Southeast Michigan Council of Governments

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Efficient Local Government Presentation to the
Michigan Local Government Benchmarking Consortium
Annual Conference Dave Boerger November 9,
2009
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
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Discussion Points

• SEMCOG Who?
• Benchmarking our Benchmarks!
• Closing the Gaps.
• Whats Next?

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SEMCOG Who? 163 member local governments

• Assist local governments deal with issues
• Plan for common needs
• Recognize regional opportunities.
• Facilitate cooperation among local governments
  for mutual benefit.
• Advocate for changes in public policy

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Programs and Services
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SP/Case-Shiller Metro Area Home Price Indices
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Home Price, SEV, and Taxable ValuePercent Change
in SE Michigan
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Impact on You

• Municipal revenues dropping 20-30
• Government services being curtailed
• Office hours restricted/furlough days
• Government pay and benefits shrinking
• Police, Fire and EMS service cuts
• Snow plowing, salting park maintenance reduced
• Municipal capital expenditures near zero
• Infrastructure deteriorating rapidly
• Tax increases not possible

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Benchmarking our Benchmarks

• Versus ICMA, NC, FL SEMCOG data
• Service cost per resident 20-30 higher
• FTE ratios better by 10-15 (where measured)
• Benefit costs 2X higher
• Service satisfaction not measured
• MI Metrics differ substantially

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Benchmark Comparisons
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Benchmark Comparisons (contd)
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Closing the Gaps

• Measuring key indicators most important
• Comparing to others helps motivate
• Identify and quantify the gaps
• Prioritize your efforts
• Integrate process plans into budgets
• Form teams to drive improvements
• Recognize successes and fix problems

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Quantify the Gaps
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Prioritize Your Efforts
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Sterling Heights Budget
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Benchmark Costs Versus CPI (up 34 since
2000)

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Whats Next?

• Refine metrics for each service area
• Develop metrics for 4 new service areas
• Drive improvements locally
• Share successes and lessons learned
• Use benchmarking to solve fiscal challenges
• Invite your neighbors to join MLGBC
• Check out the resources on SEMCOG website
  (www.SEMCOG.org/LocalGovernmentEffectiveness.aspx)
  

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For additional information contact Dave
Boerger SEMCOG boerger_at_semcog.org 248-875-7120
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments 535
Griswold St., Suite 300 Detroit, MI
48226 www.semcog.org