Insights

What are the practical steps you can take to manage, implement, and update your adopted strategic plan? A central point of coordination ensures that progress is tracked and all resources – human, financial, organizational, etc. – move in the right direction. While department heads own the deliverables, the central coordinator owns the progress of the plan—ensuring deadlines are met, and reporting remains consistent.

In an era of rising political polarization and declining civility, authentic community engagement has become more than a "best practice,” it is a necessity for the health of our democracy. While our communities are the places where we live, work, and raise our families, the disconnect between local government leadership and the public continues to grow. The benefits of genuine engagement far outweigh the logistical hurdles. When executed effectively, it fosters transparency, builds a deeper understanding of local issues, and ensures that government decisions are both inclusive and sustainable.  

January is National Mentorship Month, a time to reflect on how mentorship functions within organizations. Most companies recognize the importance of mentorship, and many launch programs with strong initial enthusiasm. Over time, however, those efforts can lose momentum or quietly fade.

Raftelis partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on a series of Food Matters workshops that focused on food waste reduction in cities. Our workshops covered municipal funding structures for sustainable food waste diversion programs, grant funding for reducing food waste, and leveraging fees to fund flexible and sustainable food waste projects.

Creating a strategic plan is a major achievement. You've brought together stakeholders, wrestled with priorities, and set a powerful vision for the future of your local government or utility. That's the blueprint. Now comes the hard part: implementation.

The landscape of public communication has never been more difficult to navigate. The proliferation of sophisticated mis- and disinformation campaigns, amplified by rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), has blurred the lines between fact and fiction. This challenge is further compounded by our normalization of deceit, which fosters widespread cynicism and erodes institutional trust.

What can help a local government or utility obtain the consulting assistance it wants and needs, while also ensuring it casts a wide net to include more vendors? We have seen the “good, the bad, and the ugly” in public sector RFPs and have some tips to help you get the assistance you need in the most efficient and effective manner. 

One hundred percent of utility leaders are using AI. The question is no longer “if” but “how” and “where.” In September and October 2025, we sat down with leaders from 18 utilities, from Tucson to Charlotte, and Denver to Cincinnati, to understand how artificial intelligence is reshaping one of America’s most critical infrastructure sectors.

In an era of rapid change and evolving public expectations, local government leaders gathered at the 2025 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference not just to share challenges but to forge solutions. The event provided a clear directive: to build trust and navigate complexity in communities, local governments must innovate their approaches to community engagement, technology, and infrastructure. This recap provides valuable, actionable insights for officials dedicated to cultivating resilient and thriving communities.