Appendix B

Common Discussion Points for Strategic Planning in Local Government

A-1 Internal environment, economic/financial factors

  1. Trends in local taxes, revenues, and fees
  2. Trends in local expenditures
  3. Forecast demand for expenditures
  4. Trends in state and federal appropriations and allocations
  5. Unfunded federal or state mandates
  6. Forecast economic development costs and benefits
  7. Debt service and municipal bond ratings
  8. Performance of investment portfolios
  9. Expected trends in the classification studies and salary changes
  10. Forecasts of changing costs for employee benefits

B-1 Managerial environment, economic/financial factors

  1. Changing compensation patterns for senior managers in the local government
  2. Changes in alternatives for municipal financing

C-1 Local environment, economic/financial factors

  1. Key local indicators, including job growth, unemployment and underemployment, consumer confidence, and wage rates
  2. Patterns of business growth
  3. Reasons expressed for businesses relocating to and staying in the community
  4. Reasons expressed for businesses not relocating to or staying in the community
  5. Residential growth and the attendant demand for public services
  6. Impacts of increasing or diminishing state and federal funding
  7. Financial impacts of increased or diminishing state and federal mandates

D-1 Local government management as a practice, economic/financial factors

  1. Experiences in other communities that are instructive
  2. Tools being used by other local governments that can be replicated
  3. Connections with localities in other communities that could help facilitate trade or business expansion
  4. Performance of municipal bonds and other financial instruments

E-1 Regional economic environment/financial factors

  1. Business relocations to or from surrounding communities
  2. Local share of regional infrastructure, including transportation, water, waste treatment, power, and other public services
  3. Impact and user fees being applied in neighboring jurisdictions
  4. Growth or loss of assets in the region that have relevance for business attraction and retention

F-1 State environment, economic/financial factors

  1. Patterns of and projections for state appropriations to localities
  2. Proposals for state legislation that will affect businesses in either positive or negative ways
  3. State economic development efforts and plans
  4. Distribution patterns for locally applied taxes that are controlled and redistributed by the state

G-1 National environment, economic/financial factors

  1. National policies that affect dealing with companies from specific countries
  2. Projections for federal allocations to states and localities
  3. Trends and forecasts of national economic indicators, including consumer and producer price indices, the federal deficit, the strength of the dollar vis-à-vis other currencies, interest rates, the gross national product, and spending and savings patterns
  4. Federal plans to recognize new nations as trading partners

H-1 Global environment, economic/financial factors

  1. Financial forecasts of countries with which local businesses trade
  2. Opportunities to develop new import or export programs
  3. Trends in the balance of trade and exchange rates vis-à-vis relevant nations

A-2 Internal environment, demographic factors

  1. Employee distribution by characteristic compared with the same distribution in the general population
  2. Number of senior management and other employees within a few years of retirement eligibility
  3. Training and retraining that may be required to use new technologies or to manage new program directions most effectively

B-2 Managerial environment, demographic factors

  1. Changing diversity patterns in the regions
  2. Corresponding diversity in local government management and staff

C-2 Local environment, demographic factors

  1. Population growth caused by both births and in-migration
  2. Trends in the aging of the community and implications for public service costs
  3. Growth rates and income levels for individual neighborhoods within the community
  4. Growth rates of and issues attendant to the growth of first-generation Americans in the community
  5. Correlation of various sub-population groups with issues relating to school performance, safety, and other concerns

D-2 Local government management as a practice, demographic factors

  1. Availability of recent graduates with degrees in public administration or other skills in demand by local governments

E-2 Regional environment, demographic factors

  1. Population growth in neighboring communities that affects demand for additional job growth
  2. Migration to or from rural, urban, and suburban parts of the region, and the relevant impacts on public services and costs
  3. Changing patterns of the locality relevant to its neighbors, and the burden of public service costs

F-2 State environment, demographic factors

  1. The potential for shifting population totals within the state to result in more or fewer seats in the state legislature

G-2 National environment, demographic factors

  1. National policies and trends affecting migration
  2. Trends in federal programming to assist communities with high growth among immigrant populations

H-2 Global environment, demographic factors

Not applicable

A-3 Internal environment, technological factors

  1. Current state of the information technology support for local government functions
  2. Areas in which savings could be realized through computerization
  3. Areas in which services could be provided to the community more effectively or more conveniently through computerization
  4. Current and future needs for employee training in technology

B-3 Managerial environment, technological factors

  1. Best practices in the use of technology to provide local government services
  2. New ways of creating operating efficiencies by using technology in local government

C-3 Local environment, technological factors

  1. Availability of high-speed cable access required to attract and retain businesses
  2. Plans for the enhancement of high-speed connectivity
  3. Availability of an appropriately trained workforce to attract and retain businesses
  4. Access to higher education opportunities for the retraining of employees

D-3 Local government management as a practice, technological factors

  1. Technology practices and applications of other local governments that are instructive and can be emulated

E-3 Regional environment, technological factors

  1. Costs to localities of upgrading technology to provide regional public services

F-3 State environment, technological factors

  1. State programs that support the growth of technology businesses in the community
  2. Progress being made by state to provide public services through technology applications
  3. Availability of state purchasing agreements that allow localities to purchase equipment at discounted prices

G-3 National environment, technological factors

  1. Availability of federal funding to computerize local government provision of public services

H-3 Global environment, technological factors

Not applicable

A-4 Internal environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Changing employment laws as they apply to municipal employees
  2. Changing nature of relationships with unions representing public sector employees
  3. Impact of federal and state laws affecting public sector employment

B-4 Managerial environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Changes in fiduciary requirements of or responsibilities for local government senior managers

