Teamwork For Success-Cities101

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WELCOME
Teamwork For Success-Cities101
Michael Abels-ICMA CM University of Central
Florida
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• Traditional role council set policy manager
  implement and administer policy. (Some overlap)
• Studies show that members of City Councils are
  concentrating more on short term issues and
  constituent advocacy.
• Councils expecting Mayors and City Managers to
  focus on establishing Mission and Long Term
  Goals.
• Role change leads to tension between manager and
  elected representatives.

Role of Council in Public Policy
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• Role of City Council is fulfilling the public
  interest
• outcomes best serving the long term well being of
  the public.
• Taking actions that allow future generations to
  have the same quality of life that we enjoy
  today.
• Based on public values citizen rights and
  benefits citizen obligations to state and one
  another shaped by interaction and dialogue
• Two roles followed by elected officials

Trends in Public Policy
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• Trustee-Make policy decisions on what you
  consider to be in the interest of the whole
  electorate.
• May or may not represent a majority opinion of
  the population.
• Address the public interest or common good what
  is in best interest of whole.
• Public judges through election.
• Delegate-Make policy decisions in the interest of
  what is believed as popular opinion.
• Typically based on those who show up at meetings.
  Those who interact with members of council.
• Does not represent the public interest.

Policy Role for Council
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• Public Safety
• Police
• Fire
• Public Services
• Parks and Recreation
• Senior Programs
• Public Works
• Streets, storm water ,street lighting, Signals
  etc, etc.
• Engineering
• Code Enforcement
• Building Permitting Inspection
• Public Utilities
• Water, wastewater, electric
• Community-Economic Development
• Other

Services Provided By Cities-Every City Differemt
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• How do we establish policy that reflects the
  public interest?
• Do those few who show up at meetings become the
  Public?
• Our system of involving public in public policy
  is reactionary.
• Public comment after agenda items or general
  public comment
• We formulate the basics of public policy and then
  ask the public to make comment.

Public Involvement In Policy
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• Current process is not sustainable for long term
  success, or identifying the public interest
• Some new ideas for public participation
• Web based interactive meetings-social media
• 21st century town meetings America Speaks
• Governance Councils.
• Deliberative polling-representative sampling,
  community forums.
• Citizen assemblies-World Café
• Citizen based budgets-strategic planning

Public Involvement In Policy
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• Strategic Planning
• A tool for policy leadership that engages
  citizens, community leaders, city council in
  identifying a common vision for where the City
  wants to be in the future, and establishes the
  most important strategies, performance
  indicators the City must accomplish to obtain
  that common vision.
• Citizens must be integrated into plan
  formulation multiple entry points.
• Policy must reflect plan.
• Plan must be integrated into City budget.

Best Practices
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THANK YOU This presentation started with the
title Teamwork for Success. Effective team work
requires a close working relationship between the
elected members of Council and city staff. As
you think about the material in this presentation
I would encourage you to meet with your City
Manager (if that is your form of govt), or
senior management team (other forms) and ask
questions you may have, and to discuss the
material that has been presented to you as part
of Cities 101.

I may be contacted at mabels_at_ mail.ucf.edu