PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE
CITY MANAGEMENT
Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute
July 16, 2012
POP QUIZ
QUIZ RESULTS
If your total score is:
Above 100: Your city meets the criteria for
effectiveness.
80 - 100: Your city meets many of the
criteria for effectiveness.
40 - 80: Your city meets some of the
criteria for effectiveness.
Below 40: Your city needs to significantly
improve its effectiveness.
EFFECTIVE CITY MANAGEMENT
 Council Effectiveness
EFFECTIVE CITY MANAGEMENT
- OPERATIONAL
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Service Delivery
Staff Effectiveness
Management of Public Funds
Human Resources Administration
EFFECTIVE CITY MANAGEMENT
- POLICY
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Strategic Leadership
Policy Facilitation
Communication
Democratic Principles
Integrity
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
COUNCIL PERFORMANCE
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Work toward Council improvement
Exercise appropriate authority
Connect to community
Enhance teamwork
Improve decision-making
Act strategically
Council Improvement
 Take advantage of
educational/development
opportunities
 Cultivate leadership
 Council feedback on performance
 Obtain assistance as needed
Appropriate authority
 Act in accordance with defined roles:
o Make clear the relationship between
Mayor – Council – Staff
o Define authority through planning &
decision-making
o Define authority through program and
performance evaluation
Community connection
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Structure community involvement
Obtain input
Explain actions
Facilitate information flow
Don’t forget to connect to the internal
community
Teamwork
 Teamwork > functioning cohesively
as a group
Teamwork
 Make clear that Council and staff are
working together to achieve common
objectives (acting strategically).
Teamwork
 Develop and use effective processes
for handling common issues:
o Agenda development
o Meeting management – rules of
order, policies
o Information flow – meeting packets
o Citizen input
o Use of work sessions
Processes
o Complaint handling
o Making requests of and giving
directions to staff
o Financial monitoring & reports
o Performance reviews
o New council orientation
o Boards & commissions – contact &
information
Teamwork
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o
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Show respect
De-personalize issues & differences
Listen carefully
Honestly express viewpoints
Decision – Making
 Access and use relevant information
From multiple sources: staff &
community
Decision – Making
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o
o
o
o
o
Staff:
Be factual & objective
Provide relevant info
Craft alternative recommendations
Facilitate the decision-making process
Share information among all Council
Members
Decision - making
 Deliberate discussions
o Agree on the way decisions should be
made
o Objective, open, systematic
o Frame issues, consider information,
consider context
Decision-making
 Give adequate time for decisionmaking
 Avoid forcing decisions prematurely
 Recognize schedules and timing but
don’t break off discussion
prematurely – despite pressure for
action
Decision – making
 Put aside personal differences
 Hear all sides
 Honest & forthright exchange of
opinions
 Consider alternative actions
Decision – making
 Encourage public involvement –
without capitulation
 Respect the process
 Commit to implement the action
approved
Decision - making
 Reach agreement even without
consensus
o Not possible to reach consensus on
every issue
o Agree that the problem deserves a
solution
Act strategically
 Address critical issues
 Identify priorities
 Develop plan to accomplish priorities
Act strategically
 Develop/update as needed:
Short-Range
Budget
Goal-setting
Action Plan
Specific project planning
Act strategically
Mid-Range
Capital Improvements program (CIP)
Equipment Replacement Plan
Financial Policies
Act strategically
Long-Range
Comprehensive Plan
Community Visioning
BREAK
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE
CITY MANAGEMENT
 Definition
 Elements/Practices
 Scenarios
SERVICE DELIVERY
 Providing city services efficiently,
effectively and economically
SERVICE DELIVERY
Elements/Practices:
 Operational effectiveness
 Operational planning
 Citizen (customer) service
 Quality assurance
 Performance measures
 Citizen/customer satisfaction
STAFF EFFECTIVENESS
 Promoting the development and
performance of staff throughout the
organization
STAFF EFFECTIVENESS
Elements/Practices:
 Clearly Defined Roles, Responsibility,
Authority
 Team Leadership
 Delegating/Empowerment/
Accountability
 Appropriate Equipment & Technology
 Training and Development
MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS
 Ensuring the cost-effectiveness of
programs, balancing budgets and
securing the financial health of the
community
MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS
Elements/Practices:
 Budget development & monitoring
 Payroll administration
 Purchasing
 Insurance and Risk Management
 Project financing
 Debt issuance & debt service
MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS
Elements/Practices:
 Equipment/asset replacement
planning
 Capital Improvements Programming
 Financial Analysis
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMIN
 Ensuring that personnel policies and
procedures are equitable, legal and
current; ensuring practices are
adequate to accomplish objectives
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMIN
Elements/Practices:
 Chain-of-Command
 Personnel Policies
 Job Descriptions
 Safety
 Workforce Planning
 Training and Career Development
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMIN
Elements/Practices:
 Hiring/Promotion
 Performance appraisal
 Discipline
 Labor-management relations
(collective bargaining)
 Important laws
IMPORTANT LAWS
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Chapter 20 - Public Employment Law
Chapter 400 – Civil Service
Fair Labor Standards Act
Civil Rights Acts – Fed & State
Veterans Preference Laws
Military Leave
OTHER IMPORTANT LAWS
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ADA
FMLA
OSHA
HIPAA
ADEA
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
 Positioning the organization and
community for events and
circumstances anticipated in the
future
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
Elements/Practices:
 Goal-Setting
 Strategic Planning/Visioning
 Comprehensive Planning
 Initiative and Innovation
 Implementation
POLICY FACILITATION
 Helping elected officials and others
identify, work toward and achieve
common goals and objectives
POLICY FACILITATION
Elements/Practices:
 Effective leadership
 Collaboration
 Other governments
 Non-profits
 Public-private partnerships
 Facilitating Council effectiveness
 Negotiation
COMMUNICATION
 Facilitating the flow of ideas,
information and understanding
among individuals
COMMUNICATION
Elements/Practices:
 Information to Mayor/Council
 Information to the public – two-way
 Responding to citizen “requests”
 Media relations
 Internal communications
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
 Demonstrating commitment to
democratic principles
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
Elements/Practices:
 Respecting elected officials
 Citizen participation/citizen
engagement
 Educating citizens
 Interaction with citizen boards,
commissions, advisory committees
 Diversity
INTEGRITY
 Demonstrating fairness, honesty,
ethical and legal awareness in
personal and professional
relationships and activities
INTEGRITY
Elements/Practices:
 Personal integrity
 Professional integrity
 Organizational integrity
 Ethical standards
SCENARIOS