Three out of five city officials say youth crime worsened during the past year, and an array of problems involving youth are becoming top concerns of local government leaders, according to the annual opinion survey of municipal officials conducted by the National League of Cities.

Youth crime led the list of local conditions that worsened over the past year, which had deteriorated the most over the past five years and which was most important to address in the next two years. Six of the 10 community conditions most frequently described as worsening in the past year were issues often associated with young people: youth crime (62 percent), gangs (50 percent), drugs (45 percent), teen pregnancy (45 percent), school violence (45 percent) and family stability (38 percent). Youth crime and quality of education were the issues most frequently mentioned as important to address in the next two years.

Compared to last year, the NLC survey also detected a higher degree of uneasiness among local officials regarding the delivery of services in their communities and the general direction in which the country appears to be heading. The findings of the 12th annual "State of America's Cities" survey were compiled from 406 responses by municipal officials in a random sample drawn from cities with populations above 10,000.

In rating the quality of their municipal services, the percentage of respondents answering "very good" declined from 33 percent to 23 percent, and those answering "fair" or "poor" increased from 22 percent to 26 percent.

While 34 percent of the cities said they increased services and 49 percent said they maintained local service levels in 1995, the outlook for 1996 found 25 percent expecting to increase services and 55 percent maintaining current services. Seventeen percent of the respondents said their city reduced services during 1995, and 21 percent expect to reduce services in 1996.

When asked how they felt about the general direction in which the country is heading, this year's survey respondents split 50-50 between optimism and pessimism. Last year, those with an optimistic outlook exceeded the pessimists by a 60-40 percent margin.

The survey found continuing improvements in police-community relations, vitality of neighborhoods and economic conditions, along with declining worry about violent crime.

Local officials also expressed growing concern over the condition of race and ethnic relations in their communities. The percentage of respondents reporting worsening race/ethnic relations rose from 28 percent in last year's survey to 43 percent this year. In the assessment of conditions deteriorating the most over the past five years, it moved up from 10th to the sixth most frequently mentioned issue, and it appeared for the first time as a top issue to address in the next two years, coming in seventh.

"Anyone who cares about the future of America should pay attention to the messages that resonate in this report," said NLC President Greg Lashutka, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio.

"The contrast between improving economic conditions and anxiety about the future could be an indicator of the uncertainty felt by city leaders who see a politicized debate over national policies affecting their communities," said Lashutka. "The contrast between improving neighborhood conditions and growing concern over race and ethnic relations is a reminder that in a civil society, diversity should engender tolerance, not contempt."

"The encouraging signs of better police-community relations and less apprehension about violent crime in general, countered by rising concern over youth crime, gangs and other youth problems tells us that an indispensable future asset of our communities is at risk.

"Our neighborhoods and our cities are the building blocks of our nation, and our young people are the building blocks of our future. We need safe, strong and skilled communities to sustain a strong and competitive national economy. And to make that happen, we need our young people to be constructive assets for our communities, not causes for dismay and alarm," he said.

Local workforce development strategies were identified by Mayor Lashutka as a leading issue for the National League of Cities in 1996, and the survey provided several perspectives on factors that can influence local efforts.

When asked about measures that would improve local workforces, respondents most frequently mentioned improving public schools (61 percent), employer-

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sponsored job training and mentoring (56 percent), linking training to the business community (55 percent) and linking financial or tax incentives for businesses that hire and/or train local residents (52 percent).

The education system has a major role in teaching essential skills to young people, and quality of education was mentioned second most frequently among important local conditions to address in the next two years. Last year's NLC survey found that nearly three- quarters (72 percent) of respondents saying their cities were already involved in local education reform and improvement. This year by nearly the same margin (71 percent), respondents said they are optimistic about the ability of city halls and local schools to collaborate effectively to meet local needs.

Concern about youth problems, while not new in itself, has been rising even as other indicators of community conditions have improved. Nearly half of the survey respondents (49 percent) reported improving conditions with regard to violent crime in general, while only about one in four (27 percent) said it had worsened. And respondents listed police-community relations as the most-improved condition in the past year and over the past five years, as well.

Three "pocketbook" issues — city fiscal conditions, economic conditions, and unemployment — were closely grouped after youth crime and quality of education as key issues to address in the next two years.

Another question asked about issues likely to be important to local voters in the 1996 presidential election campaign. Mentioned most often as important voter issues were crime and public safety, followed by the economy, jobs, public education and health care.

There was a substantial decrease in the level of concern over unfunded mandates, or requirements to take on various responsibilities directed by federal laws or regulations but without adequate or any funding assistance from Washington.

While 54 percent of the respondents said the burden of unfunded mandates worsened in 1995, the passage of mandates relief legislation supported by NLC appears to have changed the context of the mandates issue.

"There is a clear sense that we have put the brakes on new federal mandates, but it is also evident that existing mandates continue to impose a heavey burden on local governments," said Lashutka. "We made great progress in the past year, and we should build upon that success to alleviate the overload of existing mandates."

The NLC survey findings, based on 406 responses, provide a 95 percent degree of confidence that answers will vary by no more than 5 percent from the results that would be obtained in responses from all elected officials in those communities. •

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