The June issue of PM magazine, in addition to including the 2013 ICMA Annual Conference Preliminary Program, also includes two cover stories that show how civic engagement can build trust, value, and better government.

Kevin Lahner, city administrator of Burlington, Wisconsin, and author of “The Time for Transparency Is Now,” writes that civic engagement can mean more public information requests, more political grandstanding at council meetings, and more inflammatory social media posts. Rather than trying to avoid a meltdown, he thinks it is time for managers to take action.

They may be best served by diving into discussions; opening up their organizations to inspections; and providing clear, concise, and understandable information to residents. Here are his tips for planning a transparency program:

1. Formulate a transparency plan based upon your available resources and the risk tolerance of your organization.
2. Make sure the governing body sets the tone for transparency initiatives and policies.
3. Develop a realistic budget for these activities.
4. Make sure your leadership team is on board and ready to contribute to the program.
5. Assign the right person to lead your transparency initiative.
6. Commit to the program as part of your long-term management plan.

Professors Matthew Fairholm and Taylor Gronau, authors of “6 Practical Reminders for Leading Policy Implementation” offer a small-city case study that shows how residents, legislators, professional administrators, neighbors, and judges affected the course of a local government issue. They summarized the lessons learned in these six points:

1. No matter how efficient we may wish government to be, it isn’t. 
2. Professional planning is no substitute for a self-interested or aggrieved public.   
3. No matter how right a city’s decision may be, it may still be wrong. 
4.  Sometimes the minority rules in local government.
5. When push comes to shove, the judicial branch usually shoves the hardest.
6. If  you think you have involved the public enough, you haven’t.

For more information, read the June PM cover stories, and look for more on civic engagement in the August 2013 issue of the magazine.