Publications

Aim Budget Bulletin

Aim annually publishes a comprehensive guide to municipal budgeting, and each of our municipal members receives a copy of this valuable administrative resource. The 2022 Budget Bulletin is designed to assist city and town officials with the responsibility of developing and adopting a budget. The first section of this publication is a narrative that discusses some generalities of the Indiana municipal budget process, including how to determine expenses and revenues, and how to balance the budget. The text organizes the budget process into the logical steps that a municipality would take to reach the final adoption of a budget. Supplements follow to help with specific components of a municipal budget. All municipalities may not need to use the information provided in every supplement to complete a budget.

Guide to Public Purchasing

The 2021 Public Purchasing Guide provides a general guide to Indiana’s public procurement laws – specifically those statutes governing the purchase of goods and services. The publication is intended to provide members with a basic understanding of the procedures surrounding purchasing. The Purchasing Guide is for Indiana’s cities and towns, and for special purpose entities such as park districts, redevelopment districts, and storm water districts established by individual municipalities.

Protests & Public Safety: A Guide for Cities and Citizens

In the present moment, it is more important than ever that local jurisdictions understand their role in fostering First Amendment activity while protecting the safety of protesters and the public. Having developed a body of knowledge and proven results, the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection seeks to scale what it has learned by providing this toolkit of legal options. In it you will find legal principles, best practices, and creative solutions upon which local jurisdictions may draw to protect public safety while respecting constitutional rights during rallies, protests, and other public events. The toolkit offers detailed legal analysis suitable for municipal and state attorneys, as well as more general legal guardrails, best practices, and frequently asked questions intended to be more easily accessible to non-lawyer elected and appointed officials, concerned residents, and activists.

State of the Cities 2020, National League of Cities

The state of our cities continues to be strong even in these troubled times. Right now, mayors are battling the twin challenges of a public health crisis precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout that the novel coronavirus has wrought on our nation’s communities. Mayors have been on the frontlines serving as stalwart leaders – together with the essential workers and the fire, police, sanitation, and public health employees – guiding our cities through this storm. This journey is far from over, and our essential cities will recover and rebuild.

What this year’s State of the Cities analysis reveals is that local leaders have been and will continue to provide residents and businesses with the tools, through targeted investments, not only to strengthen our economy, but also in ways that are more equitable, sustainable and forward-thinking.

Members