The list of duties that a municipal clerk has to do far surmounts the available hours in the day to get things done. Clerks respond to citizen’s requests, pull documents, develop council meeting agendas, and in general, keep the office humming. One of the most time-consuming duties for city clerks is setting up council meetings. The entire meeting centers around one extremely important document—the agenda. Clerks have to prioritize agenda items so that the council addresses all the important business first. That’s challenging because they usually have so many items on the agenda to … [Read more...] about Consent Agenda Template for Municipalities

Municipal governments have many bases to cover as they prepare their fiscal year budgets and make decisions about how to adjust it as budgetary needs change and arise. Many situations may arise over the course of a year that create changes in the budget, but what won’t change is that municipal governments will continue to be tightly and highly scrutinized. Citizens of today have greater expectations for transparency and accountability. One of the greatest challenges that public administrators have is finding an appropriate balance between basic operations and the expectations of their … [Read more...] about Effective Spending Tactics for Your Municipality’s Fiscal Year Budget

Governance has struggled to keep pace with today’s local government landscape. The world we live in is switched on, digital and decentralized. Cyberattacks can originate from anywhere in the world. Social media amplifies the voice of every citizen and staff member. In a world where nanoseconds count, old governance practices aren’t just out of date; they’re exposing today’s local government organizations to the kinds of risks that can lead to crises. And there’s no shortage of examples these days... Cyber breaches. Poor tone at the top. Employee misbehavior gone viral. These are the things … [Read more...] about What is Modern Governance?

New digital software solutions for various industries are being invented daily. One of the wonderful things about that is that newly created software programs are becoming more customized for the organizations that need them. That’s great news for municipal governments who are continually striving for ways to enhance efficiency, accountability, and transparency. Local citizens are accustomed to using technology in practically every area of their lives. Technology makes it possible to do banking, shopping, mailing, and most other routine errands completely online. It only makes sense that … [Read more...] about How Can Municipalities Leverage Paperless Board Meeting Software?

Everyone within a community has a stake in growing and building their communities to make them enjoyable places to live and a place they’re proud to call home. As strategic planning for local government is considered best practices, every community should participate in strategic planning. The size of the government should determine the need and degree of implementation, as well as the frequency of strategic planning. Strategic planning for local government requires two-way communication and an open exchange of ideas. Strategic planning isn’t everyone’s most favorite activity, so it helps … [Read more...] about How Local Governments Can Improve Strategic Planning