Council on Local Results Discusses Reducing Burden of Adopting Performance Measures

The Council on Local Results and Innovation met on Jan. 23 at the League building to continue finalizing the recommendations it will present to the Legislature in February.

The group will be making available to cities and counties a model resolution to declare participation in the results program. Several measures will be added to both the city and county lists in order to increase flexibility in the program.

The council decided to request that the Legislature approve a minimum incentive amount in order to boost participation in the performance measures program. Members talked at length about how to reduce the burden on cities and counties of the survey requirement. By adding many choices to the list of measures, cities and counties would be able to opt out of selecting those measures that required survey data—thereby avoiding having to figure out how to pay for a citizen survey. Council representatives, however, pointed out that survey data can still play a valuable role, and surveying the public should receive serious consideration.

Finally, the council will be preparing materials that are clear step-by-step instructions for what city and county officials need to do in order to meet the requirement of implementing a performance measures system.

The next meeting of the council will be held during the last week of January and is open to the public.

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