the development of these guiding documents, the community values as set forth in the original Community Heart & Soul report were kept alive in the process and continue to drive the implementation of the plan.”

According to Rick, the value statements are still referenced

by new and long-term commissioners and residents alike. “They quote the values from the Golden Vision Plan and Comprehensive Plan. The values are kept alive through that.” Recognizing that major, long-term initiatives are subject to economic and personnel changes within the governmental structure, Golden continues to focus on community engagement in their planning processes. “Our guiding principles and value statements are ingrained in our community’s culture.”

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

1 https://www.cityofgolden.net/media/ GV2030_%20Final_120910.pdf

2 https://www.cityofgolden.net/media/ CommunityEngagementPlan.pdf

3 https://www.guidinggolden.com/heartof-golden-2020

4 https://www.guidinggolden.com/5233/ widgets/46147/documents/36146

ROBIN MAYER is principal at Mayer & Associates, a strategic communications consulting firm, where she provides services in traffic safety, communications, and social media training for state and local governments. Previously, she served as chair of the board of selectmen in Damariscotta, Maine.

RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT REIMAGINED with AI

These real-world AI solutions already at work could easily be integrated into local government, transforming the way we manage and interact with our communities.

BY A. D. GORON, PHD

When it comes to the Hollywoodlike buzz around AI, we are prone to depicting it almost like a sci-fi technology that enables human-like robots or artificial brains. Often, governments, policy makers, small business owners, and community members are hesitant when it comes to trusting this technology and integrating it within our daily lives for the benefit of the community.

Within the private sector, AI has already enabled technological advancements that have reshaped the landscape of our modernday society. From manufacturing to finance to healthcare, AI has proven to be a powerful tool for change, revolutionizing industries and streamlining processes. However, as we begin the journey of integrating AI within the public sector, we wonder whether society is truly ready to accept AI in co-designing the communities of tomorrow through enhanced resident engagement. If so, is AI ready to take on this endeavor and how? Let’s take a brief look at the different approaches to AI integration.

1. A Quantitative Approach

Big Data has already proven that it can benefit humans by optimizing and accelerating medical treatment advancement through disease tracking and the creation of new drugs and vaccines. It is widely applied for exposing violence and human rights infringements and strengthening cybersecurity. Advanced data analytics (AI-enabled algorithms for pattern identification, clustering, classification, and forecasting) have immense potential for leveraging innovative ways to implement the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs.un.org/goals) to transform our towns and cities into smart co-designed, inclusive communities.

The downside of Big Data lies in its tendency to absorb the ideologies of those

who manipulate it, meaning that it enables biases when it comes to gender, ethnicity, and social status. A simple method to combat this would be a close collaboration between data scientists, AI specialists, policy experts, data designers, and the general public in setting up regulations, like the EU AI Act,1 to enable an ethical approach and guidelines for using data in a more responsible, transparent, and ethical way. By including the resident in the middle, it fosters policy debates, influences civic decisions, and informs designs to ensure that people’s voices are reflected in the applied policies.

2. A Qualitative Approach

This refers to designing systems in which multiple AI agents collaborate, supporting autonomous planning and decision making and knowledge-based reasoning and logic. This implies translating cognitive processes into digital format cognitive processes. Often it is limited when it comes to dealing with unpredictability and having to consider the multitude of dependencies and contexts, especially when it comes to governance. An example of the qualitative approach would be creating a digital “twin city,” which would act as a digital representation of a city. This digital twin would be

a closed-world environment consisting of a knowledge base about the city and an inference engine, which supports experts in exploring various issues and making decisions, offering explanations and clear visualizations, or having a dialog in a natural language.

3. A Hybrid Approach

This approach takes the best of both the quantitative and qualitive approaches and is widely applied. When it comes to community engagement, one cannot only rely on survey and data analysis about a population to determine the way different policies and projects affect them. Hence, the hybrid approach is not only a reactive approach, but a proactive approach as well. We cannot talk about communities without considering interaction between their members and local governments. There are two central aspects that ground the concept of a community: well-being and care. While well-being is concerned with ensuring that the needs of an individual are met (material, emotional, social, and political), care is directed toward the capacities required to ensure the welfare of the members of a community, taking into account the interdependencies between human needs and the importance of ensuring equitable treatment. One must consider the lived experience and the local knowledge of individuals from a community to challenge and ultimately influence public decision making, strategies, and implementation of processes.

