Author: Financial Management Resource Bureau
The DLS Financial Management Resource Bureau (formerly the Technical Assistance Bureau) has offered financial management advice to municipalities across the state for over 30 years. To share this guidance more broadly, we thought it would be helpful to highlight some of our more useful, timely, or interesting recommendations for the benefit of City & Town readers.
As municipal government continues to modernize, it is important for local officials to actively encourage professional development for all municipal employees. Community leaders should budget annually for employee development to cover expenses such as travel, education and training costs, conference registrations, and professional organization dues. Through use of professional organizations and development of internal trainings, cities and towns can support employee education and skill development.
Professional Organizations
Participation in professional organizations offers an opportunity for town employees to interact with their peers, to exchange information and experiences, and to learn of innovations in their respective fields. Attending formal training and refresher courses provides useful information and opportunities to learn about practices in other municipalities. Additionally, many organizations offer professional certification programs. These certifications elevate the professional standing of municipal staff and can thereby enhance public confidence in the personnel themselves and in local government generally. The following is a brief list of organizations for municipal professionals:
Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA)
Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers (MAAO)
Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Association (MCTA)
Massachusetts Municipal Auditors and Accountants Association (MMAAA)
Massachusetts Town Clerk Association (MTCA)
Internal Trainings
To begin, we suggest that management, in collaboration with department leaders, compile an inventory of departmental tasks and objectives, along with the skillset and knowledge required for their successful performance. They should then meet with employees individually to discuss their current knowledge level and identify areas of improvement and existing skill gaps. From this process will emerge a clearer picture of training needs, a roadmap for scheduling training, and a career ladder that employees can refer to for continuing educational development. Departments should also emphasize cross-training so to support operational continuity during high volume workdays, employee absences, and staff turnover. This is especially important in critical areas like payroll processing and interdepartmental reconciliations.
Whether it’s training new employees or supporting skill enhancement for seasoned public servants, local leaders should develop a proactive and systematic approach to internal employee trainings. By investing time, energy and funds into trainings, communities can improve customer service, enhance efficiency of internal operations, and provide for cross-training and succession planning within departments.
In addition to professional development trainings specific to certain roles, subjects and functions provided through the associations, DLS hosts comprehensive informational resources, guidance and tutorials. We recommend bookmarking both on our YouTube page and our Municipal Finance Training and Resource Center to learn more. We also encourage local officials to familiarize themselves with our visualization tools and data in order to learn more about municipal finances in your community and across the Commonwealth.
Helpful Resources
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Editor: Dan Bertrand
Editorial Board: Marcia Bohinc, Linda Bradley, Sean Cronin, Emily Izzo, Lisa Krzywicki and Tony Rassias
| Date published: | February 16, 2023 |
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