Voices in Local Government

  Iris Lee, Public Works Director of Seal Beach, California Shane Silsby, CEO and Founder of Silsby Strategic Advisors (2:10) Question 1: "What’s your advice to encourage, nudge, (borderline force) employees to use and make the most of their available training programs and professional development funding?" And how can local government leaders effectively implement workforce development programs t...

Three Question Local Gov Life Advice 1:17: Question 1:  “When do I know it’s time to leave my organization for other opportunities? Or am I better off sticking around and seeing what opens up?” 13:49 Question 2: "I've been the ACAO in a medium-sized town for six years. Recently they created a new second ACAO position. The new hire has a few more years experience. The exact split of responsibilitie...

Part two focuses on severance agreement negotiations.  Takeaways Severance agreements are of utmost importance for city managers, providing protection and security in case of termination. Negotiating severance agreements should consider the duration of payment and the inclusion of benefits. Differentiating between cause and no cause in severance agreements is crucial to avoid ambiguity and potenti...

Part one focuses on internal and external pay paradox. Should an IT director or civil engineer make significantly more than a fire or police chief? With tight budgets, how can city/county managers and HR leaders attract top candidates and keep current employees morale up? Resources email podcast@icma.org to send Warren a question about hiring, recruiting, or anything career-related. Sumter Local G...

Free Resources GovermentAI Coalition Free Membership Application Free to Use Deliverable Guide , including: AI Policy AI Policy Manual AI Incident Response Plan AI Fact Sheet Vendor Agreement Use Case Template Vendor Registry ICMA Local Government Reimagined Conference: Explore the Future of AI in Local Government - June 5-7 in Palm Desert, California

Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:25 Job Search Process 07:15 Networking and Job Search Resources 09:11 Negotiating Job Offers 16:05 Adjusting to the CAO Role 28:29 Building Relationships with Staff 29:57 Hiring Veterans and Tapping into the Talent Pool Resources Veterans Local Government Management Fellowship Voices in Local Government Podcast  EP27 Veterans in Local Government Management Program IC...

(Timestamps are an approximation) 00:52 Defining Mediation 02:34 Mediation in Local Government 05:08 Mediation in Noise Complaints 09:05 Benefits of Mediation for Local Government 11:41 Mediation in Policy and Ordinance Development 13:11 Cost Benefit of Mediation 15:15 Mediation and Community Engagement 20:22 Challenges in Mediation 25:56 Implementing Mediation in Local Government 28:26 Finding an...

In part two, Santy and Hemant continue covering these topics: How should IT or HR departments answer when employees ask: "How will AI make my job easier instead of replacing me?" How residents can use AI to help themselves and create better interaction with local government. What is the next step for local governments and individual staff after experimenting? AI architecture. Creating internal gui...

Define AI, GenerativeAI and dismiss common myths or misconceptions. How can AI can be used as a precise tool for a specific project right now? How can local governments vet vendors? Application for smaller towns and counties. Are GenerativeAI tools going to remain free? AI’s ability to help and/or hurt public discourse and local government employees caught in the middle. Resources City of Boston I...

Resources: ICMA Economic Mobility and Opportunity Tools and Resources   ICMA Annual Conference, Austin, Texas Free Breakfast Workshop with Danielle Arigoni: Affordable, Climate-Friendly Housing as a Pathway for Economic Mobility October 2, 2023 7:45am to 9:45am CT Austin Convention Center Room: Meeting Room 4 Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation , by Danielle Arigoni. Use promo code "webinar" fo...

ICMA experts on brownfields, Clark Henry and Chris Harrell, explain why brownfields are a problem and how to transform them into sustainable spaces with positive economic, social, and environmental impact. Often at no cost to the local government. Then they preview the Brownfields Conference , August 8-11 in Detroit. Resources Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities : Free technical assist...

City and County government organizations face significant challenges, including budget constraints, changing regulations, and increasing demand for transparency and accountability. Finance transformation can help address these challenges by improving financial processes, increasing efficiency, and enhancing decision-making capabilities.  Jim McClurkin and Miriam Rayward explain how initial assessm...