One can argue that there are already software platforms out there enabling a direct and realtime communication channel

between policy makers and the people that benefit from their policies through the use of traditional virtual assistants or chatbots. However, most of the time these programs fail to address the public’s need for a human-like connection, for storytelling, for feeling heard, listened to, and understood. Traditional face-to-face interaction, town hall meetings, and surveys have also failed in a society where we are always on the go, where we need everything now, and where we have to optimize and change in order to thrive.

Through the use of AI, and specifically Generative AI, based on large language models or LLMs (the same technology used by tools such as ChatGPT), one can go beyond the limited capabilities of traditional assistants and chatbots by actually leveraging an AI agent with a human-like intelligence and communication style. These AI agents can integrate seamlessly into collaborative platforms, encourage inclusiveness, and empower humans to become co-designers in urban communities, participating actively in decision making. Imagine a transformed participatory budgeting process in which AI-enabled agents interact and assist residents in the co-design process, acting as facilitators between policy makers and community members in a combination of digital and physical interaction.

Seeing AI in Action

One concrete example of civic engagement transformed by AI into a unique experience is a solution called The School of Possibilities, which my team built for Youth Data Collaborative, an initiative

consisting of an international group of scholars, technologists, designers, organizers, artists, and youth activists committed to using data to advance youth well-being in Romanian communities.2 From the idea of a youth-centered effort to reimagine education, The School of Possibilities (SoP) platform combines a digital and human presence for humanAI interactions. It includes life-like characters inspired by the school system (talking textbooks, exam papers, and compassionate teachers) to create a safe space for people to speak out about bullying or other experiences they have at school (both positive and

negative), ensuring that they feel heard by using a playful approach to boost participation and encourage innovation and creativity.

If we extend the example to local governments, these types of phygital (physical + digital) engagement platforms will make it easier for city officials to connect with their community members, creating a more inclusive urban design framework and making it more exciting for everyone involved. The collected data is completely anonymous, maintaining resident privacy and analyzed by experts and stakeholders. Coming back to the example, any specific data that could lead to the identification of the opinion maker was taken out and the public data was then projected on a separate interface and onto to a big public screen displaying general insights extracted from conversations in real time, showcasing contributors’ anonymous opinions and exchanges of stories.

Over 300 high school students interacted with the SoP prototype for a period of three days, addressing important topics related to education, the school system, and school’s impact on their mental health, as well as difficulties and opportunities for students to get involved, to speak out, and to find solutions. Moreover, it allowed us, through direct observation and AI-based data analysis, to gain a better overview of how to construct systems that can ensure engagement of people in community initiatives along with well-functioning institutional listening. Hence, such initiatives can be extended to create AI decisionmaking frameworks that

AI assistant for supporting the elderly

The drug use prevention AI avatar for teenagers

empower residents to actively participate in co-creating urban landscapes augmented by AI. Local governments could analyze public sentiments and trends to inform decision making, as well as build trust and foster meaningful collaborations with the public.

Other similar examples are virtual public services providers enabled by AI that are capable of understanding laws and regulations. Such service providers can offer support to public servants and residents in dealing with their daily tasks such as claims filings, completing forms or simply requesting information, fraud activity detection, and offering clarifications. At the request of a local government partner company, we built the first public law AI assistant in Romania capable of understanding and interpreting the application of various law constructs in different local contexts, offering recommendations for public servants to extend to their residents.

For example, we asked the AI-enabled virtual public servant to assist with various requests in the urban planning department, one of which being to list the exact papers required to obtain a fence construction permit. The AI not only provided the list of documents and forms, but also offered information on regulations or restrictions that applied at a local level based on the specific regulations voted on by the local council.

AI Avatars

AI agents can also be enhanced with a visual appearance through an avatar that can interact in a more humanlike manner, mimicking

expressions and being able to understand emotions. These AI avatars can serve multiple purposes in a smart city and can even be grouped in collaborative multi-agent systems capable of interpreting, sharing, and co-creating with human participation.

