This collection of articles, statistics, and other information is assembled to assist community residents, elected officials, and business leaders in gaining a better understanding of the value that professional management brings to our cities, towns, and counties.
ICMA's origins lie in the council-manager form of local government, which combines the strong political leadership of elected officials (in the form of a council, board, or other governing body) with the strong professional experience of an appointed local government manager or administrator. Under this form, power is concentrated in the elected council, which hires a professional administrator to implement its policies. These highly trained, experienced individuals serve at the pleasure of the elected governing body and have responsibility for preparing the budget, directing day-to-day operations, hiring and firing personnel, and serving as the council's chief policy advisor.
Although ICMA actively promotes the council-manager form as the preferred structure, the organization also supports professional management in all forms of local government.
Feel free to use these materials as part of your council-manager form adoption and retention efforts. For more information on professional local government management or the council-manager form, contact ICMA's Director of Advocacy Jason Grant.
BACKGROUND
- Video: Local Government That Works: The Council-Manager Form of Government
- Brochure: Council-Manager Form of Government: What it is, how it works, and the benefits to your community (brochure)
- Article: Taking Stock of the Council-Manager Form at 100
VALUE OF THE PROFESSION
- Brochure: Professional Local Government Management: The Benefits to Your Municipality (brochure)
- Brochure: Professional County Management: The Benefits to Your County
- Article: How Professionals Can Add Value to Their Communities and Organizations
- Checklist: Questionnaire for Determining Value of Professional Administrator/Manager
- Article: The Mayor-Manager Conundrum That Wasn't
EFFICIENCY/FISCAL/QUALITY-OF-LIFE SUPERIORITY
- Blog Post: Professionally Managed Communities Dominate List of Healthiest for 2019
- Article: Professional Management Drives Local Government Efficiency & Effectiveness
- Blog Post: Professional Management, Council-Manager Government Sweep List of All-America Cities Finalists
- Study: Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: An Operations Efficiency Benchmarking Study of 100 American Cities
- Article: CNN-Money Magazine 100 Best Places to Live with Form of Government and ICMA Member
RESEARCH, DATA, AND STATISTICS
- Survey Results: ICMA 2018 Municipal Form of Government Survey
- Snapshot: Municipal Form of Government Research Snapshot
- Statistics: Form of Government Statistics - Counties (2014)