One of the biggest challenges for jurisdictions armed with comparative data is to determine which data is most comparable.  The starting point is often the state you’re in, but that could still leave you with jurisdictions ranging from large metropolitan cities and counties to small rural towns.  Another consideration is geographic proximity, as the climate and labor market might mean similar constraints in terms of highway and park maintenance, contracting costs, and other factors.

Looking beyond those obvious criteria, however, those involved in ICMA’s Center for Performance Measurement™ still have a wealth of data available to them from elsewhere around the country.  How do you narrow the scope of your comparisons? 

• Population (and daytime population) – Is the overall customer base similar?  Even if the number of residents is smaller, does the presence of large number of tourists, students, or commuters bump the jurisdiction into a different category?
• Population density – This might give you an indication of the relative ease of providing timely response to public safety calls for service.
• Staffing models – Is fire suppression provided via volunteers/paid-on-call staff?  Is fleet maintenance accomplished via contract?
• Service characteristics – Do the comparison jurisdictions provide the same range of services yours does (e.g., EMS patient transport)?  Are your services similarly automated (e.g., e-purchasing, automated refuse collection vehicles)?  Keep in mind that your comparison agencies may be very different from one service to another.  While neighborhood-based services may depend on population, internal services like human resources or information technology may have more to do with the number of employees or workstations served.
• Leading practices –Set a stretch goal by comparing your jurisdiction to one that performs highly in a specific service area.

One example of how a jurisdiction has chosen its benchmarks is provided here:

Source: City of Collinsville, IL

 

As you start to make your own determinations of comparable jurisdictions, be sure to consider the full range of descriptive measures captured in the ICMA surveys.  If you have any questions, please contact Gerald Young at gyoung@icma.org.