ENVISION ICMA STRATEGIC PLAN | Adopted February 17, 2017

STRATEGIC PLAN Adopted February 17, 2017 ENVISION ICMA STRATEGIC PLAN | Adopted February 17, 2017 STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS and a timeline to complete a new strategic plan. In April 2015, ICMA’s then-President Jim Bennett and ICMA has been guided by a strategic plan since President-Elect Pat Martel appointed 40 individuals 1985. The latest update to the plan was adopted to serve on the ICMA Strategic Planning Task Force. in 2008, a time of a global financial crisis—an event These individuals represent 21 states, Canada, and almost as significant as the Great Depression, creating New Zealand. The group includes individuals of varying an environment of tremendous uncertainty. The ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds; and different environment in which ICMA and its members operate jurisdictional sizes. This talented and diverse group of is constantly changing, and while many of the goals professionals was chosen from an applicant pool of from the 2008 strategic plan have been accomplished, nearly 200 volunteers to tackle this important task. it is time to refresh the association’s mission, vision, The Task Force is led by Chair Sheryl Sculley, City and strategic initiatives in order to ensure that Manager of San Antonio, Texas and Vice-Chair Lee ICMA continues to serve members of the profession Worsley, Executive Director of the Triangle J Council of effectively and stays relevant in today’s environment of Governments in North Carolina. rapid, perpetual change. Felicia Logan, ICMA’s Director of Leadership In early 2015, the Association embarked on a Development, was chosen to facilitate the strategic planning process to develop a strategic plan that will planning process, with Amber Snowden serving as the guide the association’s efforts in the years to come. The Task Force’s ICMA staff liaison. ICMA Executive Board established a set of objectives 1 ENVISION ICMA Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are sure to miss the future. — John F. Kennedy ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES, TRENDS, this environment, they will have to rethink their strat- AND DRIVERS egy, operations, and processes in fundamental ways, proactively developing clear goals that guide how they The first consideration in charting a path for our approach, maximize, and regulate the use of new tech- association’s future was to consider the major nology as it becomes available. forces, trends and drivers that will be affecting the Technology has also transformed the way that local members, the profession and the organization, and governments communicate and share information with to understand the environment in which ICMA, and their constituents. While some residents attend public its members, must operate. The pages that follow meetings and hearings to express their opinions and provide a brief, yet broad examination of the critical concerns, many more residents interact with their local strategic factors that we believe face ICMA in the governments without ever setting foot inside a govern- years ahead. These environmental forces, trends, ment building. and drivers are grouped into three categories: those Nearly all residents own a smartphone or other impacting local government/communities; those mobile device, and they use these devices not only as affecting the profession; and, those affecting ICMA the predominant way to obtain information, but also as an association. to register complaints about local government services These environmental forces, trends, and drivers were and/or alert public safety or public works departments confirmed with the ICMA Executive Board during their about an incident or problem. December 2015 meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas. Social networks are further fueling the new era of electronic civic engagement. The next generation of 1. Local Government/Communities engaged citizens communicates differently than previ- a. Technology ous generations, expecting continuous and instanta- neous connectivity. Local governments now have the Technological innovation continues to advance at an opportunity to share information and engage residents ever-increasing rate - a pace that continually runs in conversations to obtain input on important proposals ahead of local governments’ capacity to adopt and or issues via social media channels and mobile apps that adapt. allow feedback in real time. On the downside, social Many of the technologies that will be integral to media has provided a platform for circulating informa- our daily lives in the next ten to twenty years have tion that can be inaccurate, slanderous and dangerous not yet been imagined and/or developed. We expect for the community. that these innovations will transform the way services Technology has enhanced global access to informa- are provided and goods are produced, but will also tion providing opportunities for networking, learning disrupt traditional business practices and operating and sharing best practices across boundaries and time norms. Local governments will have to contend not zones. only with an inability to predict the future, but also an Local government managers must devise ways to increased demand for information and services at an evaluate the positives and negatives of these fast increased speed from inception through adoption and changing technologies to ensure public safety, access, into implementation. In order to successfully operate in and improved quality of life. 2 ENVISION ICMA Environmental Forces, Trends, and Drivers Local Government/Communities a. Technology e. Demographics b. Cost of Service Delivery f. Social Integration c. Public DisTrust g. Globalization/Global Trends d. Environmental Sustainability The Profession The Association a. New Leadership a. Providing Relevance Skills and Value to Members b. Public Disconnect b. Promoting an c. The Need for Ethical Culture Increased Diversity c. Embracing and and Inclusion Promoting the d. Sustaining the Profession “I” in ICMA e. International Perspective b. Cost of Service Delivery by the recent Great Recession, also facing mounting Local governments have increasingly been expected to budgetary challenges and demands for services as rev- take on more community roles than in the past, particu- enues plunged. While local government revenues have larly in being responsive to residents. However, while the been slowly improving in recent years, many have not roles, responsibilities, and expectations of local govern- seen their revenues return to pre-recession levels. ments have grown, revenue options and the fiscal envi- Budgetary challenges have also resulted in federal ronment continue to become more constrained. More and state cutbacks in funding to local government, than in past economic downturns, nearly all federal, state coinciding with devolution in the form of unfunded and local governments globally were negatively affected mandates, rules, and regulations, shifting responsibility to the local level without providing corresponding 3 ENVISION ICMA sources of revenue. This further impacts local govern- d. Environmental Sustainability ments’ finite resources and constrains their ability to Issues such as climate change, energy and water inse- provide essential services. These are critical issues curity, natural resource conservation, and the manage- because local governments perform most of the activi- ment and disposal of household and industrial waste ties that residents directly associate with government. are serious environmental and socio-political challenges Local governments undertake most of the direct spend- that know no geographic boundaries. The need to build ing on public goods and services, and they bear primary effective partnerships among jurisdictions is essential responsibility for public safety and investments in social to preserving public health, safety, and security. Local services, education, and infrastructure that directly governments must take both a regional and global affect our economy and quality of life. approach to build resiliency and develop effective and c. Public DisTrust comprehensive solutions to these complex issues. Over the past few decades, the rules governing and e. Demographics organizing politics and governance have changed. The Sweeping demographic changes have been occur- increasingly heightened polarization of policy issues ring and will continue to occur in the coming years makes it more difficult for governments to achieve com- which will have a significant impact on the ability of promise requiring leaders to identify, speak and agree on local governments to provide necessary infrastructure common values in order to govern. Political polarization and services. The world’s population continues to has been further fueled by the new trend in 24/7 media grow older rapidly as fertility rates have fallen in most coverage. Constant media attention into the minutest developed nations and people are living longer. Today, details of politicians’ everyday lives has eroded personal 8 percent of the world’s population is age 65 and older. privacy, limiting the number of candidates willing to open This percentage is expected to double to 16 percent themselves and their families to such levels of public by 2050. Research also shows that the world’s popula- scrutiny. Instant access to information via social media, tion is increasingly urbanized and will continue to move paired with anti-government sentiment, create a difficult from rural areas to cities. In response to these shifts environment for local governments to present the facts,

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