What are jurisdictions doing with their performance data? The following documents are examples in which CPM participants and other local governments have demonstrated effective application of performance measurement data. These jurisdictions have taken performance data into consideration when measuring progress toward strategic planning and goals (for the overall organization, departments, or individuals) and have successfully applied the data when making management decisions or considering financial issues.

Additional information on local government use of performance data can be found in Chapter 2 of CPM's annual Comparative Performance Data Report .

For more sample documents, visit the ICMA e-library.

* Denotes a 2009 CPM Certificate recipient.

Citizen Surveys

• Austin, Texas*
  This comprehensive survey measures the four major priority areas established by the Austin City Council: public safety; youth, family and neighborhood vitality; sustainable community; and affordability. The survey’s questions were developed by various city departments to (1) measure the degree of importance residents assign to various aspects of the four priority areas and (2) determine how well these priority areas are being delivered.
• Bellevue, Washington*
  Bellevue conducts the Performance Measures Survey annually to gauge residents’ satisfaction with services delivered by the City.  The survey is intended to collect statistically reliable data that will contribute to Budgetary Performance Measures, “Comparable Cities” survey measures identified by ICMA, and certain survey measures that departments track for their own quality assurance and planning purposes.
• Eugene, Oregon*
  The City of Eugene conducted a community survey in order to assist the City in determining community perceptions regarding the quality of life and the quality of city services. The survey report includes methodology, statistical analysis, and questionnaire of the year-to-year comparison study.
• Redwood City, California
  The objectives of the survey were to: 1) expand direct citizen feedback on City services and quality of life indicators as objectively as possible; 2) conduct a more complete assessment of library needs and demographic information for Redwood City, and 3) determine the priorities among Redwood Shores area residents from a list of possible capital projects.

Employee Training

• Orlando, Florida
  The City of Orlando conducts a training session for twenty city ICMA Service Area Coordinators and their back-ups. The goal of the session is to prepare the coordinators for the publication and distribution of the ICMA annual data report. The session lasts 1.5 hours and includes an online review of the ICMA CPM Web site plus this PowerPoint presentation in which parts of CPM's "Making Use of CPM Data" are incorporated.
• Fairfax County, Virginia*
  Fairfax County Measures Up, a performance measurement manual, was developed to help improve goals, objectives, and performance indicators of budget documents. With a better linkage among mission, goals, objectives, and indicators, Fairfax County has been using performance measures for years to enhance operating procedures, search for best practices, and improve service delivery to its citizens.
• Seattle, Washington
  The City of Seattle has a variety of online publications that address the efficiency and effectiveness of city services. This monthly publication of the City of Seattle features an article entitled, “What's all this talk about performance measures?”
• Westminster, Colorado*
  The City of Westminster unveiled its “Welcome to Performance Measurement: A Tale of a Few Cities” class as part of the City's mandatory training program for employees. Participants learn about both parts of the City's performance measurement program: the "internal" measures and goals and the comparative evaluation process that relies on their participation in CPM.

Implementation of Performance Measurement

• Elgin, Illinois 
  The city of Elgin has pursued a four-phase strategy to effectively implement performance measurement as a permanent tool in developing its annual budget. Phases include:
  • Citizen Survey—How are We Doing?
  • Linking the City’s Strategic Goals with Departmental Objectives
  • Establishing Departmental Performance Objectives
  • Identifying Best Practices and Implementing Change.
  With the four-phase approach to performance measurement, the city of Elgin is moving toward its ultimate goal of performance management in order to enable local governments to articulate and sustain strategic objectives that reflect the needs and priorities of citizens.
• Vancouver, Washington*

The city of Vancouver budget book includes elements of the city’s long-term plan for implementing performance measurements, performance snapshots for individual departments, external comparative data to other cities, and an executive summary of the community survey.

Performance Reporting in Budget/Financial

• Austin, Texas*
  The City of Austin’s annual budget document includes a “Performance Plan” on the operations of the general fund and support service departments. Each department section includes financial information followed by the program and activity pages that highlight the department’s performance measures, business plans, services, and goals for the coming fiscal year.
• Bellevue, Washington*
  Bellevue’s Comparative Cities Performance Report provides performance measurement information within seven major City of Bellevue functions and discusses these measures in comparison to those of a number of other cities throughout the country.
• Calgary, Alberta, Canada 
  The City of Calgary has incorporated performance measurement into its annual business planning and budget cycles to provide elected officials, the corporate management team, and staff with a tool to undertake the following: manage civic services including strategic planning and budgeting; improve accountability; and communicate with the public on the results of civic programs. Measures are included in the budget to consider not only the costs, but also the results and performance levels that are achieved through civic services.
• Coral Springs, Florida*
  The City of Coral Springs budget includes its Performance Measurement and Management System and its efforts to align department services and programs with the City’s six strategic priorities. Three components make up the system: a quarterly reporting performance program, a composite index that measures the overall financial and service operation position, and the State of the City Report.
• Des Moines, Iowa 
  The City of Des Moines 2004 Performance Report represents the City's report of service efforts and accomplishments. This report considers performance measures, benchmarks, census data, spending levels, and the results of the biannual citizen survey to reach a general understanding of the City’s performance.
• Henderson, Nevada*
  Henderson’s performance budgets include short-term and long-term goals for each department. The performance measurement aspect of the performance budget is being refined and developed to assist each department in providing beneficial data to enable them to evaluate their current business processes in a more effective manner. The performance budgets are updated annually by each department.
• Phoenix, Arizona*
  The City of Phoenix Annual Budget is a significant source for performance measures. “Major Performance Measures and Service Trends” are included in the extensive statistical data (including multiyear comparisons) for each city department and fund. These data also include staffing allocation and planned expenditures by organizational sub-unit and type.
• Prince William County, Virginia 
  Prince William County’s Financial Trending System (FITNIS) report provides the citizens and the Board of County Supervisors quantitative information regarding the economic, financial, and demographic status of the County. In order to determine if the County’s financial operations are consistent with other comparable units of government, many of the charts include comparisons of the County’s data with other jurisdictions.
• St. Charles, Illinois 
  The city of St. Charles incorporates performance measures, past performance, and targets into its 2004 budget plan. In addition, departments use sources such as surveys, focus group reports, and performance reports to determine the areas of highest priority.
• Santa Barbara County, California*
  Santa Barbara County’s budget and operating plan includes departments’ recurring performance measures in an effort to measure the attainment of strategic goals by linking departmental strategic actions, outcomes, and performance measures to the goals and principles identified by the County.

Public Reporting 

• Phoenix, Arizona*
  This four-page report highlights recent accomplishments in the areas of budget, neighborhood preservation, public safety, customer service, transportation, environment, economic development, and youth the residents of the City of Phoenix. It includes special messages from the mayor and the city manager with English- and Spanish-language versions available.
• Sterling Heights, Michigan
  To share performance data and other important information with residents, the City of Sterling Heights uses an innovative community calendar. The calendar looks much like any other printed calendar, including flip-pages and graphics for each month of the year, but it also includes a phone list for key city offices, budget summaries, and a performance information summary. The performance summary includes information on 65 key measures, not only in the context of the City’s own services but also as compared with other jurisdictions.

Scorecards 

• San Antonio, Texas 
  This balanced scorecard initiative piloted by the City of San Antonio aligns the organization’s mission and strategy with performance measures in order to provide a framework for strategic management.

Staff Accountability 

• Sarasota County, Florida*
  Sarasota County has implemented an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that lays out individual employee responsibilities, and which includes accountability for completion of performance measures. It also shows how employees are working toward continuous improvement of their performance and tracking performance goals.