The following are some other real-world solutions that we have implemented that can be extended to the public sector:

• An AI moderator that delivered the welcoming speech at a renowned conference. The avatar not only has the functionality of delivering audio messages, but also has the capability of understanding the debated topics, summarizing panel discussions, creating short bios and speaker descriptions, and the possibility to engage in meaningful conversations on various topics. These avatars could be used in public debates, town hall meetings, and community events.

• We are currently working on an AI agent capable of raising awareness about the dangers of illegal substance use and drug abuse to teenagers. The AI avatar will engage in meaningful conversations with students and will be able to adapt to their emotions and moods, understanding their needs and expressing information in an easy to comprehend way. The avatar is capable of communicating through voice and text, offering useful insights, and directing troubled teenagers toward specific organizations in their community that can further assist them.

• Similar AI-enabled avatars can be used in social assistance, such as helping the elderly and keeping

them company while looking after their wellbeing, or entertaining children at hospitals, providing compassion, empathy, and support.

Endless Possibilities for Local Government

AI agents can even be used in interpreting communitygathered data and assist human decision makers in ensuring a holistic view when it comes to implementing different community projects. When it comes to community engagement, avatars can excel at connecting communities, capable of interacting with residents, listening to their problems and opinions, and offering reassurance and useful information. They can represent the voice of groups of people or policy makers and engage in meaningful dialogues to bring change.

Further, such avatars can be included in policy-making processes, co-creating side by side with humans. The voices of different members from diverse community areas can be represented by AI agents helping to create urban policies that directly affect different urban infrastructures. AI can analyze vast amounts of data to understand individual community members’ preferences and interests. With this information, AIpowered platforms could deliver personalized content and communication, ensuring that each community member receives relevant information, updates, and messages.

The excitement over the benefits of AI to our society must be taken with precaution and responsibility in its application, particularly in public services, where a delicate

balance between innovation and ethical considerations must be maintained. Privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, and digital divide issues must be carefully addressed to ensure that AI technologies are deployed in a fair, transparent, and equitable manner. Additionally, fostering trust and building rapport between residents and AI-driven systems is paramount to the success of these initiatives.

To conclude, artificial intelligence has the potential to redefine the way both local governments and their residents get involved within co-designing and implementing community initiatives. Resident engagement reimagined with AI through a form of warm interaction between humans and technology, setting aside traditional approaches, paves the way for new possibilities. It isn’t just about embracing innovation; it’s about building stronger, more resilient, inclusive, and responsible communities for tomorrow.

Learn more about AI for local government at icma.org/topicsearch/generative-ai. ICMA is a member of the Government AI Coalition, which provides materials and templates for local government agencies looking to get started with AI policy.3

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

1 https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/

2 https://www.schoolofpossibilities.org/

3 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/ your-government/departmentsoffices/information-technology/ ai-reviews-algorithm-register/govaicoalition#deliverables

A. D. GORON, PhD, is an AI advisor and founder of AVA Research (avaresearch.ai).

Coming Together for “Bold Women, Bold Changes”

BY SAMMA FOX

Planning a SheLeadsGov Virtual Forum watch party for staff in Louisville, Colorado

When ICMA’s March 6th SheLeadsGov Virtual Forum “Bold Women, Bold Changes” was announced, I went straight to my boss to tell him, “We need to do a watch party!”

As the deputy city manager, I didn’t need his approval, but I wanted buy-in and support from the top. In the past few years, our organization has been through a pandemic, significant leadership transition, and a traumatic natural disaster (the Marshall Fire). Considering all that, I’ve learned that sometimes we need to give people permission and encouragement to take a few hours out of their day to do things like this. And often, that encouragement is more impactful coming from the city manager’s office.

With his support, we shared the news at our next leadership team meeting and started planning. The event was held in a neutral space where we don’t typically have business meetings— the library of the city manager’s office. While optional, we encouraged people to attend and created paths to support prioritization of the meeting. When there was an unplanned council committee meeting scheduled over top of the watch party, the city manager and I even prioritized our time so that I could attend the whole forum and he could join midway.

