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STANDARDS FOR EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
For the past several years, the Local Government Projects Committee of the Southwestern
Pennsylvania Commission has been developing and revising a series of standards dealing with
various local government service programs and staff functions. In all, 13 sets of standards have been
published.
The underlying philosophy behind the Committee=s standards project is the belief that a
responsible municipal government is one which has established a policy and management
environment so that its officials can respond to the appropriate needs of their constituents in an
effective and efficient manner. A critical element of this environment is the adoption and use of
standards for a jurisdiction=s various service programs and staff activities. To be useful tools in the
policy and administrative environment, standards need to address Ahow should something be
performed questions@ as they impact upon existing service delivery and support system. Succinctly,
standards are the Aideals@ operational modes which are attainable in the real world of Pennsylvania
local politics.
The existence and recommended use of standards does not imply that a municipal
government should have a delivery system encompassing all of the programs covered by the
standards. The nature of a local government=s delivery system is a political matter to be determined
by the appropriate municipal policy officials. Standards and their uses come into play once a
decision is made to provide a given service program or activity. However, given the commonality of
many programs (e.g., fire, police and street maintenance) and various staff activities (e.g., financial
and human resources management), standards in these areas are applicable to most if not all local
governments. The standards which are recommended cover 13 municipal functions and staff
activities:
" General Municipal Governance,
Leadership and Management
" Financial Management
" Personnel Management
" Police Management
" Fire Management
" Risk Management
" Emergency Medical Service
" Emergency Management
" Public Works Management
" Planning and Land Use Control
Management
" Parks and Recreation Management
" Records Management
To meet the needs of the small municipalitiesCthose with populations of 2,500 or lessCthe
Committee also has prepared special standards for the first three areas: general governance, financial
management and personnel management. The standards for the several operational or function areas
are applicable to any jurisdiction, regardless of its size.
To assist local government officials in implementing these standards, the Committee has
prepared a series of reference manuals, one for each of the 16 sets of standards. Each manual
provides illustrations, models, suggested readings and contacts related to several areas covered by the
standards.
Information about the sets of standards for small local governments and the appropriate
reference manuals follow.
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