Claudia Arriaga of OpenGov guest hosts this episode of Voices in Local Government to interview Boulder, CO. city manager, Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde on why and how to use data to manage change in local government.

1. How data helped allocate budget and justify adjusting charges to create a focused approach to solve specific, repeated challenges and community complaints.
2. What tools and systems can be implemented to collect, organize, and understand quantitative and qualitative data to make informed decisions.
3. How to make government spending more transparent, including internally for better staff communication.
4. How Boulder went back to the basics with strategic initiatives around:
   • Retention and recruitment
   • Data on diversity, equity, and inclusion
   • Housing affordability and homelessness
   • Climate change
   • Change management

Resources:

Download the Free EBook: Measure What Matters: Tips for Aligned Strategic Priorities  and watch the video on How Minneapolis Prepares for the Future with Strategic Budgeting

If you missed part one, listen here to learn how to recognize the value retirees and other older adults have and the positive impact they can have on our communities, including municipal boards and commissions and special projects that fill service gaps.

Greg and Cora return for part two to dive into the details of what it takes to launch the Give 5 Civic Matchmaking Program, including: 

1. An overview on how to identify the community challenges that Give 5ers could help address.
2. How Give 5 can get started in your own communities: general operational needs and requirements and an estimated launch plan and budget.
3. Instructions on what it takes financially and operationally to launch a program in the Give 5 network.
4. Answering questions about community engagement, volunteerism and increasing levels of social capital to build unity and trust in local government.

Visit give5program.org or Email Greg and Cora directly at: [email protected]

Sponsored by Smarsh

Sarah Peck, director of United on Guns answers questions on what city and county managers must do to lead through tragedy.

Key takeaways:

1. Schedule a tabletop exercise annually, inviting the highest elected official, the police chief or sheriff, the local FBI, a Public Information Officer, and other key staff.
2. Security solutions should be analyzed thoroughly and emotion must be removed from purchasing decisions.
3. Don’t do overly realistic drills, especially for young children.
4. Despite demoralizing frustration, there are steps local government leaders can and must take now to plan, respond, and recover.

Get the Mass Shooting Protocol - First 24 Hours | FREE Download

Get the Mass Shooting Playbook | FREE Download

Download the free tabletop exercise pilot template from Orlando, Fl.

Mara Mintzer, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Growing Up Boulder, and Sarah Huntley, Director of Communication and Engagement, City of Boulder Colorado discuss how ideas from kids can help local government design better cities and develop engaged citizens.

• Why the effort is worth it.
• How the work is done.
• Examples of sample projects that were approved and completed, including transportation planning and an organized response to a mass-shooting.

Resources:

Through June 30, 2022, use code ICMA25 for 25% of Placemaking with Children and Youth

Mara Mintzer's TedTalk

Growing Up Boulder

Sponsored by Smarsh

Massive wildfires and other challenges large and small over a few years created a difficult working environment in Butte County, CA. Their director of public works, Joshua Pack joins the show to explain how an employee survey based on a genuine desire to listen and improve went a long way to gather honest feedback and respond with employee-driven changes. 

Episode one in a two-part series uncovers the power of tapping into baby boomers for communities interested in improving community engagement and helping government and nonprofits address the growing workforce crunch. The Give 5 Civic Matchmaking program was started in Springfield, Missouri to address social isolation among retirees, while plugging the highly skilled boomers into the community for meaningful projects. It has grown into an initiative filling service gaps and improving trust in local government.

In Part One, Listeners Will:

1. Learn how to recognize the value retirees and other older adults have and the positive impact they can have on our communities, including municipal boards and commissions and special projects that fill service gaps.
2. Understand the detrimental impact that the growing (and "silent") challenge of social isolation is having on our communities and identify at least one strategy to combat it.
3. Hear how the Give 5 program provides "fuel" to volunteer efforts that can address their community's most critical issue(s).
4. Learn how to leverage the support of volunteers to improve civic engagement across the entire community during a time when all communities need enhanced dialogue.

Part 2 will provide specific details about how communities can partner with them to launch the program in their home cities. 

This episode begins with a short excerpt from Cyber Mayday and the Day After on a real ransomware negotiation with cyber-criminals. Then Nancy Rainosek, chief information security officer of Texas, and Dan Lohrmann, field CISO of Presidio speak on how local government can better plan, respond, and recover from ransomware attacks, as well as how to best coordinate with state or regional-level resources. Then we answer audience questions, including:

1. If it happens, should we pay or not?
2. What do the stats say on release rates?
3. Our city manager is non-technical and IT is limited, who should be in charge of cybersecurity?
4. What are best practices for involving law enforcement? And does it even help?
5. When a serious attack is reported, should we power off all devices? (Spoiler: No. But disconnect from the internet, WiFi, and Bluetooth.)

This episode is brought to you by our sponsor, OpenGov.

Resources:

Download free e-books from OpenGov: The Strategic Planning Guide for Local Government and 10 Tips for Success with ARPA Reporting.

Dan Dowell of ABM shares long-term investment ideas local governments can make for their economies and quality of life. Plus bonus content: Victor Cardenas, ICMA-CM, assistant city manager, Novi, Michigan and Midwest VP, shares on the pulse of the region.

Dan Dowell discusses how recent local government funding can go beyond immediate fixes to focus on sustainable long-term investments, including: 

1. Economic development
2. Infrastructure
3. K-12 support (other than teacher pay and curriculum debates)
4. Savings and sustainability through electric fleets and buildings

 Then, Victor Cardenas gives the pulse of ICMA's Midwest region ahead of in-person regional events. (22:03).

This episode is brought to you by our sponsor, ABM.

Resources:

Download ABM's Stimulus Solutions Guide

ICMA Economic Development

Troy Brown, ICMA-CM, city manager of Moorpark, CA, and ICMA President, discusses:

1. Changes in dues structure that makes membership more accessible.
2. Priorities, challenges and opportunities city managers and their staff are taking on in 2022.
3. How Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is different than Social Justice and why it matters. Plus ICMA’s current position on addressing each and how leadership is open to feedback directly from members.

This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Smarsh Inc. – a leader in Enterprise Information Archiving

View Smarsh's Government Solutions

Resources:

Read Smarsh's Professional Archive for Government Datasheet

ICMA 2022 Regionals: Build Your Resilience

Odie Donald joins the show to discuss how local government can improve its accessibility and service delivery through three specific examples of citizen engagement.

1. The advantages and challenges of open budgeting, and how ARPA funding fits in.
2. How outdated 311 systems can transform into improved services through better technology.
3. How a “Mayors Walk” can also be an opportunity for non-elected professionals to meet people who are not as engaged in their local government and win them over with real-time fixes.

Then Kenneth Williams gives the pulse of ICMA's Mountain Plains ahead of in-person regional events.

Resources:

ICMA Community Engagement