Ultimately, we had eight people in attendance, which was a smaller crowd than I had hoped, but it created an opportunity for people who don’t interact every day to have meaningful conversations. Our group even used the whiteboard to take notes and stayed together for a 45-minute chat after the last session. I couldn’t be more pleased with our first annual watch party and am honored to share the words of a few of our attendees:

Dawn Soave, Risk Management Specialist

How does the theme of “Bold Women, Bold Changes” encourage you as a leader? “It reminds me to not be afraid to try. Failure is okay and, better yet, success at something new and frightening is awesome!”

What advice did you gain from the event that others need to know? “Put yourself out there. Go for it.”

Laura Jasiewicz, Records Management Assistant

How does the theme of “Bold Women, Bold Changes” encourage you as a leader? “It encourages you to have that mindset when trying to make a difference, no matter your role.”

How did the SheLeadsGov watch party help you learn from and connect with women in your organization? “It allowed me to connect to them in a setup different from our regular office spaces and work-related conversations. After the event, listening to their personal experiences was not only insightful but created personal connections.”

Adam Blackmore, Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Director

“As a male, I really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the watch party and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the passion and thoughtfulness of the speakers. I noticed how few (if any at all) other men were in the watch parties. I think it’s imperative for equity that traditionally marginalized genders or races can express thoughts, ideas, challenges, successes, and plans with those who have had a long history of privilege and authority (namely Caucasian men). I was honored to be able to watch the sessions and to learn from these women. I will use the discussions and points of emphasis for insight as I lead my organization. It’d be nice if others like me also took advantage or were encouraged to participate (mostly just to listen and not speak) in similar programs.”

Conclusion

We are excited to count this watch party as a success. The teams have already requested more opportunities like this one. For the future, we will leverage this work to build safety and comfort in these opportunities, and as an organization, continue to ensure that our actions and policies align with what we say we value. We’re grateful to ICMA for providing this forum to members. It was very much appreciated by our team here in Louisville, Colorado!

SAMMA FOX (she/her/ hers) is deputy city manager of Louisville, Colorado, USA.

Photo courtesy of Visit Pittsburgh

Title Sponsor

2024 ICMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The 2024 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Plan to join us in Pittsburgh and see the city’s transformation into a leader in healthcare, education technology, and financial services. Experience firsthand a shining example of how to overcome challenges to create a vibrant, thriving, and equitable community.

Pittsburgh, affectionately known as the Burgh, is a city wrapped in three rivers: the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio. Pittsburgh is a green and outdoor city with trails and parks intertwined throughout. No matter what your interests are, you’re sure to find something to love in Pittsburgh. It’s a city that has something to offer everyone.

Local government managers play a vital role in shaping the communities they serve by overseeing a wide range of services, from infrastructure to education to public safety, managing the budget and planning for the future. The 2024 ICMA Annual Conference is an opportunity for everyone in local government, anywhere in the world, to come together.

Here’s what you can expect in Pittsburgh

Professional development opportunities for every career stage.

Networking opportunities with local government professionals from around the world.

Inspirational keynote speakers with diverse backgrounds and expertise who will inspire you and help you hit the reset button.

Products and services from solution providers in the Exhibit Hall.

New tools and techniques presented by experts in the local government management profession.

A place where local government leaders and professionals from all backgrounds can stand together as a profession.

REGISTRATION INCLUDES

General Sessions, 150+ Education Sessions, Skill-Building Workshops, and Discussions

An Exhibit Hall featuring more than 150 companies showcasing the latest and greatest in local government innovations, attendee engagement opportunities, and much more!

Peer-to-Peer Networking

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception

Attendee Lunches and Refreshment Breaks (Mon/Tue)

Team/Group Discounts of 15% for Two or More Attendees

Photo courtesy of Heinz History Center

EDUCATION TRACKS

The 2024 ICMA Annual Conference education sessions are organized into tracks aligning with the 14 Practices for Effective Local Government Management and Leadership. Each practice is represented in at least one track.

Tracks include:

Digital Agility

An exploration of the latest digital technologies and data-driven decision-making.

