ICMA gathered some frequently asked questions to give members more information about the diversity, equity, and inclusion review of the Code of Ethics and the special election being held March 1-31, 2023, that includes four ballot measures proposing changes to Tenets 1, 4, 9, and 11 of the Code of Ethics for the membership’s consideration.

Members are encouraged to read the entire report from ICMA’s consultant partner on the project, the School of Government at the University of North Carolina. That report includes the complete findings of their work along with the survey results, including the member comment section. This is ICMA member-only content; you must log in to access this information.

READ THE REPORT

READ A SUMMARY

FAQ

What process did ICMA use to get member input on these proposed changes? 

Hearing the perspectives of members is an essential part of the Code review process. ICMA hired the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s (UNC) School of Government to assist on this comprehensive review that prioritizes open dialogue among members and obtaining member feedback about how the Code of Ethics reflects the profession’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The proposed changes are the culmination of a 17-month process where 600 members participated in 17 sessions designed to gather feedback. That feedback was used to develop proposed changes to the tenets and guidelines that were vetted in a survey sent to all members. More than 2,100 members responded to the survey, offering not only their response to the proposed changes but 2,800 suggestions and comments as well.

The survey feedback was constructive and informative. The CPC used that information to develop the final set of proposed changes. The changes affect Tenets 1, 4, 9, and 11 of the Code, along with related guidelines.

READ THE REPORT

READ A SUMMARY

 

 

What are the proposed changes to Tenets 1, 4, 9, and 11 on the special election ballot? 

Members will have the opportunity to vote yes or no on each of the proposed changes to Tenets 1 ,4, 9, and 11. Note: CAPITAL letters denote new language and strikethrough indicates language to be deleted.

Tenet 1

Current Language: We believe professional management is essential to efficient and democratic local government by elected officials.

Survey Language: We believe professional management is essential to EQUITABLE, EFFECTIVE, efficient, AND democratic local government by elected officials.

Recommended Language: We believe professional management is essential to effective, efficient, equitable, and democratic local government.

Basis for this Recommendation: The first principle of the Code establishes the commitment to professional management and democratic local government. The recommended change returns the principle of effectiveness to the tenet that had been removed in an earlier review. Both the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society for Public Administration regard equity, effectiveness, and efficiency as the three pillars of public administration.

Eighty-four percent of members who responded to the survey supported the proposed changes to Tenet 1.

There was far less consensus on the proposal to remove “elected officials” from the tenet. In making final recommendations, the CPC supported the removal as Tenet 1’s primary purpose is to state the broad values of the local government management profession. Tenets 5 and 6 were revised in 2020 and together they provide clarity about the roles and responsibilities of managers working with elected officials in local governance.

Tenet 4

Current Language: Serve the best interests of the people.

Survey Language: Serve the best interests of the people  COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY PROMOTING EQUITY.

Recommended Language: Serve the best interests of all community members.

Basis for this Recommendation: Fifty-eight percent of the members responding to the survey supported the proposed changes. In the feedback, members noted that serving the best interests of all is not solely accomplished with a focus on equity. For that reason, the CPC supported removing equity from the final recommendation.

Tenet 9

Current Language: Keep the community informed on local government affairs; encourage communication between the citizens and all local government officers; emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public; and seek to improve the quality and image of public service.

Survey Language: Keep the community informed on local government affairs; Encourage ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTIVE communication between the citizens COMMUNITY MEMBERS and all local government officers. Emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public; and seek to improve the quality and image of public service.

Recommended Language: Keep the community informed on local government affairs. Encourage and facilitate active engagement and constructive communication between community members and all local government officials.

Basis for this Recommendation: Tenet 9 had not been reviewed since being adopted in 1972. The proposed revisions make the language consistent with current public engagement practices in local government. It also reinforces that constructive engagement is essential in supporting equity. Seventy-nine percent of survey respondents agreed with this approach. The recommended language retains the phrase “keep the community informed on local government affairs” to provide clarity on the ethical obligation of members relative to communications with the community.

Tenet 11

Current Language: Handle all matters of personnel on the basis of merit so that fairness and impartiality govern a member’s decisions, pertaining to appointments, pay adjustments, promotions, and discipline.

Survey Language: Handle all matters of personnel on the basis of merit so that fairness and impartiality govern a member’s decisions, pertaining to appointments, pay adjustments, promotions, and discipline.

Recommended Language: Manage all personnel matters with fairness and impartiality.

Basis for this Recommendation: Tenet 11, with its focus on merit-based personnel decisions, has remained largely unchanged since its adoption in 1938. Eighty-nine percent of members responding to the survey supported the proposal to emphasis the principles of fairness and impartiality in personnel and to remove the term “merit.” The CPC further refined the language.

Members are encouraged to read the entire report from ICMA’s consultant partner on the project, the School of Government at the University of North Carolina. That report includes the complete findings of their work along with the survey results, including the member comment section. This is ICMA member-only content; you must log in to access this information.

