In 2013, ICMA began reviewing the ICMA Code of Ethics by engaging with members on the relevancy of each of the 12 tenets to the local government management profession. Annually, the Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC), a standing ICMA Executive Board committee, selected the tenet(s) to review with the membership to determine if revisions are needed. The 2025 annual election marked the completion of the structured review of the Code!
Tenets 8 and 10 Revisions
Tenets 8 (professional development) and 10 (job interference) were the final two tenets for review with the membership. In the 14-month effort, the CPC facilitated conversations with members during the Local Government Reimagined Conferences and state association meetings to provide feedback, then invited all members unable to share their thoughts through an electronic survey.
The CPC drafted proposed revisions and surveyed the membership again. The CPC further refined the tenet language and the majority of members who responded to the third and final survey supported the CPC’s proposed changes to Tenets 8 and 10. The board approved placing the revisions on the May 2025 ICMA annual election ballot.
ICMA's Constitution stipulates that the Code of Ethics may be amended by a majority of the Corporate members voting via ballot. Members overwhelmingly voted in favor of the revisions to Tenet 8 (95% approval) and Tenet 10 (87% approval).
The first statement of an emphasis on professional development appeared in the 1952 version of the ICMA Code of Ethics and was restated three times with the last revision to Tenet 8 occurring in 1976. Guidelines were added under Tenet 8 in 1995. The revisions to Tenet 8 update the language to highlight the member’s obligation to broadly encompass professional development that includes technical skills, expertise, management techniques and leadership, as well as the member’s role in facilitating professional development for others associated with the organization and the profession.
The principle forming a boundary between the roles and responsibilities of elected officials and professional administrators was first included in the Code’s 1938 version. It has been amended over the years with the last revision occurring in 1995. The revision to Tenet 10 better reflects a member’s commitment to the role of the professional administrator, which is to work objectively and free of political interference.
The updated Tenets 8 and 10 language follows:
Tenet 8. Continually improve professional capabilities and those of others while fostering growth and development through ethical leadership and effective management practices.
Tenet 10. Oppose efforts to interfere with professional responsibilities by consistently executing official duties, policies, and processes with an unwavering commitment to unbiased public service.
Associated Guidelines Update
The final step in this review process is for the board to consider the CPC’s proposed revisions to Tenets 8 and 10 associated guidelines. As background, the board has the authority to approve guideline revisions and has done so throughout this cycle. Guidelines help members apply the principles outlined in the Code’s tenets. Based on member discussion at eight conferences and via three surveys, the CPC drafted proposed revisions to the guidelines, which the board will consider at its July 2025 meeting.
Contact Us
Members with questions about these revisions can contact Jessica Cowles, ethics director, at jcowles@icma.org.
New, Reduced Membership Dues
A new, reduced dues rate is available for CAOs/ACAOs, along with additional discounts for those in smaller communities, has been implemented. Learn more and be sure to join or renew today!
