Elections
CORRECTION!
In the League’s January 2020  The Municipality  magazine article titled, Badger Book Overview, it is important to clarify that Badger Books, used to check in and register voters and process absentee ballots at local polling places, do NOT use an internet connection. 

Read all about Badger Books on the Wisconsin Elections Commission website.

Read the  January  The Municipality  with great articles on the work that goes into an election. (The correction has been noted in the online version of the magazine.)
State of WI with vote button
Share MyVote Wisconsin with your constituents. They can check their voter registration, find out what's on their ballot, where their polling place is and more.

MyVote is the Wisconsin Elections Commission website for Wisconsin voters. To make it easier, you can share the League's Facebook post to your own page to spread the word about this information.
How many pollworkers? How many ballots? Is the polling place ADA accessible? What about absentee ballots? The work that goes into elections is complicated. There is A LOT more to this important process than just election day!

On the latest League Local Perspective, Jerry Deschane talks with Kelly Michaels, Brookfield City Clerk about election security, the event planning that is involved, absentee ballot processing and the number of volunteers and training that is included. You'll want to bring your municipal election staff flowers after watching this show!

Thanks to Wisconsin Community Media for their partnership in broadcasting the League's Local Perspective statewide and specifically to the team at Watertown TV for this month's show.
It's easy! Follow and share posts to your own & your Municipality's social media!


Wisconsin once had a 'model' voting rights program for people with disabilities. Officials have let it decline.
Though Wisconsin once had a robust program for monitoring accessibility problems at polls — one that was  lauded as a best practice  by a presidential commission in 2014 — state officials have let it wane. Since the recognition, officials have missed audits, been slow to follow up on accessibility violations and provided fewer supplies to help polling places become more accessible. Read the article...
Shout out to the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association (WMCA)

For their work in supporting and training clerks at every level of local government in Wisconsin!

Check out the WMCA training programs and also Save the Date for the League's Clerks, Treasurers and Finance Officers Institute June 10-12 in Oshkosh. Registration for the League program will go live about 8 weeks out.
Who Counts?!
Spoiler Alert - not the dog...

Get the word out! Please share this and other videos from the US Census YouTube Channel to your and/or your municipality's social media.
The Census Bureau is hiring thousands of workers across the country to support the 2020 Census.

US Census Outreach Materials
LocalGovMatters 2.0 Podcast
LocalGovMatters is back as a partnership between the League and the Wisconsin Counties Association. Episodes will be available every two weeks beginning with the inaugural January 15 episode. Listen to the podcast on your PC here or subscribe...

The Year Ahead: Jerry Deschane, the League's Executive Director, and Mark O'Connell, the Wisconsin Counties Association Executive Director, discuss politics, rankings, debate the start of the new decade and more on the first LocalGovMatters Podcast. Comment on this first podcast on the League's Facebook page here.

The MLS Grant Program and All Things Transportation: WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson is our guest. Comment on the second LocalGovMatters podcast on the League's Facebook page here.
Legal - Elections Q & A
January, The Municipality, pg. 20
Claire Silverman, Legal Counsel & Maria Davis, Assistant Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities

Claire and Maria answer common election-related questions: whether persons can run for more than one local office at the same election; which municipal offices are filled by election; what are standard terms of office for elected municipal officials and how can
terms be changed; when referenda are binding or advisory; what are charter ordinances; and what is a village caucus. Read the article (PDF). Access all of the Legal Articles...

Direct link to the resource mentioned in the article:
Wisconsin Elections Commission Caucus Manual - Procedures for Nomination of Candidates By Caucus For use by clerks who use the caucus procedure to nominate candidates.
HR Matters - Positions Exempt from
Overtime Under Federal Law
January, The Municipality , pg. 24
By Lisa Bergersen, Principal Attorney at EngageHR Law , Of Counsel at Buelow Vetter , Former HR Director, City of Pewaukee 

"Wage and hour issues can be a common problem area for employers, due in part to the complexity of the laws, and the interplay between state and federal law. One area of difficulty is the lawful classification of employees as exempt from overtime pay."  

All HR Matters columns are posted to their own page on the League's website for reference.
Save the Date for the League's 122nd Conference!
October 7-9, 2020 in La Crosse.
Can't attend the League's 2019 Local Government 101 Workshops? Order the DVDs!

Order Your Local Govt 101 Workshop on DVD Today
The four DVD set includes the entire one-day workshop for you to watch on your own schedule!

• Welcome - Basics of the League
• Organization & Powers of Cities and Villages
• Recognizing and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
• Budgeting & Financial Oversight
• Procedures for Local Government Meetings
• Managing Public Works Activities

The League’s Local Government 101 Workshop provides a basic framework for governing to both new city and village officials and those who want to brush up on their knowledge of local governance.

This League DVD set provides information that you need to govern. You will learn about city and village powers including municipal home rule; learn about how to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest; review the basics of municipal budgeting as well as how to run a meeting; and finish with an overview on managing public works projects. In addition, you’ll learn the answer to that age-old question, “What is a walking quorum anyway?”

The accompanying workbook, which is included with the DVD set, can be ordered on a flash drive or in print. It provides you with the presentations and supporting materials that are provided to all workshop participants. You can order it here: https://lwm-info.org/763/Order-Handbooks-Annual-Publications


Click here to order the League's updated Municipal Licensing & Regulation of Alcohol Beverages.
Now Available!
So You Want to Be An Elected Official

The League's new publication, "So You Want to Be An Elected Official" has been flying off the shelves. Two copies were provided to all city and village clerks and many more have been ordered. You can order your own.

The League's booklet includes:
+ Working as Part of a Team
+ Roles and Responsibilities
+Understanding Your Municipality's Form of Government and Classification
+Knowing the Law
+Implementing Policy
+ Publications and Resources Order it here...
Join Us!
Building Inspectors Institute 2020
April 15-17, 2020

Registration is now live for the popular Building Inspectors Institute!


Thanks to the League Building Inspectors Section for their work in planning the Institute!
The League's Local Government 101 Workshop

Registration is open earlier than usual!

Municipal officials and staff with years of experience attending Local Government 101 may find themselves sitting next to elected officials and staff who are brand-new to government. In this popular one-day workshop you’ll learn about city and village powers including municipal home rule, hear about how to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest, go home with a quick tutorial on municipal budgeting as well as how to run a meeting and finish with an overview on managing public works projects. In addition, you’ll have that age-old question answered: “What is a walking quorum anyway?”

Six one-day Workshops:

May 8 - Pewaukee: Holiday Inn Pewaukee West

May 15 - Eau Claire: Lismore Hotel

May 29 - Oshkosh: Best Western Premier Waterfront

June 5 - Madison: Crowne Plaza

June 26 - Oconto Falls: City Administration Building

September 11 - Waupaca: Par 4 Resort

Details and registration  here !
Save the Date for the League's 122nd Conference!
October 7-9, 2020 in La Crosse.