The Institute has a rich history of assisting local governments in sharing best practices. Through applied research and technical assistance, the Institute serves as this resource for South Carolina local government. Listed below are the various best practice initiatives undertaken by the Institute. For additional information, please contact Anna Berger at (803) 777-8156 or e-mail at aberger@sc.edu

South Carolina Municipal Benchmarking Project

In 1996, the Institute embarked on a comparative performance measurement initiative with municipalities across the state. The primary purpose of the South Carolina Municipal Benchmarking Project was to serve as a catalyst for service delivery improvements. The project had a multi-pronged approach for helping municipalities achieve this goal - sharing performance measurement data, service committee meetings where department managers share service delivery challenges and best practices, and targeted research and analysis.

During the project, participants shared performance measurement results for the key areas of police, fire, sanitation, and parks and recreation. Many of the participants were also involved in a two-year analysis of the cost of youth athletic programs. To learn more about the project's model, service areas, and performance measures, click here.

One of the challenges in a comparative performance measurement project is balancing the time devoted to gathering, cleaning, and reporting valid and reliable results, determining best practices, and addressing the participants’ desires to add new service areas. In 2004, the Institute redirected the benchmarking project resources from collecting numerous data in the benchmarking project service areas to researching new and additional service areas and facilitating information exchange. This change has led to the creation of the Local Government Service Delivery Forums. 


South Carolina County  Benchmarking Project
In 2002, the Institute began a similar benchmarking study with four South Carolina counties. The primary purpose of the South Carolina County Benchmarking Project was to share performance measurement statistics and to benchmark county operations in several departments. The service areas that have been a part of this analysis are listed below:

• Building Inspections
• Emergency Medical Services
• Fleet Operations
• Roads and Drainage
   

Due to the wide variations in accounting systems and service delivery methodologies, the Institute decided to discontinue the project at the end of 2004. Given the level of interest of the participating EMS departments, a separate South Carolina County EMS Benchmarking Project began in 2005. To learn more about this effort, click here.

 South Carolina Local Government Service Delivery Forums

An outgrowth of the South Carolina Benchmarking Projects, the Institute hosts the Local Government Service Delivery Forums. The purpose of these forums is to provide opportunities for city and county managers and administrators and department managers to exchange ideas and explore best practices. To learn more about the forums, click here.  

South Carolina Local Government Rate and Practices Surveys

Local government managers are increasingly interested in learning how other jurisdictions structure their fee schedules and deliver services. The purpose of these surveys is to collect relevant and timely information on local government fees and service delivery practices. The ultimate goal of South Carolina Local Government Rate and Practices Surveys is to help inform the decision-making process for local government councils and staffs.

The Institute has conducted surveys on municipal sanitation and stormwater management. To download copies of the reports, please click on the following links. The Institute will conduct surveys on property maintenance and code enforcement and business license administration during the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

An Analysis of Sanitation Services and Fees – 2006

An Analysis of Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement in South Carolina – 2007

An Analysis of Stormwater Management Rate and Practices – 2006   

An Analysis of Public Water and Sewer Providers Rates and Practices - 2007

Best Practices Bulletins
One way the Institute communicates lessons learned and innovative solutions from the Local Government Service Delivery Forums and the Local Government Rate and Practices Surveys is the Best Practices Bulletins. To download a copy of the Best Practices Bulletins, please click on the following links:

Municipal Court Best Practices Bulletin

Codes Enforcement Best Practices Bulletin

Parks and Recreation Best Practices Bulletin

Stormwater Management Best Practices Bulletin