The Executive Board met October 5–6, 2012, in Phoenix/Maricopa County, Arizona, and took these actions:

 

  • Approved the schedule for the 2012–2013 president–elect selection process. On October 16, 2012, letters were sent to the 35 eligible former vice presidents asking them to submit their expression of interest and up to 12 letters of support by January 22. State and affiliate presidents were also sent the list of those eligible and encouraged to contact those they thought would make good candidates.
  • Accepted the FY 2012 audited financial statements and report. In FY 2012 (July 1, 2011–June 30, 2012), revenues exceeded expenses by $668,748 compared to a budgeted net contribution of $340,000. In FY 2010, due to the impact of the economy on several business lines, net contribution fell short of budget and ICMA had a net loss from operations. A record high net contribution in FY 2011 combined with this positive net contribution in FY 2012 covered the shortfall in FY 2010 and put ICMA on track to exceed the target net asset balance of $5.3 million established for FY 2013. 

Most of ICMA’s business lines performed better than budget in FY 2012. In some cases, such as the 2011 annual conference and job ads, revenues exceeded budget. In other cases, expense controls and labor savings due to open positions, reduced expenses below budget. Membership dues revenue fell short as the number of new Full members did not keep pace with the number of members who dropped their membership because of the economy, who retired or who left local government.

 

 ICMA’s auditors, Rubino & McGeehin, delivered an unqualified opinion on the financial statements (the best rating) and reported the nineteenth consecutive year of no material weaknesses. (FY 2012 Executive Director’s Report for programmatic results; FY 2012 Year End Financial Results)  

 

  • Expanded the policy to guide use of investment interest from the ICMA Fund for Professional Management. The policy states that the majority of the Fund’s interest balance will be reserved to financially assist grassroots citizens’ campaigns to adopt or retain the council-manager form of government. Any remaining interest can be used to underwrite at least some of the costs associated with such activities as a state-based civic education program, funding of research demonstrating the value of professional local government management, analyzing or distributing the data collected through the Municipal Form of Government and County Form of Government surveys. Over the past few years, staff have received a number of requests for Fund monies in support of efforts to establish the position of professional city/county manager or administrator within a community. The policy was expanded to accommodate these requests.
  • Reviewed progress on membership recruitment and retention. For the first three months of FY 2013, there was a net gain of 160 U.S. and international in-service members, including 59 Full and 101 Affiliates. The board agreed that stronger attention to recruitment will be needed in the coming year as long-time members continue to retire. The board reaffirmed the following aggressive recruitment and retention goals to achieve by June 30, 2013: meet the dues revenue target of $4,932,000; recruit 325 new Full and 275 new Affiliate members; achieve a net growth in U.S. in-service membership of 50; implement state-specific strategies in 15 key states; generate new members through the new focus on Women in the Profession; achieve a 95% Full member retention rate and maintain an Affiliate member retention rate of 75%. 

The board also reviewed a new recruitment toolkit to support volunteer efforts to communicate the value of membership to colleagues and professional groups. The toolkit includes a series of online resources such as talking points and communication templates as well as hard copy brochures, postcard-size handouts, and a membership flyer.

  • Reviewed the status of the 2012 – 2013 nominations and elections process where six Regional Nominating Committees will replace the single Nominating Committee that has selected nominees for ICMA regional vice presidents in the past. The new process was launched with a lead article in the September 11, 2012, ICMA Leadership Matters newsletter which outlined the following key dates:

 

-        Expressions of interest from candidates are due December 10, 2012. 

-        Regional nominating committees will each interview and select nominees at the 2013 regional summits. These committees will be composed of the ICMA president, presidents from state associations that have affiliation agreements with ICMA and representatives from ICMA's other formal affiliates, IHN, NFBPA, and NACA.

-        The election ballot period will be from May 23 to June 26, 2013 and the incoming vice presidents will take office September 2013 at the conclusion of the Boston annual conference.

Bonnie Svrcek, as 2012–2013 president, also communicated with state and affiliate presidents and staff alerting them to the process and deadlines and asking those with affiliation agreements to provide the name and contact information for their representative(s) on the 2013 Regional Nominating Committees by October 15, 2012.

 

  • Reviewed ICMA’s Model Employment Agreement updated by a 2011–2012 member task force, chaired by Past President Dave Limardi and former city manager of Highland Park, Illinois. The agreement was last reviewed in 2003.

 

Task force members were very aware that public sector compensation and benefits are a sensitive, highly visible topic. Some benefits that were recommended in the 2003 agreement were moved to options in the 2012 model. For example, accruing a bank of 180 days of sick leave at the beginning of employment and the opportunity to accrue unlimited leave that can be paid out upon termination were reclassified as options in the new model agreement. Terminology was also amended to reflect the needs of the current environment. In addition to referencing adherence to the ICMA Code of Ethics, a section outlining ethical commitments was added. Key provisions, such as the recommendation for a minimum of one year severance, portfolio of retirement benefits and strong indemnification language were retained.

The board requested that the agreement itself reference the need to check state law to see if there are limitations on severance payments. The board also asked that the agreement reference budgeting and paying for ICMA membership as part of the responsibilities of local government employers. This is consistent with language having local governments pay for expenses associated with attending the ICMA Annual Conference. The task force is working on an introduction and advice piece to the agreement. The goal is to have the documents available online to members by November 1.      

 

  • Reviewed the board’s policy position statements on the board’s role in international activities and implementation plans for FY 2013 to strengthen relationships with international affiliates. The policy includes a regular rotation of board meetings outside the U.S. with the strategic purpose of initiating, strengthening, and leveraging relationships with international organizations to create excellence in local governance. The board clarified that the intent of the policy was to conduct these meetings every three years.
  • Reappointed Peggy Merriss, city manager, Decatur, Georgia, and appointed Tina Byles Williams, chief executive officer, chief investment officer & portfolio manager, FIS Group, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the ICMA Retirement Corporation Board of Directors for four–year terms beginning January 1, 2013.
  • Appointed Tom Fountaine, borough manager, State College, Pennsylvania, to the Alliance for Innovation Board of Directors for a four–year term beginning January 1, 2013. Appointed Mike Baker, deputy village manager, Downers Grove, Illinois, to complete an unexpired term through December 31, 2013.
  • Reappointed Steve Thompson, assistant vice president, University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service in Knoxville, Tennessee, to serve as the ICMA representative to Government Accounting Standards Advisory Council (GASAC) for a two–year term, beginning January 1, 2013.
  • Approved 27 ICMA Credentialed Managers and eight ICMA Credentialed Manager Candidates.
  • Conducted the performance review of the executive director and of the 2011–2012 executive board. The board agreed to review the tool used for the executive director’s performance evaluation for FY 2013 at its December board meeting.
  • Conducted a planning session for the 2012–2013 board.
  • 2012–2013 board meeting dates and sites will be: December 6–9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; February 21–24 in El Paso, Texas; May 30–June 2 in Annapolis, Maryland; and September 20–21 in Boston, Massachusetts.

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