Australian Local Government will be represented for the first time at the International City Managers Association (ICMA) Best Practice Symposium on Local Government Excellence. The 2000 Symposium is to be held in Savannah, Georgia in late March, focusing on Management Excellence and Citizen Involvement.
Selected as one of six in depth case studies, Mosman Council will showcase its MOSPLAN and Community Conversations initiatives. “I am both thrilled and proud that Mosman has been recognised for its substantial contribution to management and social planning and its consultative processes,” said Mayor Patricia Harvey.
“We at Mosman have all long understood the benefit that comes from a proactive approach to civic affairs. To be recognised as the first non North American contributor brings great credit not only to the Council but to the citizens it serves.”
Originally developed in 1991, MOSPLAN has been purchased by over 25% of Australia’s 700 plus local authorities. “There are good ideas in Australia and internationally,” said General Manager Viv May. “The management trick is to recognise which ones are compatible and add value to your community.”
The Mosman presentation will take a three pronged approach and has been aptly described by the ICMA University organisers as Strategic Management and Public Dialogue. Involving Citizens, Integrating Practices and Achieving Results are hallmarks of the Mosman approach.
The integration of MOSPLAN with financial planning, benchmarks, performance based contracts, and the vital linkage to electronic document management systems drives municipal management at Mosman.
“We used our one page feature in the August edition of FOCUS to very good effect in our submission to present to ICMA,” Viv May said. “Additionally, we have sold another 50 copies of MOSPLAN following the article. Basically MOSPLAN sales are funding our study tour.”
Local Government FOCUS congratulates the Mosman team and looks forward to presenting the Symposium outcomes in a later edition.
