By Katie Logisz and Debra DeHaney-Howard
June 19, 2006

The Committee on Membership, chaired by Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, met June 2 during the 74th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Kautz presented a report on the successful membership recruitment campaign. Launched in the fall of 2005 at the Conference’s Leadership Meeting in Long Beach (CA), the “One Mayor – One Member” campaign was designed to expand the Conference of Mayors membership through enhanced member services.

Kautz noted that the campaign was structured around four areas: membership recruitment, membership retention, membership benefits, and membership recruitment incentives. Kautz reported that as a result of the campaign, members of the committee recruited over 25 new members to the organization. She congratulated those who participated and urged all mayors to continue to reach out to their neighboring cities in order to inform fellow mayors of the important work of the Conference and what their city would gain through Conference membership.

Committee members also heard from the Conference of Mayors’ Platinum Member EMA. Judith Cascio and Craig Yokopenic, both Vice Presidents for EMA, presented Performance Based Budgeting. Cascio noted that Performance Based Budgeting is a repetative process. Whereas traditional municipal budgeting focuses on expenditures, Performance Based Budgeting aligns a strategic plan with tactical program actions in order to meet the goals of that strategic plan, according to the presenters.

Cascio told participants that Performance Based Budgeting also aims to establish a relationship between funding and results so that programs can be managed more effectively. “This method establishes links between the cost of the resources needed and the outputs designed to achieve both short and long-term outcomes, as well as provides management with information for educated decisions,” Cascio said.

Cascio and Yokopenic noted that implementing a system of Performance Based Budgeting requires a cultural change within a municipality and its departments. Yokopenic said, “An entity must first assess whether program design and purpose are clear and defensible and then evaluate whether the agency sets valid annual and long-term goals for the program in question. The next step is to rate the departments’ management of the program including financial oversight and program improvement efforts. Finally, program results are rated based on the goals of the strategic plan and other evaluations.”

Whereas line-item budgeting narrowly focuses on expenditures one year at a time, Performance Based Budgeting requires a shift a system that turns strategies and visions into action and results on a broader scale. Ideally, less is used to achieve more with increased efficiency while looking at both inputs and outputs in evaluating program progress. “The effective and efficient deployment of Performance Based Budgeting and Performance Management involves bringing together methodologies and metrics that were previously delivered in separate “silo-ed” applications – each with its own database. Management and employees are involved in a greater picture that is interdepartmental,” said Cascio.

Throughout the presentations, mayors were encouraged to provide examples from their own cities about shifts in budgeting and management. Discussion centered on formulating strategic plans for cities and city departments and how such plans might differ or relate to a mission statement. Furthermore, several committee members discussed the dissolution of “silo-ed” structures in favor of the interdepartmental approach supported by Performance Based Budgeting. Mayors shared ideas such as workgroups and working retreats to identify strategic plans.

For more information on how EMA can assist your city, contact Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland with the Conference at 301-460-5251 or kweyland@usmayors.org.