Over 29,000 votes were cast in the election for the best local government employers. We started with 40 nominees and we ended with the top five best employers in local government.
1. City of Plano, Texas
Link: Employment Opportunities
We’re #1, we’re #1, we’re #1….the City of Plano is the top employer in local government. The attractiveness of Plano as an employer can be understood through the words of their staff – It’s a Little Plano in Here, Finding Local Government with Matt Yager, City of Plano, TX, and The Future Is Now with Stephen Tanner, City of Plano, TX.
With 32 years of executive level experience, Bruce Glasscock, city manager, has created a culture that attracts the best and brightest to the City of Plano.
A Plano employee describes working for Plano.
The City of Plano strives to provide excellence in everything they do. They take pride in their city, their employees, and go above and beyond what is expected of them. They continuously seek ways to improve performance and pay as compared to surrounding cities. I am proud to call them home for the past 7 months and they truly deserve to be #1.
Extra points for the “Thumbs Up” award.
I sure LOVE working for @cityofplanotx. Happy to have receive the "Thumbs Up" award for the past couple of weeks of work. #LovePlano pic.twitter.com/RDu7uWObjo
— Stephen Tanner (@stephenmtanner) November 21, 2016
2. City of River Falls, Wisconsin
Link: Employment Opportunities
The city that brought you “one minute raps” is skilled at creating an attractive workplace. Scot Simpson, city manager, leads that effort. The River Falls Management Analyst Fellowship Program is an initiative that ensures a steady stream of new ideas and perspectives are entering the organization.
For employees who enjoy biking, the River Falls’ Blue Bike program is a free bike-share program with racks around the City. “We applaud River Falls’ commitment to making sustainability a priority; knowing the importance of doing their part preserves our natural resources for future generations,” stated the Wisconsin Department of Forestry.
Transparency is top of the mind for the City of River Falls. Their commitment is shown through the website which was awarded an A+ for transparency by Ballotpedia.org.
3. City of Kettering, Ohio
Link: Employment Opportunities
Mark Schwieterman, city manager, leads the city known for a “contagious spirit of innovation and enthusiasm for public service.” Staff describe the Kettering as having a “commitment to the field of professional local government leadership as evidenced by high proportion of top level administrators serving on local, regional, state and national professional association boards and committees.”
Kettering is on the cutting edge of reinvestment. The city has:
decommissioned Air Force site converted to a thriving business park.
reinvented an abandoned strip retail center as a site for office development.
upgraded streetscape infrastructure as catalyst for renewed commercial investment.
Why is Kettering such a great employer? A Kettering employee has two words for you — “nerf wars.”
4. City of Fort Collins
Link: Employment Opportunities
Leadership starts at the top. Darin Atterbury, city manager, has received state and national recognition for his leadership. Darin was recognized as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C and was named a recipient of a 2016 Colorado Governor’s Citizenship Medal.
The spirit of Fort Collins’ staff was on full display during #CityHallSelfie Day.
Similar to River Falls, the City of Fort Collins Management Assistant program provides the opportunity to work on projects based in a variety of City departments while maintaining a “home base” in the City Manager’s Office.
A Fort Collins staff member describes why the city is worthy of a top five ranking.
I continue to be impressed with the leadership, vision, passion and talent within this organization. Performance excellence is a way of life, and the City’s vision is to provide world-class municipal services through operational excellence and a culture of innovation. The organization’s Total Rewards philosophy combines Meaningful Work, Career and Leadership Development, Compensation, Benefits and Affiliation strategies to attract, retain, engage, develop, and reward employees.
Some specific strategies include:
An award winning Wellness program
LEAD 1.0 leadership development training
Quarterly performance alignment
One Planet employee engagement program
I love being a part of this organization and contributing to my amazing community!
5. DC Water
Link: Employment Opportunities
“DC Water is absolutely the best employer in the public sector.” This is how one employee describing working for DC Water. Other employees are quick to point out – “DC Water has great people to work with/for and great benefits” and “DC is a great place to live and DC Water is a great place to work.”
DC Water’s commitment to their employees and customers is unmatched. Much of this commitment evolved from the leadership of CEO George Hawkins. As you can hear on the GovLove episode with George, DC Water rebounded from a lead crisis worse than Flint, MI to become nationally recognized as one of the best water agencies in the country.
DC Water’s social media presence is nationally recognized and represents the innovation that is encouraged throughout the organization. Their engaging presence is sure to positively impact their recruitment efforts in the future.
Bonus points to Plano and DC Water for their Twitter battle during the voting.
So Very Awesome: Epic GIF battle b/w @cityofplanotx, @dcwater & @dcpl for @ELGL50 Best Gov't Employer⚡️ “Bring It”https://t.co/in2XKM6Bu7
— Shannah Hayley (@shannahhayley) November 19, 2016