Phoenix Named Best-Managed City in National Study
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Contact:
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Scott Phelps
Mark Hughes
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(602) 262-7111
(602) 495-5901
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Jan. 31, 2000
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Once again, Phoenix has been
named the best-run city in the country.
After a year long, in-depth study of management efficiency among the
nation's 35 largest urban centers, Phoenix
is the only city to earn an overall grade of "A."
Results of the Government Performance Project were announced Monday by
Governing magazine in Washington, D.C.
The study, incorporating hundreds of interviews with municipal managers
across the country, was carried out by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and
Public Affairs at Syracuse University
under the auspices of the Pew Charitable Trusts. It is the most comprehensive
analysis of city government ever conducted.
"This is the Pulitzer Prize of city management," said Mayor Skip Rimsza. "Once more, Phoenix
outshines all others because we put our customers first. It's that
simple."
City Manager Frank Fairbanks said the survey results proved that Phoenix's
"seamless" approach to delivering basic city services-police, fire,
emergency medicine, parks, garbage, water-and its unyielding efforts to keep
improving them was paying dividends to Phoenix's 1.2 million residents.
Phoenix was the only city in the
country to receive a grade of "A" in three
of the national study's five key areas:
- Human resource management,
which looked at workforce planning, hiring, retention, rewards, discipline
and training;
- Capital management, which
focused on long-term planning, construction and maintenance of projects;
and
- Managing for results, which dealt with strategic planning and performance
measurement. Phoenix
shared an "A" grade with Austin,
Texas in the category of financial
management, which analyzed the cities' budget allocations, forecasting,
accounting, financial reporting, debt management and investments.
In the last area, Phoenix
earned an "A-" for information technology management, which looked at
hardware and software performance, integration of IT systems with other
management operations, training, cost and reporting capability. No city earned
an "A" in this category. "Phoenix
is a veritable innovation machine," said Project Director Pat Ingraham of Syracuse
University. "They're really
never satisfied with the status quo."
Ingraham said the days of mediocre city management
are coming to an end.
"Cities like Phoenix and Austin
are setting the standard for public management," she said. "Where
there is strong leadership, there is a well run city that attracts residents
and visitors and revenue. Excellent leadership and excellent services are
clearly linked."
Phoenix, with the only A overall, and Austin, with the lone A-, are both
committed to rigorous management and performance in all areas of government,
leading to countless improvements in delivering services to residents, Ingraham said. And both do a good job of involving their
citizens in the effort to be effective.
Grading the Cities: A Management Report Card is published
in the February issue of Governing. Peter Harkness,
editor and publisher of Governing, said, "We care deeply about local
governments and respect those who run them, with more reason than ever after
this report. This report makes the connection between systems that are managed
well and their end products-good public services."
Phoenix has a long history of
earning commendations for its management efficiency. Seven years ago, in the
only such competition ever carried out on a worldwide basis, Phoenix
tied with Christchurch, New
Zealand for the title of "Best-Run
City in the World," an award
which carried with it a $180,000 prize from the
Bertelsmann Foundation of Germany.
In addition, the National Civic League has named Phoenix
an "All America
City" four times for its
programs that involve citizens in the activities of local government.
Government Performance Project Survey Response:
