Local Gov Life

Two experts in the fields of online training and human resources, Tim Rahschulte, PhD, chief executive officer at The Professional Development Academy and chief architect of the NACo High Performance Leadership Program and Erika Philpot, Human Resources Director, Coconino County, Flagstaff, Arizona, discussed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local government workforce.

Nicole Lance, CEO of Lance Strategies and Eric M. Bailey, CEO of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group led this webinar that focused on tactical, action-oriented strategies to help individuals and teams enhance their resilience, providing beneficial skills for dealing with the immediate challenges of the work environment as well as equipping attendees with meaningful skill sets for the future.

Cigna, ICMA Presidential Level Strategic Partner, provides guidance to help you learn more about how to manage stress, anxiety, loneliness and grief surrounding the pandemic and ways you can manage competing priorities and cope with distress.

JLL Commercial Real Estate and Property Investments and Stantec, a design firm, presented this webinar covering the short term and long term issues of bringing employees back to work and how to manage your real estate and workplaces and serve your mission when government budgets are strained by reduced tax revenues and rising expenses for healthcare and other critical constituent services.

Zencity, an ICMA Strategic Partner, with city leaders from Peachtree Corners, Georgia, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Winthrop, Massachusetts, discussed best practices for engaging with residents during a crisis. Each shared their community's story and strategies for managing through this pandemic.

Local governments have been tapping their reserves and spending whatever has been required to meet the immediate public health demands of this COVID-19 crisis. City and county managers recognize that even as their costs have increased, their revenues are declining. A team of experts from the private sector and local government discussed strategies to prepare for both the short-term and long-term economic reality.

In local government, professionals have a multitude of growth opportunities. This episode features Don Maruska, former director of ICMA’s Coaching Program and, chief development officer for Take Charge of Your Talent; Pam Davis, assistant city manager for the City of Boulder, CO, Ben Bryant, deputy city manager, Happy Valley, OR, and Bertha Henry, county administrator for the County of Broward, FL. These speakers share their professional growth stories from starting out as an intern to continuing to learn as a chief executive. No matter where you are at in your career, this episode has some great career advice for you.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) have created new rights such as expanded family and medical leave and emergency paid sick leave that local governments need to comply with. Neil Reichenberg, executive director, International Public Management Association for Human Resources, (IPMA-HR), provides information on the major provisions of these laws and the regulations and guidance that have been issued by the federal government and guidance on reopening.

While many jurisdictions have a crisis communications plan in place to deal with all manner of emergencies and disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic is stretching these plans to the limit, forcing local governments to get creative with their engagement efforts. In this webinar, Thomas Bakaly, former city manager and current CEO of the Los Angeles-area Beach Cities Health District, Thomas Bryer, Professor of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida and Sarah Stoeckel, a councilmember from Titusville, Florida shared strategies and insights that will help make your own outreach and engagement efforts more effective during this challenging time.

This webinar, led by Andy Belknap, Senior Vice President, Management Partners, covered the first principles of cutback budgeting, lessons from real-world experience during the Great Recession, and exploration of how simulation software can be used to frame the fact-based trade-off discussions your public entity will need to have, both internally and externally, in the near future. Case studies from local governments of all sizes are profiled to show how online public engagement can help provide essential feedback to governments making these difficult choices.

The Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) and the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) teamed up to bring insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting EMS delivery, and some of the top challenges facing local EMS agencies as they try to meet this crisis head-on.

Richard Florida joins us to share his thoughts on the path forward, which will feature a 10-point plan to re-open our communities after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this 90-minute webinar, we will shift our thinking to what comes next and how you might re-think the ways in which you work together with your staff to re-build your cities, towns, and counties.

In response to the difficulties faced by cities, counties and other municipalities due to the public health and economic emergency brought on by the COVID-19 virus, the U.S. Congress and President have enacted three pieces of legislation to provide relief to local governments, states, health care entities, business, and many other sectors. This webcast, led by Sustainable Strategies DC addressed the resources for local governments and communities in these three federal response packages.

When a disaster hits, local government managers have the challenging task of providing leadership to the community – often while dealing with the crisis in their own home. Now, more than ever, local government managers must safeguard their emotional well-being as they deal with extreme personal and professional stressors. In this 30 minute, recorded teleconference, David E. Morrison, M.D., a consultant, psychiatrist, and founder of Morrison Associates, Ltd., offered guidance and advice about how local government managers can cope with stress during this global health crisis. Following his brief presentation, listeners had the opportunity to ask questions.

ICMA Weekly Community Conversations on the Coronavirus In this webinar Mark O’Mara, director of recovery for Hagerty Consulting, and ICMA Strategic Partner, discusses federal funding opportunities related to COVID-19, and the many puzzle pieces, including the CARES Act, FEMA Public Assistance, and funding from Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control, Housing and Urban Development, Small Business Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and Community Disaster Loans. He answers questions from local government participants and suggests five initial steps for city and county managers to help manage cost recovery.