There's a Reason

Recognizing the complexity involved in providing citizens with the services that they need on a day-to-day basis, the City of Lake Mills opted to organize a Council/City Manager form of government under Chapter 64 of the state statutes. This form of government, born of the progressive reform movement after years of back-door politics and patronage, is based on an affirmation of the National League of Cities model of professional management. Having a vision for our community is key to its success and developing and articulating future directions is an essential element of strong political leadership; but to paraphrase a popular corporate adage: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” An important element of the Council/City Manager form is that it values professionalism and the ability to translate vision into results. Whereas strong political and policy leadership can create a truly inspiring blueprint for a community’s future, successful local governments recognize that the other side of the equation involves the buy-in of employees and citizen-customers and the efficient execution of the blueprint by an experienced, highly trained management professional.
A professional manager brings technical knowledge, academic training, management expertise, and a dedication to public service. Individuals attracted to the local government management profession hold dear the values of public service and ethics. These values are expressed in the Declaration of Ideals of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), their professional association. In addition to these stated ideals, ICMA members agree to a strict Code of Ethics governing their conduct.