Presentation to LWM:
Performance Measurement in
WI Municipalities
Craig Maher
Associate Professor
UW-Oshkosh MPA Program
Alan Probst
Local Government Center
UW-Extension
The Role of The Common Council

A common council serves as the legislative
arm of the city government.

It decides policy matters.
Source: LWM, Handbook for Wisconsin Municipal Officials
In What Form is Information Presented to
Enable Policy Decisions to be Made?

Elected officials need evidence on results
that have been achieved from taxpayers’
dollars.

They need to use that evidence to help
make resource and policy decisions.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Does this budget
format look
familiar?
If this were a
budget proposal
how would you
react?
Are the questions
posed really about
policy?
Some Basic Questions to ask During the
Budgeting Process




What is the primary objective of your
program?
What are the key expectations from your
program?
How do you track progress?
How has the program performed over the
past several years?
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Example – Library Performance
Indicator
Library A
Library B
Library C
Library D
Overall
1. Average number of
users per month
920
840
360
500
655
(2,620)
2. Users per population
of served area
9.2%
5.6%
4.0%
8.3%
6.6%
Males
40%
44%
58%
33%
43%
Females
60%
56%
42%
67%
57%
4. Overall Satisfaction
88%
79%
72%
86%
81%
Population of Service
Area
10,000
15,000
9,000
6,000
40,000
3. Usage – Gender
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Performance-based Budgeting (PBB)
 Performance-based
budgets focus on “return on
investment”—that is, what do we get for our
investment of resources?
 Basic service level (or continuation of basic
services)?
 Increased services (more services to same
recipients or expansion of same services to more
recipients)?
 Better (higher quality) services?
 More efficient services (cost savings in service
delivery)?
 Mitigation or resolution of a problem?
Using Results Information for the
Operating Budget
•
•
•
•
Consider the results expected, as well as the costs.
Ask for both recent and projected results
information early in the budget process.
Obtain help in identifying the important costs and
results you should consider.
Identify for the administration the council
priorities at the beginning of the budget process.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Using Results Information
for the Capital Budget
The same questions apply
Example: Statement on Proposed
Capital Investment
We will complete much needed reconstruction and
signalization of North Broadway from first street to
20th street.
This work will speed up traffic and reduce congestion
in this area.
We expect that peak hour driving time from one
end of the work to the other will improve from its
current average of 12 minutes to approximately 5
minutes. In addition it is expected to reduce
traffic accidents by about one-half, from the 36
accidents over the past 12 months.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Types of Information on Performance






Inputs
Activity (Process)
Outputs
Outcomes (results)
Efficiency and productivity
Explanatory information
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Types of Indicators of Performance



Inputs—resources expended to deliver service
Outputs—the amount of products and services
delivered (completed)
Outcomes (results)—the events, occurrences, or
changes in conditions, behavior, or attitudes that
indicate progress toward a program’s mission,
goals, and objectives.
Outcomes are not what the program itself did but
the consequences of what the program did.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Maricopa County, AZ Performance Report
Examples of Types of Performance Measures
Maricopa County, AZ Performance Report
Input Measure
Maricopa County, AZ Performance Report
Output Measure
Maricopa County, AZ Performance Report
Outcome Measure?
City of Portland, OR – Police
Outcome Measures
City of Portland, OR – Police
Outcome Measure—Citizen Perceptions
Is Budget Time the Only Time to Use
Performance Measurement?

Budget time most common



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Both operating and capital
Throughout the year; program review and/or
program audit (GASB working on “recommendations’)
Communicating with citizens
Communicating with the press
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Reviewing Key Services and Policies
Throughout the Year
•
For programs of particular interest, periodically check
progress on key indicators.
•
Each year select and review a small number of
programs about which the council (or its committees)
has concerns.
•
Use information from the reviews to encourage
agencies to improve programs and policies.
•
Keep handy a set of basic questions you can use
during these reviews. (Bookmark—see next slide)
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Bookmark—Examples of
Questions

What are the key results that should be expected
from your agency/program?

What key performance indicators do you use to
track progress in attaining these results?

To what extent have you met previous years’
targets? If not, why not?

What actions are you taking that will improve the
quality of your services for our citizens?
Source: GASB
Communicating with citizens and media
What information should elected officials seek
from citizens?

Their needs/wants—periodic “needs assessment”

Suggestions as to what results should be tracked

Their evaluation of results
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
City of Bellevue, WA
Communicating with citizens and media
How can information on results be used to help
elected officials communicate with their citizens?
1. Ask administration to post results information regularly
on the government’s web-site.
2. Provide annual “How Are We Doing?”/”State of the
City” reports to citizens.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Building Council & Staff Capacity
What actions might elected officials take to
obtain needed training on legislating-forresults?
1.
2.
Provide new council members with information on
obtaining and using results information
Ask the administration to provide results-based
training to elected officials, as well as to managers and
to all staff.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Building Council & Staff Capacity
What other sources of training are potentially
available to elected officials for obtaining
further information?

One of the greatest impediments has been and
continues to be resources;


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Most municipalities lack resources to spend on data
collection, analysis, information dissemination, etc.
ICMA offers service… at a cost
Working on joint effort between ourselves (UW-O
and UW-Extension LGC), WCMA and LWM
Getting Elected Officials Interested in
Using Information on Results for
Decision-making
Getting elected officials interested in using results-based information
How can elected officials be encouraged to
address and use outcome information?



Provide educational sessions on the value and uses of
performance information for elected officials.
Ask senior administrative staff to discuss how information
on results can be used by staff to manage their operations
and continually improve the outcomes of programs and
services.
Ask departments to how they see elected officials using it.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Getting elected officials interested in using results-based information
How can elected officials be encouraged to
address and use result information? (continued)

Provide examples of how performance information has
helped other cities/counties improve decision making,
communicate with citizens, and help meet the goals of
elected officials.

Use materials from UW-O, UW-Extension LGC, the NLC,
ICMA, and other sources.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Getting elected officials interested in using results-based information
What Should the Council do to Initiate the Effort?


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Form a partnership with administrative staff to
work on implementing a performance
measurement and reporting process.
Ask senior staff to prepare a process that would
provide regular information to elected officials
on government service outcomes.
Seek advice from citizens and business
community on such a process.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Getting elected officials interested in using results-based information
What Should the Council do to Initiate the
Effort? (continued)

Establish a council committee to monitor the
process of establishing a performance
information system.

Begin the process of developing a strategic plan
with citizen and elected official involvement –
using key outcome indicators to track progress.
Source: NLC and Urban Institute’s Legislating for Results Presentation
Recent Example:
Project Done by
UW-Oshkosh MPA Students
for Waunakee, WI
Why is this Important?

Most Federal grants now require outcome evaluations
(performance measurement) in their applications

Bond sales require indicators of financial condition
which are well presented by performance data

Local government revenues are becoming insufficient
making effective use of resources imperative

Promotes the logical tie between planning and
budgeting
Resources Available



National League of Cities
Urban Institute
ICMA
Craig Maher (maher@uwosh.edu)
&
Alan Probst (UW-Extension, Local Government
Center)
(alan.probst@uwex.edu)