The Top Five Local Government Priorities for 21st-Century Leadership

by Jessie O'Brien on September 25, 2024

military base community input

2023 ICMA Annual Conference in Austin/Travis County, Texas from September 30-October 4, 2023.

The world is rapidly changing, and with it, communities are facing complex challenges. Now more than ever, we need leaders who can think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions.

Local governments modernizing processes, using data for decisions, and involving all constituents in common goals make a significant impact in their communities.

“It’s inspiring to see today’s city managers taking on unprecedented challenges and looking toward the future,” said conference speaker and Polco Communications Director Angelica Wedell, following the ICMA 2023 Conference. Polco is a community engagement and civic analytics platform as well as an exclusive partner of ICMA.

“These practitioners are sharing best practices, leveraging new resources, and reinventing local government leadership. We’re proud to help them achieve those goals,” Wedell said.

The 2023 conference in Austin, TX, was record-breaking. It brought more city management professionals together than ever at 5,500 attendees. Major themes from this conference clearly highlight some of the most pressing priorities for 21st-century leaders.

See our 2023 ICMA Photo Album

Military Bases Do Not Have Enough Useful Data for Decision-making

Most military bases and installations share common resident priorities: housing, access to healthcare, childcare, and overall quality of life, says former Fort Knox Commander Lance O’Bryan. Despite these known needs, most bases do not have clear information on how they can go about improving.

military base community feedback The irony is base residents are subject to constant, federally-mandated surveys. But the results are not often useful.

“In the military, there is survey fatigue,” O’Bryan said. “There is a housing survey, a risk reduction survey—It’s just survey, survey, survey.”

The Garrison needed better, actionable information to improve quality of life for the active duty, reserve, dependents, and civilian contractors in Fort Knox.

military base community input

The Solution

A Needs Assessment by Polco Gave Fort Knox Actionable Insights

Polco’s team of survey and data scientists worked with Garrison Command to build a standardized survey called The Community Needs Assessment.

The assessment is based on The National Community Survey (The NCS), the most-trusted assessment of its kind used by local governments nationwide. Representing over 50 million American residents, The NCS measures quality of life and government services across the nation.

Like The NCS, Fort Knox’s community assessment measures opinions across all areas of livability including parks and recreation, health, safety, and much more.

The needs assessment also allows officials to compare ratings from active duty, retiree, and DOD civilians.

In addition to The Community Needs Assessment, Fort Knox launched a series of short surveys on the Polco platform to get feedback on base amenities. Officials promoted the surveys to residents throughout the base in a variety of ways. They put QR codes in establishments, such as the golf course, bowling alleys, and restaurants, to get quick feedback on these services.

Results

Fort Knox Implemented Quality of Life Improvements Within Weeks of Receiving Feedback

“Getting that feedback was valuable to us,” O’Bryan said. “We were able to actually start executing on making upgrades or making changes that were better based on customer feedback.”

And they did so quicker than ever before.

For example, the needs assessment shows respondents want more outdoor activities. The Directorate of Family Morale Welfare and Recreation (which is similar to a government parks and recreation department) was able to take needs assessment data and build an action plan.

“Within a month of getting the survey results back, they set up recreational kayaking and canoeing on the several lakes on the installation,” O’Bryan said.

Fort Knox also received valuable feedback on housing. O’Bryan said they knew the housing was old, but they didn’t have specific details on how to improve. The survey shows residents want larger kitchens and more storage.

military base community input

Fort Knox shared that information with their housing management contractor for future improvements.

Similarly, Fort Knox reported important feedback with the health commander. Resident feedback showed wait times for referrals and appointments were too long.

The short surveys brought additional actionable data. The Samuel Adams Brewhouse, for example, is a popular restaurant on base. Through the micro surveys, the base learned that many diners were unhappy with long pay lines. So they quickly added an additional cashier.

“It’s common sense, but you don't know what’s needed until you get feedback on it,” O’Bryan said.

Most critically, the assessment highlighted a significant communication issue. Military members were often unaware of services they wanted but didn’t know were available.

“The boots on the ground survey we did with [Polco] provided us a lot more valuable information,” O’Bryan said. “I briefed [the Polco] survey as a best practice at a conference for garrison commanders. This is the best thing you can do.”