Current ICMA committees are primarily those with delegated decision-making authority from the board. Task forces have clearly defined tasks and timeframes. The ICMA Executive Board usually considers whether to establish new task forces or committees at its February board meeting.
Members are encouraged to volunteer in the spring, and appointments are made by the president-elect in June. New task forces usually start their work at the annual conference in the fall.
New Opportunities for 2012-2013
Knowledge Network Advisory Board
As the premier platform for professional networking and knowledge sharing in local government, the Knowledge Network is a major ICMA member benefit and a valuable resource for the profession. The Knowledge Network Advisory Board will influence the growth of the network by identifying the knowledge-sharing needs of local government professionals and providing feedback on the current member experience. Advisory Board members will also serve as leaders in the Knowledge Network community by making active contributions in their areas of expertise and encouraging colleagues to do the same. The board will meet quarterly: once in person at the annual conference, and the others virtually.
library Advisory committee
Libraries have long been community anchors that provide information and opportunity for all people. Today, public libraries provide high-quality public access to computers, the Internet, and technology training to ensure all people can benefit from opportunities online. Playing integral roles in accomplishing critical community priorities in economic development, education, environmental sustainability, diversity, literacy, public safety, and workforce development, libraries are helping to strengthen the services provided by local governments.
The Library Advisory Committee steers ICMA's work in public libraries and provides the program team with high-level feedback on project-related issues.
task force on Manager Evaluations
ICMA is launching a new task force for the 2012-13 year to create a new resource to assist councils and elected officials by providing a template and process for conducting city, county, or town manager annual performance evaluations. The task force will be active for one year, and release the new resource for the 2013 ICMA Annual Conference in Boston.
task Force on Women in the Profession
A new Task Force is being formed to review the status of women in the profession and create recommendations and strategies for increasing the presence of women in local government management as ICMA moves into its next 100 years. The objectives of the Task Force are to:
- Assess the status of women in the profession through a review of the July, 1976 Report on the ICMA Task Force on Women in the Profession and an analysis of membership data since 1976
- Determine the barriers for women who wish to enter and advance within the profession and create recommendations for breaking down those barriers
- Identify opportunities for partnerships with existing initiatives regarding women in the profession (e.g., The Legacy Project/IL, Women Leading Government/CA)
- Define progress and identify metrics of success for increasing the role of women in the profession
- Create an Advisory Group that will guide all women’s sessions at the Annual ICMA Conference and annually report on the progress and success metrics
The Task Force will initially meet at the Annual Conference to review its objectives and determine its work schedule.
ICMA is organizing an on-call group of members who would like to continue the work of the first task force developing new resources to assist new graduates and career changers looking to break into the local government management career field. The first task force created more ideas for resources than they could produce, so we are continuing the effort. The task force’s work will be conducted primarily by conference call, e-mail, and icma.org.
Ongoing Committees, Task Forces, and Advisory Boards
The Advisory Board on Graduate Education is a member group that meets jointly with professors of public administration for the purpose of enhancing the education of future local government management professionals. ABGE members are appointed by ICMA's executive director and work hand-in-hand with NASPAA's Local Government Management Education Committee, through three subcommittees: Managers as Faculty, Filling the Pipeline, and MPA Programs. ABGE members have created a number of useful tools for improving the education of future managers, including an Internship Toolkit, Internship Guidelines, and Guidelines for Managers Who Teach, which can be found at icma.org/teach. The ABGE meets annually at the ICMA conference on Sunday morning and holds conference calls throughout the year.
The Awards Evaluation Panel evaluates the nominations to ICMA's Annual Awards Program and selects the recipients of the Professional and Program Excellence Awards, which are conferred at each year's annual conference. Seventeen members, representing each of ICMA's six regions and including several at-large positions, serve on the panel for three-year terms. The panel meets Sunday morning of the annual conference and participates in one or two conference calls per year.
The Conference Evaluation Committee evaluates the ICMA Annual Conference. The 2012 committee will meet twice in Phoenix: Sunday, Oct. 7, 10:30-11:45 a.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 10, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Committee members are appointed for a term of one year.
The Conference Planning Committee plans the ICMA Annual Conference. The 2013 committee, which will plan the Boston/New England conference in Boston, Massachusetts, will have an orientation meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012, during this year’s conference in Phoenix/Maricopa County, Arizona. The committee’s main meeting will be held in Boston beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 16, 2012, and adjourning by noon on Sunday, November 18. Committee members are appointed for a term of one year.
The Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee oversees federal and state policy issues and reports back to membership and the board. Given the committee's ongoing role and the value of maintaining some continuity in the committee's membership, one-third of the committee's membership changes each year. Members are typically appointed for two- or three-year terms. The committee meets Sunday morning of the ICMA Annual Conference.
This program engages current members in welcoming new members to ICMA. The focus is on U.S. members in local government and the goal is to make a peer-to-peer connection that goes beyond a member’s home state – one demonstration of ICMA’s national network. Members should have a passion for the profession and a desire to help new members discover the value of belonging to ICMA. Members are asked to:
- Commit to serve for one year (with the option for renewal) starting in January 2012
- Contact one to three members a month by e-mail and, if a conversation is desired, by phone
- Provide monthly feedback to ICMA on the contacts, including any suggestions for improvement on the process.
The ICMA International Committee serves as an advisory body to the ICMA Executive Board on a range of international matters and carries out an annual charge as defined and described by the board. The committee also works to communicate the value of having an international perspective to other members of the association, state organizations, and others. The committee consists of individual ICMA members, as well as one representative from each of ICMA’s international affiliate organizations. The committee meets Sunday at the annual conference and in the spring jointly with one of ICMA's international affiliate organizations. The spring meeting focuses on professional exchange and contribution to the international knowledge base. Committee members are appointed for a term of one, two, or three years.
Downloads
Roles, Expectations, and Responsibilities for ICMA Member Task Force/Committee Chairs (doc, 27 KB)
Roles, Expectations, and Responsibilities for ICMA Member Task Force/Committee Members (doc, 28 KB)