Addresses Practice 11: Technological Literacy Leadership

Adapting leadership approaches to navigate change and uncertainty.

Addresses Practice 6: Strategic Leadership

Livable Communities

Addressing “wicked problems” and building community resilience.

Addresses Practices: 2 Community Engagement, 7 Strategic Planning, 8 Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 9 Community and Resident Service, 10 Service Delivery, 14 Communication and Information Sharing Management

Future-proof processes, systems, and policies in local government.

Addresses Practices: 1 Personal and Professional Integrity, 3 Equity and Inclusion, 4 Staff Effectiveness, 6 Strategic Planning, 8 Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 12 Financial Management and Budgeting, 13 Human Resources Management and Workforce Engagement

Self-Transformation

Unlocking your potential, enhancing well-being, and creating positive change.

Addresses Practice 5: Personal Resiliency and Development

Service Delivery

Reimagining service delivery and public safety operations.

Addresses Practices: 9 Community and Resident Service and 10 Service Delivery

Thriving Economies

Promoting economic mobility and inclusive, sustainable development.

Addresses Practices: 6 Strategic Leadership, 7 Strategic Planning, 12 Financial Management and Budgeting.

ICMA ANNIVERSARIES

Celebrating 100 Years of Ethical Leadership in Local Government

A legacy guided by the ICMA Code of Ethics.

Established in 1924 at the ICMA Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada, the ICMA Code of Ethics has been a guiding force for ethical leadership in local government for a century.

As part of this historic commemoration, ICMA is engaging in initiatives to highlight the significance of ethical governance and its impact on communities. The campaign and website “A Century Strong: Shaping Ethical Leaders, Transforming Communities,” (icma.org/ ethics100) celebrates the legacy of ethical leadership and emphasizes the enduring principles ICMA members uphold in their personal and professional conduct.

Commemoration of the centennial launched in January 2024 and will feature a celebration at ICMA’s Annual Conference, September 21-25, 2024, in Pittsburgh/ Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, that will continue through December 2024.

2024 also commemorates these anniversaries:

100 years – “I” in International

50 years – ICMA Senior Advisors Program

20 years – ICMA Local Government Management Fellows Program

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

For schedule updates, please visit conference.icma.org. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time and are subject to change.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open

7:00 am – 5:00 pm The Burgh Attendee Lounge Open

8:00 am – 5:00 pm ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions*

8:00 am – 5:00 pm Sporting Events*

9:00 am – 1:45 pm Art of Assistant Leadership Sessions

10:15 am – 4:15 pm Education Sessions and Discussions

12:30 pm – 5:00 pm Mobile Workshops*

6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Opening Party at PNC Park*

9:00 pm Open for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

6:45 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open

6:45 am – 5:00 pm The Burgh Attendee Lounge Open

7:15 am – 1:00 pm Sporting Events*

8:00 am – 12:00 pm ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions*

8:00 am – 9:00 am Regional Meetings

9:15 am – 12:45 pm Education Sessions and Discussions

10:00 am – 12:30 pm Mobile Workshops

11:45 am – 1:15 pm Equity and Inclusion Leaders Luncheon*

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Opening General Session

3:30 pm – 6:30 pm Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception

4:15 pm – 5:30 pm Product Theaters

6:30 pm Open for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open

7:00 am – 5:00 pm The Burgh Attendee Lounge Open

7:45 am – 5:00 pm Education Sessions, Discussions, Skill-Building Workshops and Product Theaters

10:00 am – 11:30 am General Session

11:30 am – 1:30 pm Exhibit Hall Lunch

11:30 am – 4:00 pm Exhibit Hall Open

11:45 am – 1:15 pm SheLeadsGov Luncheon*

11:45 am – 5:00 pm Mobile Workshops*

5:00 pm Open for State/Alumni Receptions/Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events

* Additional fee applies

conference.icma.org facebook.com/ICMAORG

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS CONTINUED

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

7:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open

7:00 am – 5:00 pm The Burgh Attendee Lounge Open

7:45 am – 4:30 pm Education Sessions, Discussions, Skill-Building Workshops and Product Theaters