READ THE REPORT

READ A SUMMARY

 

Why are these changes to the Code of Ethics being proposed?

In the wake of the international unrest following George Floyd’s death in June 2020, the ICMA Executive Board issued a statement that included an action item for the Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC):  

“The weight of these recent tragedies falls especially heavy on us because we are in positions of leadership in cities, counties, and towns throughout the world. The local government management profession and ICMA were founded on a Code of Ethics and a Declaration of Ideals, which demand that we serve the best interests of all, achieve equity and social justice, and act with integrity so that we may earn the trust of all those we serve. Addressing systemic racism is our ethical obligation.

We will revisit our Code of Ethics to better integrate our ethical commitment to racial justice and equity into the very fiber of the 12 tenets.”

The CPC is implementing this ethics action step on behalf of the board.

Who is eligible to vote on the proposed changes?

The ICMA Constitution grants the responsibility of voting to Corporate members (Article VIII. Section 1).  Corporate Members are:

i. Full Members: CAOs, Deputies/Assistants and individuals who formerly held those positions (Life members).

ii. Affiliate Members: Members serving in an appointed position in local government, who have a minimum of five years of service to a local government and five years of membership in ICMA.

 

How do I vote?

The link and unique credentials to access the special election ballot were emailed on March 1, 2023, to ICMA Corporate members eligible to vote. The email comes from a third-party online voting vendor, Association Voting, announcement@associationvoting.com. If you don't see the email, be sure to check your spam folder. Vote by March 31, 2023.

Corporate members who have not provided ICMA with an email address will receive a print ballot by mail the week of March 1. Ballots will be canvassed by a committee of three Corporate members the week of April 3.

Members who experience online voting issues should use the help form on the election site’s login page to send a support request directly to ICMA.

Why are members voting on the tenets and not the guidelines?

ICMA’s Constitution requires a majority of members vote by ballot to make any changes to the language of the tenets in the Code.  The board has the authority to revise guidelines to the tenets, and this usually occurs based on a recommendation from the Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC). Final recommendations on the proposed changes to the guidelines will be refined by the CPC based on the results of the vote on Tenets 1, 4, 9, and 11. It is anticipated that final guidelines will be presented to the board for consideration at their June 2023 meeting. The report and summary include proposed changes to the tenets, as well as the guidelines.

READ THE REPORT

READ A SUMMARY

 

Why is this review needed?

The Strategic Plan, Envision ICMA, codified ICMA’s commitment to equity and inclusion. Serving the membership is a key priority for the association and is included in the ICMA Strategic Plan (Envision ICMA), which was developed by the membership and approved by the board in 2017. The association must increase its potential to serve and provide value to the profession. As the trends and drivers affecting local governments and the profession change, the expectations and needs of members will also change. To ensure that ethical conduct remains a centerpiece of the local government profession, ICMA must continue to make sure the Code remains relevant to the state of the profession, its members, and the communities served by them.

What was the scope of this review and who conducted it?

The board unanimously approved the CPC’s recommendation to hire a consultant to assist in this review of the Code with the membership. After a competitive bidding process, ICMA selected the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government (UNC) as a consultant for this review effort.  The project scope of work involved the following:

• Conduct an environmental scan to learn how other professional associations are addressing equity and racial justice in their codes.
• Convene focus groups to help shape a survey for the membership.
• Facilitate member discussions: in-person meetings and virtual sessions as needed.
• Develop a survey to send to all members to gauge ways to strengthen the Code’s commitment to equity and social justice and the ethical responsibility of members to serve the best interests of everyone living in their communities.
• Prepare a report for the CPC/board summarizing recommended changes to the Code.
• Develop a member communications strategy for any proposed Code changes.

The UNC Chapel Hill School of Government is the largest university-based local government training, advisory, and research organization in the United States and ranks second in the nation for expertise in local government management according to U.S. News & World Report (2022). Established in 1931 as the Institute of Government, the School of Government works with diverse groups of local governments, state agencies, membership associations, university groups and other organizations to strengthen communities.

How did you define diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as part of this review?

ICMA recognizes that there are many definitions for key DEI terms. UNC recommended the following definitions to use during feedback sessions and in the member feedback survey:

Diversity is the condition of including and involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc., and empowering people by respecting and appreciating differences.

Equity means fairness that is achieved by recognizing that each person has different characteristics and circumstances and, therefore, resources may need to be allocated differently depending on those circumstances and characteristics in order to ensure that processes and outcomes (both intended and unintended) are fair and disparities in conditions and outcomes are addressed.

Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.

Inclusion refers to organizational efforts and practices (intentional acts) in which different groups or individuals having different backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted and welcomed and equally treated.

Engagement includes actions that encourage active involvement of residents in community governance.

Social Justice means a commitment to assure that fair and equal treatment, full exercise of rights, and opportunity to participate in public affairs are promoted for all groups in society. Social justice is advanced by actions that promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and engagement.

Resources

For more resources and information on the structured Code review effort and history of the Code of Ethics, visit the ethics section of ICMA’s website.