By Cheryl Hilvert
COVID-19 has arrived with little warning and we are all adjusting to this strange and challenging new “normal.” I wanted to let you know that ICMA wants to be your trusted partner in this stressful time and advise you of many tools and resources that we are making available to members and non-members alike.
Since the start of this pandemic, ICMA has been posting and sharing valuable resources for local government managers. From planning your response to navigating the world of working from home to toolkits for submitting reimbursements to FEMA to emotional support for yourself and your front line staff, there are a wide variety of resources available to you and your members at this link. And, please note that these resources are available to ICMA members and non-members alike, so please feel free to share these resources widely with your entire state association membership.
In addition to web-based resources, ICMA is also currently hosting a free live teleconference each week on various Coronavirus topics. I encourage you and your members to take advantage of these teleconferences as well as other webinars that will be offered in the coming weeks to help local government managers with useful tools and advice for this stressful time.
ICMA has also recently relaunched ICMA Connect, an online community of local government professionals designed to bring ICMA members together to connect, network and engage around issues central to advancing our communities and the profession. There is no better time than now for managers to be sharing information and supporting one another as we navigate this COVID-19 storm. I encourage you and your members to check it out as it is another tool in your essential toolbox.
Both ICMA and I are regularly tweeting key links and words of encouragement to local governments via our Twitter accounts at @ICMA and @CherylHilvert . If you are not following us, I encourage you to do so as these are great sources of information for everyone and make it easy to share with your association membership.
Finally, if there is something that you or your members need, but cannot find in these many resources, please let me know. I will coordinate with the Coronavirus task force in place at ICMA and we will try to locate and/or develop a resource for you. Thank you for the good work you are doing and to the many local government managers out there who are always on the front lines for their communities.
Cheryl Hilvert
Midwest Regional Director, ICMA