Institute for Local Government — A “Go-To Resource” for Local Officials
Over the past decade, CSAC has been constantly looking for ways to enhance the services we provide our members. One addition has been the relationship we have developed with the Institute for Local Government (ILG), which has been a valuable resource for local government officials for more than a half century.
Simply put, the Institute for Local Government is the research affiliate of both CSAC and the League of California Cities – and it is not to be confused with CSAC’s own Institute for Excellence in County Government, which provides continuing education to county officials.
Think of ILG as your online go-to resource center. While the entire ILG Website is full of information, let’s just start with the Meeting Resource Center. There, you can find a series of resource documents pertinent to local elected officials, including:
- How to Chair a Meeting
- Parliamentary Procedure Simplified
- The ABCs of Open Government Laws
- Promoting Civility at Public Meetings
- Codes of Conduct for Elected Boards
- Dealing with Emotional Audiences
These documents are right on the Website, easy to read – and free.
Beyond the Meeting Resource Center, ILG develops and provides free of charge resources on a wide variety of areas of interest to local government, from budget and finance to land use and sustainability, from collaboration and partnerships to ethics and transparency.
San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, who has served as both President of CSAC and the League of California Cities and serves as vice chair on the ILG Board, is a strong advocate of the Institute and its work.
“The Institute for Local Government is an unbiased resource providing good direction for elected officials that need additional information,” Supervisor Cox explains. “It is an organization I am proud to serve with, and depend on.”
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal agrees. “The Institute works hard to make county officials’ — and their staff’s — lives easier,” he said. “Whether it’s resources relating to sustainability policy options and practices, options for inclusive and open county decision-making processes, or plain language explanations of complex topics like public service ethics laws, the Institute is there for us.”
When you have a few minutes, check out the ILG Website. And then bookmark it; you never know when you will need a valuable “go-to resource” just a click away.
