June is Small Cities Month, an opportunity to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of smaller municipalities. With over 60% of communities in the Centralina region having a population under 10,000, and 55% having a population under 5,000, we are proud to celebrate the great work of our smaller member governments.
Small-town local governments are often faced with limited staff capacity, tight budgets and few resources. Delivering high-quality public services within these constraints can prove challenging. Seeking to support and empower our smaller municipalities in overcoming this challenge, Centralina launched the Small Towns Thrive initiative in the fall of 2023. This initiative focuses on building local capacity, creating connections and addressing community needs through three components:
- Direct Technical Assistance Services – Customized services for individual communities in areas such as retreat facilitation, human resources management and code enforcement.
- Educational Resources – Informational materials, workshops and training to support local government staff and elected officials in their professional development.
- Peer-to-Peer Program – Building on the success of our ARPA Peer Consortium, this bimonthly series of interactive virtual sessions focuses on specific topics of interest to smaller towns.
In honor of Small Cities Month, we invite you to visit our Member Portal to access the presentations and materials from our four Peer-to-Peer sessions. While these resources are tailored to address the needs unique to small towns, they cover topics relevant to communities of all sizes, including:
For more information about the Small Towns Thrive Initiative, contact Michelle Nance.