C-4 Local environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Legislative and regulatory issues potentially affecting all localities

D-4 Local government management as practice, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Issues being followed by ICMA and other federal and state associations of local government managers
  2. Trends in other communities that could have an impact on all localities

E-4 Regional environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. The state of inter-jurisdictional cooperation

F-4 State environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Current, future, and needed legislation that will support business growth and the provision of public services

G-4 National environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Current, future, and needed legislation that will support business growth and the provision of public services
  2. Current and projected legislation affecting fair labor standards, wage rates, and immigration limits
  3. Current, pending, and needed legislation designed to promote trade, protect local industries

H-4 Global environment, legal/regulatory factors

  1. Actions of bordering nations regarding trade policies with the United States that could affect local industries

A-5 Internal environment, sociocultural factors

  1. Extent to which staff and programs reflect the social and cultural composition and needs of the community

B-5 Managerial environment, sociocultural factors

  1. General trends in management techniques for motivation, team building, and other similar activities

C-5 Local environment, sociocultural factors

  1. The changing sociocultural composition of the community and specific neighborhoods, and the implications for the provision and costs of public services
  2. Current or potential conflicts between population sub-groups in the community
  3. Lists of effective local leadership in the various communities represented and opportunities for such individuals to be involved in the larger community

D-5 Local government management as a practice, sociocultural factors

Not applicable

E-5 Regional environment, sociocultural factors

  1. Cultural distinctions between the jurisdiction and its neighbors

F-5 State environment, sociocultural factors

  1. Patterns of sociocultural distinctions among urban, suburban, and rural parts of the state
  2. State legislation and programs that provide service to sub-populations

G-5 National environment, sociocultural factors

  1. Major cultural trends that may affect local government services

H-5 Global environment, sociocultural factors

  1. Social and cultural conflicts and cooperation of communities contiguous with Mexico and Canada

A-6 Internal environment, competitive factors

  1. Competitiveness of local government salaries and the impact on attracting and retaining qualified staff

B-6 Managerial environment, competitive factors

  1. Potential impact of private growth in geographic area that affects the ability of local government to recruit top managers

C-6 Local environment, competitive factors

  1. Local taxes and ordinances that can place the community at a competitive advantage or disadvantage in business attraction and retention
  2. Local government’s ability to obtain federal grants and programs

D-6 Local government management as a practice, competitive factors

  1. Competitiveness of salaries and benefits to attract the best professionals to the community

E-6 Regional environment, competitive factors

  1. Practice of and reasons for competition within region for business locations
  2. Cooperative efforts within the region in business attraction and retention
  3. Cooperative efforts to promote regional tourism

F-6 State environment, competitive factors

  1. Status of state/local cooperation in business attraction and retention
  2. Status of state/local cooperation in tourism promotion
  3. Relative strengths of state and competitors for economic development
  4. Status of incentive programs for business
  5. Business tax structure relative to competitive markets
  6. Equality of state funding for communities throughout the state
  7. State competitiveness for federal funding, facilities, and employment

G-6 National environment, competitive factors

  1. State and local experience in competing for federal funding, facilities, and employment
  2. Future of military and other federal installations/employment in the state

H-6 Global environment, competitive factors

Not applicable

A-7 Internal environment, managerial factors

  1. Strengths and weaknesses of senior management and professional staff

B-7 Managerial environment, managerial factors

Not applicable

C-7 Local environment, managerial factors

  1. Strength, structure, effectiveness, and diversity of community leadership

D-7 Local government management as a practice, managerial factors

  1. Succession plans in local government agencies
  2. Alignment of current skills with future needs
  3. Management training requirements
  4. Rising issues in management for local government as identified by ICMA and other professional associations

E-7 Regional environment, managerial factors

  1. Strength of and cooperation among leadership of regional entities providing public services
  2. Need for additional structures to address public service issues in the region

F-7 State environment, managerial factors

  1. Ability of local/regional legislative delegation to gain needed appropriations and programs
  2. Management of state organization relative to projects in the locality or region

G-7 National environment, managerial factors

  1. Ability of congressional delegation to obtain needed federal projects and appropriations for the state, the region, and the locality
  2. Impact of having federal facilities in the region
  3. Issues related to gaining or losing federal facilities

H-7 Global environment, managerial factors

  1. National policies that affect the locality
  2. Global politics, conflicts, and cooperation that affect life in the locality

A-8 Internal environment, physical/environmental factors

  1. Need for new local government facilities
  2. Condition of existing local government facilities

B-8 Managerial environment, physical/environmental factors

Not applicable

C-8 Local environment, physical/environmental factors

  1. Status of infrastructure and future costs of maintenance and construction
  2. Projected needs for new infrastructure to support residential and commercial growth
  3. Ability to exact infrastructure contributions from developers of projects
  4. Development-related issues addressing conservation of land and quality of air and water
  5. Comparative appearance of and access to services in various neighborhoods in the jurisdiction
  6. Current situation in and plans for downtown and other revitalization areas
  7. Need for and costs of maintaining historic sites and land preserves

D-8 Local government management as a practice, physical/environmental factors

Not applicable

E-8 Regional environment, physical/environmental factors

  1. Actions and plans of neighboring jurisdictions that affect the locality’s environment
  2. Existing and needed inter-jurisdictional programs and entities related to environmental protection

F-8 State environment, physical/environmental factors

  1. State policies and practices that affect the local environment
  2. State responsiveness to local infrastructure funding requests

G-8 National environment, physical/environmental factors

  1. Presence and status of national parks in the area
  2. National policies that do or will affect local wildlife, pollution standards, airport noise, and other local concerns

H-8 Global environment, physical/environmental factors

Not applicable.