Who We Are

ICMA: Leaders at the Core of Better Communities

Each time we turn on the tap in our kitchens, set the trash out for pickup the next day, or cruise through our neighborhoods on newly paved roads, we access our local governments. Providing essential community services that ensure the quality of our lives is what local government is all about.

Founded in 1914, ICMA (International City/County Management Association) is the premier local government leadership and management organization. Its mission is to create excellence in local governance by advocating and developing the professional management of local government worldwide. In addition to supporting its nearly 9,000 members, ICMA provides publications, data, information, technical assistance, and training and professional development to thousands of city, town, and county experts and other individuals throughout the world.

ICMA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that offers a wide range of services to its members and the local government community. The organization is an internationally recognized publisher of information resources ranging from textbooks and survey data to topical newsletters and e-publications. ICMA provides technical assistance to local governments in emerging democracies, helping them to develop professional practices and ethical, transparent governments. The organization performs a wide range of mission-driven grant and contract-funded work both in the U.S. and Internationally, which is supported by federal government agencies, foundations, and corporations.

ICMA members are committed to

Representative democracy
The highest standards of honesty and integrity in local governance, as expressed through the organization’s Code of Ethics
The value of professional management as an integral component of effective local government
The council-manager form of government as the preferred local government structure
The value of international association, and
Ensuring diversity in local government in the organization.

It is these beliefs that make ICMA members leaders at the core of better communities.