By Luke Fischer

As you might recall, in the previous edition of this magazine I did my best to speculate on what might happen in the coming state legislative session. At that time, it was hard to fathom that the Minnesota Supreme Court would need to weigh in on questions around what constitutes a quorum.

Current state and national news headlines reference tariffs, federal funding freezes, executive orders, federal rollbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a potential loss of the tax-exempt status for municipal bonds, and a State House of Representatives that, although has now formally convened, took weeks longer than expected to do so — just to name a few. Due to our publication schedule, you typically receive each issue of Minnesota Cities magazine at least 30-45 days after my column is written. With 50 news cycles between my writing and your reading, how can I address even one of these issues in a timely manner?

I think it’s important to recognize that we’re dealing with tremendous uncertainty, and it’s not likely to all be resolved soon. Municipal leaders will have opportunities to shape the course of events, and there will be times when you’ll be called on to manage the implications. But please know that you are not in this alone.

Here at the League, we remain completely committed to providing members with the best possible information to support your local leadership. Every day, 215 dedicated staff members — including research staff, claims adjusters, communications folks, litigators, underwriters, lobbyists, event planners, and more — wake up thinking about you and the challenges you’re facing. They are committed to getting it right on your behalf.

I’d bet that in your city halls, you also have people rolling up their sleeves, focused on getting the work that needs doing done.

So rather than focusing on a single news headline, I want to tell you about an important resource the League is expanding on — one that you’ll hear more about in the coming months.

For well over a year, nearly every conversation with members comes back to a common theme around the challenges cities face hiring good people to provide the basic services we all rely on. We’ve known for a while that it’s difficult to find police officers — and we’re hearing more about the dearth of available water and wastewater operators, finance folks, city clerks, summer parks staff, and others.

Given the headline items I mentioned before, why am I instead talking about staffing? Because it’s important to recognize that you’re not going to bend the trajectory of current events or be well-positioned to manage uncertainty without the right people working on your staff.

To address the workforce challenges facing cities today, the League partnered with the Association of Minnesota Counties and the Citizens League to study public sector employment. Our goal? To identify strategies to ensure Minnesota’s best and brightest are entering the public sector. We need them now more than ever, after all.

As part of the study, the Citizens League connected with nearly 1,000 people involved in local government to understand the structural challenges, workplace issues, and other factors that are driving people away from public service.

This soon-to-be released study offers a clear-eyed look at the barriers to working for a city, and real-world solutions to make your organization a place where employees want to stay. I encourage you to check out the report on the Citizens League website at citizensleague.org.

We don’t want it to be forgotten or overlooked, either on our end or yours. Instead, we hope it becomes a go-to resource that helps make your organization the best employer it can be. When you receive it, take a look and share your feedback.

We all have a vested stake in the success of our communities. Minnesotans have consistently shown a commitment to electing strong local leaders. But, to ensure our cities are positioned to thrive, it takes a strong staff, too.

Luke Fischer is executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities. Contact: lfischer@lmc.org or (651) 281-1279.