Delegates Megan Caron, MPA, the Strategic Initiatives Analyst at City of Nashua, New Hampshire and Michael Zeller, Assistant Library Director at Town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts presented at the ICMA - International City/County Management Association Reimagined Conference April 14 in Burlington, VT. They discussed the Local Government 2030 initiative and received feedback on the three projects for change being worked on by Delegates.
Feedback:
GROW:
Observations:
Goes beyond money – time and flexibility
Need to define how the newer generations define “purpose”
Generations communicate differently when it comes to their sense of purpose and pride; we need to tell stories using shared language
This difference can be seen amongst different departments (DPW vs. Planning, for example)
We need to rethink pensions
We need to build for the future: give our kids a chance at the good ol’ days
Challenges:
Equity issues in working from home/in-office
Internal equity perceptions may further the silos/disconnect between departments
The perception of the public when it comes to schedule/hour changes and flexibility
Municipalities need to take the time to explain these changes and defend them
Where are the employees who are leaving actually going?
Can we evaluate exit interviews to get this data?
Finding courageous people for vacant positions
Respect for public work is low
Increasing wages may cause friction with longtime employees
Overwhelming amount of data pointing to various places/solutions
Union obligations
Opportunities:
A good opportunity to collect wage data
Create organizational capacities by leaving positions
Diversifying public officials
Rethink benefits – “it’s not just the money”
Rethinking tech. centers
Communications Continuum:
Challenges:
Residents who are happy are often quiet; loudest group are the naysayers
Unsatisfied residents sometimes get elected
“Issue of the Day” vs. fundamental structure of communications for the municipality
Opportunities:
Good elected officials are courageous enough to move forward
Relationship building with elected officials
Improved participation/communication around systems and processes with the public
Promised Pathways:
Challenges:
Eliminating background checks is a no-go; needed for health, safety of employees/volunteers, but it depends of the offense
Quality and differentiation of background checks is a challenge
Opportunities:
Referral pathways re: ban the box
Other Comments
We budget to try and fix our current problems, but we need to invest money in the future
In order to be effective, organizations need a framework that is on the same page and ready to make changes
Recommendations for elected officials: Winooski, VT Councilors and Mayor of Winooski Kristine Lott
Comments