The International
City/County Management Association (ICMA) has recognized the City for superior
performance management efforts with a Certificate of Excellence from the ICMA
Center for Performance Measurement™. Durham is among 28 jurisdictions in the
United States receiving this highest level of recognition this year and is the
only city in North Carolina to be recognized. Last year, the City received a
Certificate of Distinction, which is the second-highest honor.
According to City Manager
Tom Bonfield, the key award criteria that was met includes the use of
performance data in strategic planning; online dashboard reporting system;
leadership in networking, benchmarking, and data sharing; and conducting and
reporting of satisfaction surveys for both employees and residents.
“The Strategic Plan guides
our decision making and resource allocation in a transparent manner,” Bonfield
said. “Performance management ultimately aids in cost reduction, program
prioritization, and quality improvement. I’m very proud that this organization
won this highest recognition this year and I hope Durham residents are pleased
that their local government has been recognized for sound leadership and for
our demonstrated commitment to provide an excellent and sustainable quality of
life for all who call Durham home.”
According to Bonfield, two
of the reasons he believes Durham won this year’s top honor is because the
organization is providing more frequent reporting of crime and departmental
data to Durham residents and is often asked to share its expertise with other
cities. In fact, this committed effort to provide transparent data is one of
the reasons Durham was asked to participate in the Alliance for Innovation’s
Results Management Collaborative, which provided a forum for Durham and eight
other cities from across the country, to share information and best practices
in performance management and public reporting.
Certificates are awarded at
the levels of Achievement, Distinction, and Excellence. The certificate program
assesses a local government’s performance management program and encourages
analysis of results by comparing to peers and gauging performance over time.
“The certificate program recognizes the principles of performance management,”
said Wayne Sommer, ICMA’s director of U.S. Programs. “Jurisdictions
meeting the qualifications have demonstrated leadership in continuous
improvement and community engagement, and they serve as examples for other
governments to follow.”
Criteria for the Certificate
of Excellence include operational decision-making; sharing of performance
measurement knowledge with other local governments through presentations, site
visits, and other networking; reporting of performance data to the public through
budgets, newsletters, and/or information provided to elected officials; and
data-verification efforts to ensure data reliability.
Several City departments
played a major role in the performance management process thus far, including
Budget and Management Services, Audit Services, and the Technology Solutions
Departments along with receiving extensive support from many City employees
across the organization.
According to Budget and
Management Services Department Director Bertha Johnson, whose department
oversees the Strategic Plan and performance management system dashboard, this
award recognizes the City’s dedication to transparency and accountability. “We
are committed to sharing our performance with the Durham community and being
held accountable for the results of our efforts,” Johnson said.
For more information about
the City’s Strategic Plan, visit http://www.DurhamNC.gov/StrategicPlan
or contact Strategic Initiatives Manager Jay Reinstein by email at Jay.Reinstein@DurhamNC.gov.
About the Budget &
Management Services Department
The City of Durham’s Budget
and Management Services Department is responsible for preparing, implementing,
and monitoring the City’s annual operating budget as well as the five-year
revenue/expenditure projections for all City government services. The
department also provides operational and organizational studies as identified
by the City Council, City Manager's Office, and department staff. Guided by the
City’s Strategic Plan, which the department established and maintains, the
department helps to ensure that the City of Durham is a well-managed city by
working with City agencies to build and implement performance measurement
monitoring and evaluation. The department is also responsible for preparing the
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), coordinating the City's process for petition
and City-initiated annexations, conducting resident satisfaction surveys, and
evaluating departmental achievement of City goals and objectives. For more
information, visit http://DurhamNC.gov/ich/as/bms/Pages/Home.aspx.
About the Audit Services
Department
The Audit Services
Department provides objective and independent assurance and investigative
services of departmental transactions for the City of Durham. The Department
reports functionally to the Audit Services Oversight Committee (ASOC); an
independent committee comprised of City Council members and residents charged
with providing oversight responsibilities for the audit function and ensuring
internal controls are in place and implemented. The Department implements
a ten engagement annual audit plan approved by the ASOC to carry out its
departmental mission. This mission includes the vetting of 300+ pages of data
and text for the City-wide Strategic Plan. The Audit Services Department is
staffed with 5 FTEs; and each staff member has specific responsibilities to
ensure the integrity of the information in the City-wide or Audit Services
Departmental Strategic Plans.
About the Technology
Solutions Department
The Technology Solutions
Department aligns the City’s information technology infrastructure and systems
to the business needs of the City’s departments. It designs, implements, and
maintains the technology hardware, applications, and programs. Guided by the
City’s Strategic Plan, Technology Solutions ensures that its services support
making Durham a great place to live, work, and play by helping provide a
well-managed city and stewardship of the City’s physical assets. For more
information, click here.
About ICMA
ICMA advances professional
local government worldwide. Its mission is to create excellence in local
governance by developing and advancing professional management of local
government. ICMA, the International City/County Management Association,
provides member support; publications, data, and information; peer and
results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to
nearly 9,000 city, town, and county experts and other individuals and
organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's
members affect 185 million individuals living in thousands of communities.
About the Center for
Performance Measurement
ICMA’s Center for
Performance Measurement is dedicated to helping local governments use
performance information to better the lives of the people they serve.
Jurisdictions are assisted with the collection, reporting and analysis of data
relating to quality, effectiveness and efficiency of government services. The
Center encourages the use of performance information in a positive,
continuous-learning environment in order to foster organizational cultures that
deliver results that matter. For more information, please click here. Learn more online about Durham, NC.
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