10:00 am – 11:30 am General Session

11:30 am – 1:30 pm Exhibit Hall Lunch

11:30 am – 3:00 pm Exhibit Hall Open

11:45 am – 1:15 pm Assistant Chief Administrative Officers (ACAO) Luncheon*

12:30 pm – 4:00 pm Mobile Workshops*

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Tuesday Night Event at the Heinz History Center*

8:30 pm Open for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

7:30 am – 9:00 am Inspirational Breakfast*

7:30 am – 11:45 am Registration Open

7:30 am – 11:45 am The Burgh Attendee Lounge Open

7:30 am – 8:45 am Grab and Go Breakfast

7:45 am – 9:45 am Education Sessions, Discussions, Skill-Building Workshops

10:00 am – 11:30 am Closing General Session

11:30 am Open for Exhibitor/Sponsor/Affiliate Events

As of 5/15/2024 * Additional fee applies

Photo courtesy of JP Diroll

EXHIBIT HALL

ICMA exhibitors will be eagerly awaiting your arrival in Pittsburgh, ready to share the latest products and services that will help you solve organizational challenges, develop leadership skills, advance your career, and find inspiration to create a lasting impact in your community. When planning your schedule, be sure to allow for time in the Exhibit Hall to experience the following:

• Sunday Evening Exhibit Hall

Grand Opening Reception (includes one drink ticket and hors d’oeuvres)

• Refreshment Breaks on Monday and Tuesday afternoon

• Lunch on Monday and Tuesday

• Product Theater Presentations

• Attendee Relaxation Lounge

• Headshot Lounge

• Puppy Park

• And More!

To view a current list of exhibitors, please visit conference.icma.org.

REGISTRATION

PLEASE NOTE! All attendees must first register for the conference before being able to book and reserve an ICMA Annual Conference hotel room. After registering, attendees will have access to securing a hotel room with discounted rates in the ICMA room block. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, firstserved basis beginning when housing and registration open on Wednesday, June 12 at 12 noon EST. Please do NOT contact the hotels directly.

Registration Rates: In-Person

(By August 14)

(Beginning August 15)

Group Registration

Team registrations are available for groups of two or more attendees. Each participant will receive 15% off their applicable registration rate. For more information, please visit conference.icma.org/registration.

CONFERENCE HOTELS

You must first register for the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference before you secure a hotel reservation.

Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Wednesday, June 12 at 12:00 PM, when housing and registration open. ICMA will send further information as the date approaches. Please do NOT contact the hotels directly. For a detailed listing and descriptions of all ICMA conference hotels and a map of the hotels, please visit conference.icma.org/hotel-and-travel.

*ICMA will provide complimentary shuttle service between these hotels and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC).

See yinz in the Burgh!

Megan Sherman Senior Manager Conferences and Sponsorships sponsorshipteam@icma.org

conference.icma.org facebook.com/ICMAORG

Empower your workforce to navigate ethical dilemmas with our self-paced online training program. Invest in your employees and your organization’s future with Ethics 101.

Special Offer

Save 25% on Ethics 101 enrollment through December 31, 2024. Use Promo code: ETHICS100 Register your staff today at ICMA.ORG/LEARN-ETHICS101 Discover a

What to Expect from Ethics 101

✚ Self-paced online training that is accessible from anywhere

✚ Four comprehensive modules, featuring six local government scenarios, covering a wide range of ethical topics

✚ A final assessment to measure learning and comprehension

✚ Certificates of completion for participants who achieve a passing grade

How Was the ICMA Code of Ethics Valuable to Your Career?

ICMA’s Senior Advisor program makes available to ICMA members the experience, advice, and support of respected, retired managers of the local government management profession. We asked three senior advisors about the Code of Ethics, and they shared their recommendations for current practitioners.

Pamela

Brangaccio,

senior advisor, Florida

ICMA member since 1984

“I often think of the ICMA Code of Ethics as a ‘north star’ for members to keep a professional focus while polarizing issues are occurring within a community and among our elected officials. The Code sets us apart from the fray, requiring us to remain neutral. It’s not always easy to remain neutral, as we are strong, educated individuals with our own belief systems, but it is necessary.

