News at the School of Government
The Municipal and County Administration Course offers opportunities for robust interaction with public officials from a wide range of profesions and varying types of communities.
Municipal and County Administration Course
COMPREHENSIVE COURSE covers THE BROAD RESPONSIBILITIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Each year the School of Government's Municipal and County Administration course involves up to 100 of the state's public officials, more than 50 faculty members and guest instructors, countless meals, and hundreds of miles traveled to Chapel Hill.
And over the span of more than 50 years, the course has produced nearly 4,000 graduates, hundreds of friendships, and immeasurable benefits to participants and their home communities.
In this unique course, city and county officials—managers, administrators, planners, inspectors, finance and budget officers, law enforcement officials, human resource professionals, and others—work together to broaden and deepen their understanding of North Carolina government and to gain an appreciation of functions beyond their individual areas of specialization.
At the 2009 graduation ceremonies on April 23 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, School of Government Dean Mike Smith addressed a large crowd of officials and their families and colleagues. “If there is ever a time when local governments need to be ‘on their game,’ this is it,” he said. “I hope you have completed this course feeling better prepared to help your communities with the challenges we face.”
UNDERSTANDING THE LARGER FRAMEWORK
Joe Heard, director of planning and inspections for the Town of Kitty Hawk, is a graduate of the 2008-2009 course. Heard moved to Kitty Hawk in 2006 from Asheville, where he had been director of development services. “In each of these communities,” he says, “environmental issues are paramount, from preserving the stability of a mountainside, to restoring coastal marshes.” Though he came to the course with an understanding of different regions, Heard says, “As local government officials we are so often focused on the specific goals of our own community. This course really opens up your eyes, broadens your horizons, and helps you understand the larger framework.”
Each year at graduation, two class members are recognized for their distinguished records. Heard was named winner of the 2009 George C. Franklin Award, presented by the North Carolina League of Municipalities.
Danny Searcy, county planner for Rutherford County, received the 2009 Edwin M. Gill Award, presented by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. He says that “every workshop had a place in what is now a very valuable toolbox. I am better prepared, not just in the role I play as a county planner, but I have a better grasp of the concerns of other department heads, elected officials, and citizens.”
CONSIDERING A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES
Searcy comments on a class exercise where a fictional airport authority board presented a plan of action that appeared to be best for the county and the airport. “But we had to also consider the perspective of a fictional Mrs. Smith,” he says, “who was concerned about her property value and her oak tree that was 100 feet tall and as many years old.”
In addition to the knowledge gained from instructors, Joe Heard says that “it is so helpful to go through this with people from all over the state, from big cities to small towns, progressive communities and conservative communities. You hear real-life examples of what they have done—things that worked well and things that didn’t.”
LEARNING FROM EXPERTS
The broad range of course topics—including local government law, organization and management, finance and budgeting, public employment law, planning and regulation of development, and municipal and county services—is covered by experts in each area, including faculty members from the School of Government and practitioners in relevant fields. “They really know their stuff,” says Heard. “And because the School of Government is such a resource for local governments throughout the state, and the faculty members have worked with so many communities, they put in context how state law works in the real world.”
Over the 55 years of the Municipal Administration course and 45 years of the County Administration course, nearly every community in North Carolina has been represented. Danny Searcy drove almost 400 miles round trip for each session he attended. He says it was worth it. “Driving from the western part of the state,” he says, “I was sometimes weary from the travel, but I was never weary from the course.”
CONSIDERING TIME AND BUDGET WITH A NEW COURSE FORMAT
Beginning in fall 2009, the course will be offered in seven sessions of four days each. Each session will begin at mid-day Tuesday and will end Friday afternoon. This convenient new scheduled is designed to allow for same-day travel on the first day of each session, reducing hotel costs for participants.
For more information about the 2009-2010 Municipal and County Administration Course, or to download an application form, visit the program’s website.