The managers and constituents of City and county councils are increasingly concerned about measuring and managing the council performance.

The managers and constituents of city and county councils are increasingly concerned about measuring and managing the council performance.

<p><i>by Frank Benest </i><br>
<p>Many local governments across the United States have been forced to downsize in response to the ongoing recession, reduced revenues, and skyrocketing health care and other employee-benefit costs. To aggravate matters, some states have shifted money away from local governments to solve their own budgetary problems. Whatever the reasons, local government executives face more than a financial challenge in cutting budgets. An even bigger dilemma for executives is the leadership challenge of crafting a new and vital future for the downsizing organization. <br>

The strategic plan is a guide for the county’s operations, outlining the goals and expectations for county services.

This Case Study profiles the city of Durham, North Carolina and its methodology of connecting community engagement, performance measurement

A primer for engaging with performance management at ICMA.