Local Government 101
The Future is Bright
June, The Municipality , pg. 13

It’s a big deal when the leader of an insurance company steps down after 35 years, but thanks to a lot of foresight, a unique operational structure and a hardwired commitment to serving Wisconsin municipalities, the transition between Dennis Tweedale and Matt Becker at League of Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance (LWMMI) has been a smooth one. The future looks bright and secure for the cities and villages covered by the company.

Learn more at League Mutual .
Exploring the Basics of Local Government Budgeting
June, The Municipality, pg. 4

"The budgeting process is one of the most important responsibilities of local elected officials. Use of budgets to set priorities and manage the fiscal well-being of your municipality is a power entrusted to governing bodies and can determine the financial course of a community for a generation. This article provides an overview of the budgeting process." Read the article (PDF).

(Ehler's experts teach the Local Government 101 Workshop "Budgeting" section.)

Additional Resources: The League's Municipal Budgeting Toolkit includes helpful resources including everything from Budgeting Basics, to Levy Limits to the County Library Tax Exemption.
Bad Meeting Behavior
June, The Municipality, pg. 7

"Municipal board members have no authority to act on their own. Only the board has authority to act. The board acts through participatory, collective decision-making—in other words, at meetings. So, if you want to see your ideas turned into policies, you need to understand the basic principles of deliberation in a public body." Read the article (PDF)

(Dan teaches the Local Government 101 Workshop "Procedures for Local Government Meetings" section.)

Additional Resources: For the Good of the Order columns on parliamentary procedure are archived on the League's website.
Asset Management
Using PASER & WISLR to Manage Your Roads
Benjamin J. Jordan, P.E., Director, Transportation Information Center
June, The Municipality, pg. 10 ("Back-of-the-Napkin Asset Mgt.")

Each local government must rate the condition of its roads, and submit those ratings to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation every odd-numbered year. Take this course and learn how to rate the condition of your roads and use WISLR web-based tools to develop five year road maintenance and rehabilitation plans. ( Read  “Managing Pavement Assets Using PASER and WISLR”  by Benjamin J. Jordan, P.E., Director, Transportation Information Center (TIC) on the League’s website. Unfortunately we didn’t have room for this article in June's  The Municipality  magazine.)

July 29, Mineral Point - July 30, Pewaukee - July 31, Kimberly - Aug. 1, Weston - Aug. 2, Hayward >> Workshop details available  here .

(Ben teaches the Local Government 101 Workshop section on " Managing Public Works Activities.")
Governing Body
Roles and Authority of Governing Body Members
By Maria Davis, Assistant Legal Counsel and Claire Silverman, Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities 
June, The Municipality , pg. 18

In this legal article, League attorneys answer many of the questions they frequently receive regarding information explaining the duties and authority of governing body members (common council and village board members). Most often, these requests are prompted by situations where a governing body member’s authority has been, or is being, questioned.  Read the article (PDF)

(Claire and Maria teach the Local Government 101 Workshop sections on "Organization & Powers of Cities and Villages" and "Recognizing and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest.")
Charging or Increasing Recycling Fees Does Not Impact a Community’s Levy Limit
Curt Witynski, J.D., Deputy Executive Director, League of Wisconsin Municipalities 
June, The Municipality , pg. 22

As the market for most recycled material is drying up and prices have plummeted, many municipalities are struggling to fund recycling programs. What options do municipalities have to pay for the cost of recycling, which is mandated by state law, when recycling programs are unable to recover as much of the cost from the sale of recyclables as in the past? Read the article (PDF)

Additional Resource: How recycling is changing in all 50 states via Waste Dive
On June 10, 2019, the Wisconsin Historical Society hosted the unveiling of the original 19th amendment for a 100-year anniversary celebration of Wisconsin being the first state to ratify the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. The event took place in the Rotunda at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, WI. You can watch the video of the celebration, thanks to WisconsinEye.

Additional Resources:
Join Us!
The League's Chief Executives Workshop
August 22-23, 2019
Osthoff Resort
Elkhart Lake, WI

Coping with Loss: Sun Prairie and Appleton Share their Stories - Strategies for Expanding Housing Options in your Community - Panel Topic: Curbing Bad Behavior at Meetings and Hearings - Leading Positive Community Change with Dr. David Ivan - Forging the Way, Leading as a Woman in Local Government - Attracting and Keeping Talent Home with Quint Studer, founder of Studer Community Institute & author of Building a Vibrant Community - Divided Government: How’s it Working?

Chief Execs Workshop Speaker Highlight

Attracting and Keeping Talent Home, Quint Studer, founder of Studer Community Institute & author of Building a Vibrant Community

Quint Studer is the founder of the Studer Community Institute, a nonprofit organization in Pensacola, FL focused on improving the community's quality of life and moving Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties forward. He is a businessman, visionary, entrepreneur and Strong Towns member. His new book is Building A Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America.

  • What does it mean to be a vibrant community?
  • How do leaders help communities get unstuck from a negative trajectory?
  • Should we stop wasting time trying to appeal to and listen to the naysayers in our towns?
  • How do you balance the need to take small, incremental steps with community desires to execute big visions and address big problems?
  • How can we learn from other communities' successes without trying to copy exactly what they've done in our town?
  • Why is downtown the best place to begin your community's revitalization efforts?
  • What is the role of local government in guiding the future of a successful town?
  • How important are wealthy community benefactors today?
  • How can revitalization efforts benefit all residents, especially those in poorer neighborhoods? Listen to the conversation here...


Check out the 2018 Chief Executives Workshop Photo Album on the League's Facebook page. 
The League's Local Government 101 Workshop

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?”

Only two of the six one-day Workshops remain!

June 28 - Ashland: Best Western Chequamegon Hotel
September 13 - Waupaca: Par 4 Resort. 

Details and registration here !
The League's 121st Annual Conference
With Engineering & Public Works Institute
October 23-25, 2019
KI Center, Green Bay

Network with attendees from municipalities all over Wisconsin. Workshops include: Innovations in Housing Development; Human Resources 101; Bus Tour - Northern Renewal - Tour of Green Bay and Ashwaubenon; Mini Bar - A New Round of FUNdamentals for Municipal Attorneys; Exhibit Hall with 105 vendors; Mock "Bad Characters" Meeting, Table for 10 and that's just Wednesday! 

One-Day Registration is available! Register now here .

Check out the 2018 Annual Conference Social Media
Register Now for one of the four Small Community Forums

If you live in, work in, or help shape your small community and/or region, please attend one of these Forums. You'll connect with representatives from a variety of statewide resources and discuss with your regional neighborhood what your community needs and can do to grow and thrive into the future. Register here!

  • Crivitz, August 8
  • Independence, August 21
  • Pardeeville, August 28
  • Nekoosa, September 11 

Brought to you in partnership by the League, Wisconsin Rural Partners, Arts Wisconsin, USDA, UW-Extension, Wisconsin Downtown Action Council and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

Register here now! (Space is limited in some of the venues.)
Livestock Siting, Suffrage and Housing are the issues in the latest #LocalGovMatters podcasts. Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts .

The #LocalGovMatters Podcast is a partnership between the League, the Wheeler Report, Inc. and the Wisconsin Counties Association. You can listen on your PC or smartphone.