Local Government Information and Training Needs in the 21st Century

have to forgo financing preferred programs, such as in the areas of parks and recreation, public safety, or tourism and economic development, in order to reallocate scarce resources into personnel line-items. Programs that are either cut or reduced may not be viewed by the citizenry as luxury items, but rather as requisite services for maintaining or enhancing economic prosperity and the quality of life within the community. One consequence of the AIDS epidemic, therefore, is having to deal with community expectations about the level of services while meeting the health care requirements of members of the work force. This is a dilemma of growing urgency, given the fact that the epidemic continues to penetrate the fabric of all communities and regions.

The present and not-too-distant future provide many challenges for local government managers. They must deal with a variety of workplace issues in four areas: New Federalism, the legalities of the workplace, collective bargaining arrangements, and new crises like AIDS. To cope with these issues in an effective and compassionate manner, municipal managers must begin to acquire certain kinds of expertise and skills. The delineation and acquisition of the necessary managerial tools is the subject of the remaining chapters of this book.

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