ICMA

The agenda item had been on the planning commission docket for three months. The staff report was thorough. The metrics were tracked. The goal—a specific percentage improvement in permit processing time—had been set the prior spring by the city council and folded into the department’s performance plan.

Part One of this series described a pattern that most managers will recognize: goals set before the success question is defined, metrics chosen to fit those goals, and a planning cycle that gradually loses its connection to the decisions it was meant to inform. Part Two is about what to do differently. The Question-Metric-Goal framework asks local governments to reorder work they are already doing. No new software, no performance management overhaul.

Take a few minutes to review the names on the 2026 Preliminary Service Awards list and join us in congratulating your colleagues on their well-deserved professional milestones. If you believe your name is missing or any information is inaccurate, email membership@icma.org by July 31, 2026. A new, reduced dues rate is available for CAOs/ACAOs, along with additional discounts for those in smaller communities, has been implemented. Learn more and be sure to join or renew today!

At its quarterly meeting on June 26, 2026, the ICMA Executive Board selected Stephanie Mason, township manager of Doylestown Township, Pennsylvania, as ICMA’s 2026–2027 president-elect. Mason will join the ICMA Executive Board as president-elect during the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, on October 20, 2026.

The momentum for the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference in Long Beach continues to shatter expectations. Fresh off our record-breaking opening wave of registrations, we are thrilled to announce that acclaimed presidential historian, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and global leadership voice Jon Meacham will headline our Monday General Session keynote.

"Government's primary goal is different than a business. A business's goal is to make a profit. The public sector's goal is service." explains Dr. Robert Lee, professor and MPA program coordinator at Florida Gulf Coast University.

DATE & TIME Eastern Time (North America) It takes two! In this SheLeadsGov Roundtable panel discussion, women in the profession explain why mentorship matters and what it has done for their careers. Women remain underrepresented in executive local government leadership, and mentorship can play a critical role in changing that.

Due to a scheduling conflict, this webinar has been rescheduled from Tuesday, June 9 to Thursday, July 9. We apologize for any inconvenience! As we move through 2026, the lines between digital habits and physical presence have blurred.

Over 75 percent of Germantown, Tennessee, voters rejected a charter amendment that would have created a full-time mayor. The city’s charter will remain unchanged with a part-time mayor with a salary of $42,000. ICMA’s Future of Professional Management Fund provided $10,000 to the Citizens for Servant Leadership, the local organization that advocated to keep Germanton professional, efficient, and focused on serving residents.

ICMA is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2026 Local Government Excellence Awards. These distinguished honorees exemplify the very best of professional local government leadership, demonstrating creativity, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to strengthening communities. Their achievements highlight the value of professional management and its profound impact on the quality of life for residents across the globe.