This week John Mauro was away at the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference (the ICMA is the International City/County Management Association, an association of professional city and county managers and other employees who serve local governments).

The City of Port Townsend was the winner of the 2024 ICMA Award for Local Government Excellence in Community Sustainability for the City’s Financial Sustainability Initiative. The City’s Financial Sustainability Initiative was a multi-year strategic effort to map out pathways for the City to meet ongoing and evolving community needs over the long term. The City has had balanced budgets but over time, gradual divestment and neglect of core infrastructure has threatened our financial stability. 

The Financial Sustainability Task Force was created in 2022 to assist with a review of the City’s current financial position and identify options for the future to recommend to City Council. The Task Force included Catharine Robinson, Earll Murman, John Nowak, and Rich Jahnke. They were assisted by core city staff members Carrie Hite, Connie Anderson, Emma Bolin, Shelly Leavens, and Steve King.