Assuring public safety, curbing unfunded federal mandates, and building strong local economies are the most important priorities for America's cities and towns, according to the National League of Cities' annual opinion survey of municipal officials.

The survey, conducted in October and November 1994, found a cluster of public safety issues at the forefront of current problems and future concerns on the minds of local government leaders. The findings are based on responses by 382 elected municipal officials drawn from a random sample in cities with populations of 10,000 or more.

Five of the top six conditions identified by local officials as most deteriorated over the past five years involved crime and violence: youth crime, gangs, violent crime, drugs and school violence. Three of ten "most important conditions to address" in the next two years relate to public safety: violent crime, youth crime and gangs.

Unfunded mandates — laws or regulations imposed on cities, but without funding by federal or state governments — continued as the top single issue adversely affecting local governments. Mandates led three lists: conditions which worsened in 1994, which deteriorated the most over the past five years and which were most important to address in the next two years.

Nearly half of the survey respondents reported improving local economic conditions for the second year in a row. At the same time, attention to economic matters remained a major concern for the future, appearing in four of most important issues to address in the next two years,

The survey compiled some stark findings about crime, violence and public safety. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (63%) said youth crime worsened during the past year, and more than half reported worsening conditions involving school violence (52%) and gangs (51%). Forty-nine percent said drug problems worsened during the past year, and 41 percent said violent crime worsened.

Asked to identify the conditions which deteriorated most over the past five years, 35 percent of the officials put unfunded mandates on their "top 3" list, followed by youth crime (31%), gangs (26%), violent crime (25%), drugs (19%) and school violence (18%).

In a follow-up question about ways to improve public safety, the survey revealed a strong preference among local officials for a mix of strategies designed to achieve desired outcomes instead of focusing strictly on enforcement or prevention.

Asked to select measures most likely to reduce crime, the top choice — strengthening and supporting family stability, selected by 64 percent — reflects a growing sentiment that public safety needs to be considered in a much broader context than traditional anticrime solutions. The next highest choice — jobs and targeted economic development, selected by 48 percent — revealed another facet of new thinking.

The next four choices — more police officers (40%), after school programs (33%), neighborhood watch programs (32%) and more police foot patrols (32%) — brought in a combination of law enforcement and crime prevention techniques more commonly thought of.

The five measures selected least likely to reduce

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crime were: more death penalties (8%), building more prisons (8%), elimination of parole (10%), gun control (12%) and citizens reporting crime (12%).

While local economic conditions and city fiscal conditions have recovered significantly over the past two years, local officials remain very attentive to issues related to jobs, economic capacity and municipal finance.

Four of the ten most frequently mentioned concerns for the next two years are related to local economies: city fiscal conditions, overall economic conditions, infrastructure and unemployment.

Nearly half of the survey group (48%) said local economic conditions improved during 1994, and nearly the same assessment of improvement (46%) came in the response of unemployment levels.

At the same time, nearly one-fifth of the respondents said their communities had experienced worsening economic conditions (22%) and worsening unemployment (19%).

The signs of a strengthening economy were also reflected in the assessment of municipal service levels by local officials. More than half (53%) said they were able to maintain or increase service levels during 1994, and nearly two-thirds (63%) said they expected to maintain service levels in 1995 without having to increase taxes or fees.

The survey also asked how well current service levels measured up against local needs in the community, and nearly four out of five respondents (78%) rated their service levels as "good" or "very good."

One of the ways that many communities are stretching resources to provide services is through regional initiatives with neighboring jurisdictions. The survey asked about the importance of regional cooperation in helping local governments achieve their goals, and nearly seven out of eight respondents (86%) said it was important or very important.

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