ICMA

Are you a local government expert with insights to share? We are now accepting session proposals for the 2027 ICMA Annual Conference, taking place September 25–29, 2027, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is an opportunity to share your expertise with a global audience of local government leaders and help address the most pressing challenges facing communities today.

In June 2026, ICMA President Andy Pederson, village manager, Village of Bayside, Wisconsin, appointed individuals to serve on ICMA member committees. Other stakeholders, including state and affiliate associations, designated additional representatives to the ICMA Conference Education Committee (formerly known as the Conference Planning Committee). New committee members will begin their terms of service in September/October this year.

In ICMA's latest "Why it Works" council-manager form of government video, we hear from Chris Morrill, executive director/CEO of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and a former city manager. He explains that the C-M form of government gives a community the best of both worlds: democracy through elected officials and expertise from ethically trained, professional local government managers who provide wise counsel to elected officials.

Sponsored content powered by ICMA partner, NASPO. If you work in local government, you know that developing bid specifications is rarely a procurement-only process. More often, it requires close collaboration with subject matter experts (SMEs)—internal staff, consultants, and industry specialists—who bring the deep technical knowledge needed to help translate operational needs into functional requirements that align with real-world constraints.

Submitted by Rose McConnell on Additional Files Short Description The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) seeks proposals from eligible Respondents for professional services described in this solicitation.

In many professional settings, people are routinely asked, “What are your long term career goals?” or “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” During annual reviews, your boss may ask about your goals or, more specifically, your employee development plan. The underlying assumption is often that everyone should aspire to climb the ladder all the way to the top. But not everyone wants the “top job” — and that should be perfectly acceptable.

For more than a century, ICMA has stood for one thing above all else: strengthening the local governments that serve our communities. That mission depends on attracting and keeping talented public servants, and increasingly, one of the biggest barriers to that goal has nothing to do with the job itself. It's student debt. Across the country, 45 million Americans collectively hold $1.7 trillion in student loans, and 63% say they struggle to make their monthly payments.

Our profession keeps a calendar most people never see. Fiscal years. Bond terms. Pavement lives. Pipes laid this spring will still carry water when our grandchildren are paying the utility bill. We plan in spans longer than any contract we will ever sign. And yet the asset that decides whether any of it works never appears on a balance sheet. That asset is public trust. No one hands it to us with the job.

DATE & TIME Eastern Time (North America) PRICE ICMA Member 795.00 Non-Member 995.00 Develop The Leadership Capacities, Practical Skills, And Strategic Mindset Needed To Lead People, Serve Communities, And Drive Organizational Results! Are you ready to shape the future of your local government and grow your career? The Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP) is a six-month experience designed for early- to mid-level professionals who aspire to leadership roles in local government.

A few months into my first assistant city manager role, our assistant public works director caught me in between meetings and asked what she probably assumed was a routine operational question. “What would you like us to do with the dead hogs we pick up?” I paused. “The…what?” “The dead hogs.” I wish I could tell you I immediately launched into a thoughtful discussion about disposal and operational policies. Instead, I was silently processing two realizations.