I have been a Member in Transition (MIT) twice and left two very bad situations with my head held high, knowing I followed the Code. After my contract was not renewed, one press headline read, “Brangaccio Class Act.” I can live my life knowing I made the ethical choices required of me as a manager throughout my career (from personnel decisions to zoning and land-

use recommendations to procurement contracts, and more). The Code impacts all facets of our lives and careers, but it’s a code worthy of ICMA members and it distinguishes us.

My mentors had the Code framed and hung in their offices. I didn’t appreciate the value of that act when I was a brand new ICMA member, but quickly learned the value when I became a new city manager, and a long-term mayor began questioning my personnel decisions to the media. When things get really hard and you’re trying to stay above the political noise, think of the Code as your shield.

I recently used the Code with a charter review committee when comparing what it means to be an appointed manager versus an elected manager. There’s no doubt the Code sets ICMA members apart and it should be displayed proudly in our offices.”

In celebration of the 100th anniversary, ICMA invites members to reflect on how the Code has influenced you personally and professionally. icma.org/ethicsstory SHARE YOUR STORY

Kevin Duggan, senior advisor, California

ICMA member since 1974

“Fundamental to our profession is equitable, honest, and transparent government, and the ICMA Code of Ethics helps us to meet these expectations.

While the Code has always been my guide for personal and professional conduct, its importance was really brought home when our local district attorney entered it into evidence at trial to demonstrate my professional obligation (in conjunction with the city attorney) to report the mayor’s misconduct.

The principles on which the Code is based are foundational to the work of our profession. A periodic review of the Code’s tenets helps you refresh your understanding of those principles and how they relate to your current circumstances.”

Sheila Ritz, senior advisor, Oregon

ICMA member since 2001

“I always kept a framed copy of the ICMA Code of Ethics hanging on the wall next to my office door as a constant reminder to myself, and everyone who came into my office, of how I needed to perform,

both personally and professionally. The Code guided me through some difficult situations. When an elected official asked me to do something I was not comfortable with, I would point to the Code and explain tenet by tenet how and why I didn’t believe I should do what the individual was asking.

Always demonstrate and support an ethical culture. Do what’s best for the organization and the community… but remember, on those matters that require a council’s decision, once their decision is made, you must support it. If you don’t feel you can support their decisions, then you should consider resigning.

Consistently maintain your integrity. You set the tone for the entire organization and cannot waiver from ethical values without losing respect. Never compromise these ethical standards and have the courage to adhere to them even under political pressure to do otherwise.”

I can live my life knowing I made the ethical choices required of me as a manager throughout my career.

CONTACT US

ICMA encourages members seeking confidential advice on ethics issues to contact Jessica Cowles, ethics director, at jcowles@icma.org or 202-962-3513. Answers to common ethics issues and questions are also available at icma.org/page/ethicsissues-and-advice.

City Health Dashboard: Supporting Data-Powered Change to Improve Health

LOCAL DATA LOCAL CHANGE

The City Health Dashboard makes it simple for local leaders in nearly 1,000 cities nationwide to see where their cities or neighborhoods stand on over 40 key measures of health, such as diabetes and hypertension rates, and on factors that shape health, such as air quality and unemployment. These kinds of data can uncover health challenges and the links between them. Users can compare their cities to others and learn how similar cities work to address their challenges.

The Dashboard’s mission is to help local governments build healthier and more equitable communities by serving as a FREE one-stop data resource. Using the Dashboard, city leaders can:

f Pinpoint health challenges and wins

f Measure health and wellbeing over time

f Prioritize what needs to be achieved to build healthier, more equitable communities

A Virtual Event

IS

How do we overcome the barriers to advancing equity in local government?

“Keeping It Moving: The Power of Us” signifies the strength and effectiveness that comes from collective action, collaboration, and solidarity. Meaningful progress is achieved when individuals, organizations, and communities come together to address systemic barriers, advocate for marginalized groups, and foster positive environments.

Join us for a virtual learning event to learn how to keep moving DEI&B forward. For sponsorship opportunities contact sponsorshipteam@icma.org #ICMAMovestheNeedle

REGISTRATION INCLUDES ACCESS TO THE CONTENT ON-DEMAND UNTIL AUGUST 31ST