The next 10 years will most likely be a defining period for local governments, including your own. In a June 27, 2012, Governing magazine article, ICMA Executive Director Bob O’Neill declared this  time as “the next decade [for local government] will be a time in which  the fiscal woes of federal and state governments will leave local and  regional governments on their own, struggling to balance the need for  innovation against the necessity of making tough choices.  Bob adds that, “it will also be a decade in which local government will lead the way in developing creative solutions to extraordinary problems. There  are a number of reasons to be optimistic about this coming decade of  local government.”

The Center for Priority Based Budgeting has written a great article in the October edition of PM Magazine that suggests that "in order  to achieve success and accept the challenges that are ahead, we must see more clearly how to manage, use, and optimize resources in a much different way than has been done in the past. This new environment  demands a new vision of the future.

Check out this article that should inspire you to face challenge and seize opportunities and truly make this the Decade for Local Government!