Symposium: Trust in Local Government

On May 7, the Local Government Working Group convened a group to discuss challenges local governments face and explore what tools practitioners need to better measure resident trust, how to affect resident trust and community engagement, and how to encourage participation to build trust.

This symposium is an initiative of the Local Government Working Group and is co‑sponsored by ICMA, GFOA, NLC, NACo, NRPA, APWA, PSHRA, and IEDC.

Symposium Format
The interactive and action‑oriented session was organized into three 30‑minute segments:

• Session 1: Framing the Challenge
  An overview of key issues related to resident trust, featuring presentations by Dr. Jaclyn Piatak from the University of North Carolina Charlotte and Dr. Colt Jensen from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, followed by an overview of programs developed by the American Public Works Association.
• Session 2: Breakout Discussions
  Participants broke into small groups to discuss the tools practitioners need to:
  • Measure resident trust
  • Strengthen trust
  • Improve community engagement and participation as pathways to trust
• Session 3: Report‑Back and Synthesis
  Groups reported key takeaways, followed by a facilitated discussion to surface common themes and promising approaches.

Watch the video recording

Contact Wally Bobkiewicz if you have questions or would like to learn more about the Academy's Local Government Working Group.