CAMA E-Brief Newsletter - January 13 2023 Why Attend the 2023 CAMA Conference

WHY ATTEND THE 2023 CAMA CONFERENCE?

Get ready to register for the 49th Annual CAMA Conference when the program and on-line registration are launched on January 31, 2023. You won't want to miss out on this event, which will be the best Conference yet! Click below for a preview of what will be offered at the Conference and why you should attend. All information can be found on the Conference website.

Please note that you must be a member in good standing to receive the member rate for the Conference. First-time CAMA member delegates also receive $150.00 off the regular registration fee.

WHY ATTEND THE CAMA CONFERENCE?

2023 CAMA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

Excellence in Municipal Administration. Each year CAMA recognizes the value of excellence and professionalism in municipal administration through the Annual Awards Program in four areas of Program Excellence: Professional Development, Environmental Leadership and Sustainability, Innovation, and Collaboration. The on-line application package and nomination process are available on the website with a deadline of February 13, 2023.

STRATEGIC PLANNING IN SMALL COMMUNITIES:

A MANAGER'S MANUAL

by ICMA (Sara McGuffin, Town Manager, Amherst, Virginia and Stephanie Dean Davis, Ph.D.)

For many local government managers, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the priorities of the local government to mitigation and response to the public health crisis. The ability to set aside time with elected officials, staff, and other key stakeholders to develop a plan for action is severely limited. Quite frankly, strategic planning is just not a priority. But at some point, strategic planning should be considered a priority. In my experience with small communities in a challenging area of the country, the ability to prioritize resources is essential because of the lack of resources. Strategic planning is a necessity to align human and financial resources with the priorities of the community.

You can download Strategic Planning in Small Communities: A Manager's Manual here. This resource will help local government leaders remember what they know and find additional tools to do their budgeting and strategic planning better. You can also download the introduction to the manual by Sara McGuffin here.

UPCOMING DEADLINES FOR CAMA ACTIVITIES

Free Virtual National Webinar Hosted by CAMA Business Partner, HotSpot Parking: "Digital First Parking: Proven Results One Year On" taking place on January 26th, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST. For more information click here. Register using this link.

CAMA Honourary for Life Membership. The Honorary Life Membership in CAMA is an honour presented to long serving CAMA members who have made an extraordinary contribution to the field of municipal administration and to the work of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA). The nomination forms and all information are available now on the website with a deadline of January 31, 2023.

Queensland Local Government and CAMA Local Government Exchange. In 2023, Local Government Managers Australia Queensland Inc. (LGMA) in cooperation with CAMA invites a Canadian local government manager to participate in an exchange. LGMA and CAMA will each select a senior local government officer to host their counterpart in their local communities and vice versa, at the same time as their Annual Conferences (May 29-31, 2023 at the Deerhurst Resort and August 29-31, 2023 in the Sunshine Coast - Queensland). If you are interested in applying for this exchange opportunity please contact Jennifer Goodine, CAMA Executive Director at admin@camacam.ca. for an information package and an application form. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2023.

2023 CAMA Awards of Excellence. The deadline for the call for nominations for CAMA's Awards of Excellence is February 13, 2023. All information can be found on the website.

Membership Renewals. All membership renewals were sent out last week for the April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 fiscal year. The deadline for payment is March 31, 2023 and you can do so by renewing it on line and paying by Visa or Mastercard, doing a direct deposit, or sending a cheque to the CAMA National Office.

CAMA INTRODUCES NEW CAO PERFORMANCE EVALUATION TOOLKIT: A GUIDE FOR THE CAO AND A GUIDE FOR THE MAYOR & COUNCIL

Recognizing the importance of the relationships between the City Manager, Town Manager, or Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and Mayor and Council, CAMA launched a CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit in 2017. Over the years, we have heard feedback from our members and their Councils on the Toolkit, and are pleased to provide you with a new updated and improved 2023 edition with a “Guide for the CAO” and a “Guide for the Mayor & Council”.

Both guides offer information on the value of performance discussions, quick reference guides of the three-part process, a sample performance evaluation template without a rating system focusing on the specific annual Council and CAO goals, a sample mandate letter outlining the annual expectations of a CAO, a checklist, and a sample timeline. The CAO Guide provides details on completing the self-evaluation and Information Package, while the Guide for the Mayor & Council outlines the specific steps that should be followed in preparing the Final Performance Evaluation Report and meeting with the CAO. To make it easier to see the final product, we have also prepared a completed sample Final Performance Evaluation Report and Mandate Letter.

Visit the CAMA website for more information.

ICMA: Combating Change Exhaustion

By Dr. Frank Benest

Local government staff are overwhelmed and exhausted by change. How can we help employees cope with all this change as well as expand the organization’s capacity to adapt?

Read the Full Article Here.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BUSINESS PARTNERS

Canada’s leading supplier for Site Furniture, Holiday Displays, and Flags & Banners for Municipalities. Over 300 Canadian Municipalities served since 1977. Our products are specified by municipalities from coast to coast. Contact us and find out why we are Canada’s preferred single source supplier for exterior beautification products and services. Our promise and commitment is to help make your municipality beautiful and profitable. To contact us visit the CAMA website.

Colliers Project Leaders is a leading Canadian building and infrastructure project delivery solution provider. Together with parent company Colliers, we provide diversified and strategic solutions for program and project leadership via a family of integrated professional services. With 30 offices across Canada, our multidisciplinary team of project management and advisory professionals offers unparalleled depth and expertise to capital projects, providing local governments across Canada with proven building and infrastructure project delivery solutions. To contact us visit the CAMA website.

Zencity 360 is the new, all-in-one community engagement platform that provides local government professionals with all the essential tools to understand diverse community needs. The platform brings the ‘must have’ capabilities into one place to help leaders engage beyond the ‘same ten people’, improve services, and increase satisfaction and trust with their communities. To contact us visit the CAMA website.