MMA releases 5th volume of municipal Best Practices series

The MMA has released the fifth annual edition of its municipal Best Practices series.

This year’s seven recommendations cover a range of issues, from municipal streetlight conversions to decorum in public service to strategies for boosting community engagement.

• Best Practices Series, vol. 5 (260K PDF)

The recommendations build upon the 38 recommendations previously published by the MMA’s five policy committees. The entire Best Practices library can be found at www.mma.org/bestpractices.

The following is an outline of the seven best practices for 2019:

1. Promoting the public works profession
Municipal officials can work with their public works-related departments to promote the public works profession, invest in professional development for department staff, and attract qualified candidates to available positions.

2. Municipal exterior lighting
Municipalities can promote energy-efficient lighting practices, decrease environmental impacts, and reduce costs in their communities by adopting the International Dark-Sky Association’s recommendations related to municipal streetlight and area-lighting conversions

3. Conduct and civility of public officials
Municipalities can adopt a code of conduct for appointed or elected officials serving on boards, commissions, committees or councils in order to maintain civility, decorum and professionalism in public positions at all times.

4. Pathways to municipal government
Municipalities can develop a plan for recruiting, hiring and retaining employees in the municipal workplace.

5. Sustainable housing production
Municipalities can adopt proactive strategies to ensure sustainable housing production that matches their community goals.

6. Economic development
Municipalities should act on factors that are within their control to boost local economic development.

7. Community engagement
Strategies can be used to boost participation and increase the views and voices in a community’s public engagement activities.