Local government spends 2 trillion dollars annually on procurement. Co-founder and CEO of Pavilion, Mariel Reed, shares her unique perspective working in both local government and technology to create solutions that improve the often tedious, slow, and painful procurement processes, including: Drastically reduce buying cycles. Maintain compliance. How city/county managers and department heads can...

ICMA Southeast Regional Director, Randy Reid joins the share nearly 50 years of wisdom on: Advocating for the profession of local government administration. Responding to public criticism and handling an unwanted spotlight as a city/county manager. Separating local government service delivery from the partisan pitfalls of national or local politics. Specific strategies to identify and support the...

Mental health for local government leaders, their staff, and their residents is discussed with Johnny Crowder. ICMA Affinity partner, Cope Notes, is a daily text service that interrupts negative thought patterns with positive stimulus to help improve mental wellness. Co-hosts Jessi Atcheson and Joe Supervielle collected questions about mental health and the Cope Notes model from ICMA  members, sta...

Lawrence E. Henderson, Jr., President & Chief Learning Officer, Business Operational Support Services (BOSS), LLC, shares insights on how to move from leadership clichés to behavior and habits that: Build and maintain high performing teams Effectively delegate Inspire and support Resources Message Lawrence Henderson on LinkedIn  and mention ICMA's Voices in Local Government podcast for a free 1-1...

Cedar Park, Texas deputy city manager, Katherine Caffrey created the TEXChange program in Texas to benefit assistant city/county managers in their daily work . In this episode, Caffrey outlines the goals of the exchange for participant and host, lessons learned in the inaugural group of 14, what's planned for 2023, and how to set up a similar informal program in your own region or state. Resources...

Sue Lessard, town manager, Bucksport, Maine, tells a familiar tale of a small town struggling after a major industry closed its doors. With renewed focus on economic development but still searching for a way to reshape the town's identity, local government determined how to get out of the way when it comes to community engagement - Community Heart and Soul . Jane Lafleur explains that it is a resi...

  Why local governments are the best stewards of federal funding opportunities. How investment decisions can help address issues of inequity and expand upward mobility and opportunities for all residents. How specific cities like Tacoma, Washington; Baltimore, Maryland; and Union City, Georgia are using their federal funds, included in NLC's ARPA  Investment Tracker . How small and mid-sized commu...

In this episode of CitiesSpeak , NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony sits down with Emily Larson, Mayor of Duluth, Minnesota to talk about how the city of Duluth is addressing big issues from revitalizing its downtown core coming out of the pandemic to addressing the impacts of climate change and building a more sustainable community.

Show before, during, and after shots of projects to communicate progress with the public, council, and commissioners. Capture multiple high-resolution images per location per year. Integrate at an enterprise level with cross-department functionality. Resources Exclusive free two-week trial : Enhance government workflows with premium aerial intelligence from Nearmap.  ICMA's Strategic Planning in S...

Leaders from Baldwin Park and the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust explain: How Tiny Home sites are selected and set up. Scalability to show how this program can help your town address the homeless crisis and reduce service calls. This is not just an L.A. problem or L.A. solution. Complementary programs, including: workforce development, food recovery, landlord outreach, recreation, crisi...

LTC Dean Huard, ICMA Fellow, Georgetown, Texas, and Lynn Phillips, ICMA senior program manager, explain the process, benefits, and challenges of ICMA's  Veterans in Local Government Management Program for transitioning service members and local governments. The program is zero cost for the organization, with no obligation to make a permanent hire. What fellows typically do day-to-day to gain criti...

Specific topics include: How to standardize customer data and experiences across unique departments and situations. What resources are needed to implement this kind of program. And why it's important to find small and big wins to show the value of the work. Forming "CX Core Teams" to keep the framework and process sustainable even without constant support from an analyst. Working with IT to figure...

Charlie Nichols, director of planning & development, Linn County, Iowa joins the show to explain the planning and process needed to turn a decommissioned nuclear plant into a solar farm. Why the county was interested in solar, and how the project started. The time and resources needed during the application process, and how that was accounted and paid for. How to best communicate to the public and...