We Got This: A Very Weird Municipal Clerks Week

It's Municipal Clerks Week, and it couldn't be weirder.

One constant we can be sure of though is that city clerks are using their flexibility and dedication to help communities across the state persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic.

City clerks are:

• Learning new skills fast, and then turning around and teaching others.
• Keeping things like bills, notices, critical projects, and reporting obligations on track from near-empty offices or not-so-empty living rooms.
• Ensuring that cities are operating safely and legally for everyone using the best tools available.
• Listening to upset residents and finding answers to their difficult questions.

With information changing by the hour, there have been some stressful days. But that's when city clerks take a deep breath and find a way to keep moving forward.

The League's Executive Director David Unmacht has taken up the mantra "We Got This" to show resolve and positivity in the face of crisis. We all know that great city clerks understand this to their core, and are leading the charge.

One more constant: Because you're here for our communities, we strive to be here for you. Keep the calls and questions coming, and we'll keep doing the best we can to support your work.

Take care, stay safe, and THANK YOU!

Ready to Celebrate Earth Day? So Are Minnesota Cities!

Ready to celebrate Earth Day? So are Minnesota cities!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, as well as the 10th anniversary of the GreenStep Cities program.

Earth Day recognizes the movement that brought environmental stewardship into the realm of modern day public policy, and the victories for our health and future that we've accomplished along the way.

GreenStep is our own homegrown challenge and recognition program for cities and tribal bodies who want to walk the walk, and move the needle on greener, cleaner, more efficient, and vibrant communities.

The foundation of what was to become GreenStep Cities was presented to legislators in a report in February of 2009, outlining key building blocks of the program that sound a lot like what over 130 cities are participating in today. Planners hit the ceremonial "green means go" button the following year at the LMC Annual Conference!

Do you have to be a GreenStep City to do great work in sustainability? Heck no. But survey data shows time and again that the program's structure and technical expertise sure do help.

Here's just a few of the achievements that Green Step Cities have notched recently:

• Rogers is saving $15,000 a year on an energy efficiency and wastewater system project, and is on track for a five-year payback.
• Milan launched a free community bikes program using donated used bikes. They installed bike racks at the library and a city park, which also has a bike repair station. 
• South Saint Paul converted lights in the city’s arena to LEDs and is now saving $36,000 a year in energy costs and $6,000 a year in maintenance. Return on investment was just 18 months!
• Bemidji took advantage of the state’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Program and an Energy Savings Performance Contract to complete $2.45 million in upgrades to eight city buildings, its wastewater treatment plant, and the city’s streetlights. The city's upfront costs were only $273,000 in previously approved capital improvement plan dollars.
• Jordan cut use of 170 tons of road salt (half!) by switching to a brine mixture.The city saved $6,000 in 2017 alone.
• Pierz partnered with a local business to offer community garden space. The gardens are used by residents and the school district's FFA class to grow fresh, local produce.

These are just a sampling of the thousands of ways that cities are embracing the spirit and power of Earth Day year round. Curious? Check out the GreenStep Cities website to see what your city and your neighbor cities have been doing to keep it green for 10 years and counting!

When A Pandemic Changes the Rules: Sharing the COVID-19 Burden on Workers' Compensation

By Dan Greensweig
League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust Administrator 

Recently signed legislation mandates that public safety and healthcare workers who contract COVID-19 are presumed to have gotten it on the job and are therefore eligible for workers’ compensation. It’s critical we support those on the frontlines in this crisis. A volunteer firefighter exposed to COVID-19 on a call shouldn’t have to worry about their financial well-being if they need time off to recover. The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) supports the intent of the legislation – it was a step in the right direction.

Adding these claims to the workers’ compensation system, though, also puts a financial burden on self-insurance pools like LMCIT. We’re owned and managed by our member cities. Cities, and their property taxes, are where we get the money to pay claims.

That works well in normal times. Our members strive to keep their staff healthy and safe. When someone does get hurt, the workers’ compensation system steps in and we take care of that person until they’re back on their feet.

Using a self-insurance pool to pay for this helps spread risk around. Some years, one city will have more claims. Another year, a different city will. Belonging to a pool smooths out the annual variations in costs and makes budgeting easier.

No Way To Spread the Risk
A pandemic changes the rules. When everyone is suffering the same kind of losses at the same time, there’s no way to spread the risk. While local governments maintain reserves, we’re also conscious of our obligation to not hold onto more money than we reasonably expect to need – after all, those are tax dollars.

That’s why we’ve approached the state with a plan to share the COVID burden. Just like the state has sought help from the federal government for costs it couldn’t budget for, we’re doing the same. We’re proposing to pay the first full percentage of COVID-related workers’ compensation claim costs that fall within the range of unexpected losses that we budget for. After that, the state would use its resources to help mitigate the impact on property taxes. This will guarantee the protection that first responders deserve while ensuring our local economies aren’t placed under further strain.

We’re encouraged by how clearly our colleagues at the state level recognize the financial consequences this issue could have for us. As we continue our discussion with them, you can follow along at: www.lmc.org/covid19.

Census 2020: Getting A Complete Count During COVID-19

By Rachel Walker, LMC policy analysis manager 

Hey all, it’s Rachel, policy analysis manager at the League. I'm back with a "Census Eve" update and some ideas for getting a complete count even during pandemic response.

Last week I completed my online census form. It took about seven minutes to answer the questions about age and race for members of my household.

It was also the social studies lesson of the day for my two school-age children who are home due to the pandemic.

We had a good conversation about why an accurate count is important. They were pretty intrigued by how many "0"s there are in the dollar amount of funds distributed based on census numbers — nearly $600 billion! We also talked about the role of government in getting an accurate count.

We didn’t talk too much about why the coronavirus pandemic is going to make conducting the census a lot more challenging, but it will.

April 1 is Census Day

Census Day is April 1. A lot of communities around the state have been working diligently with local partners in complete count committees for months to help ensure a complete count. Many of the strategies involve in-person gatherings and close contact with others.

In order to keep Minnesotans healthy and follow the advice of experts, many of these strategies will have to evolve. The state demographer’s We Count Minnesota campaign recently released some suggestions for doing just that in upcoming weeks
following Census Day to complete the count.

Some examples:

• Shift to phone call and email campaigns to encourage residents to complete the online census forms.
• Secure testimonials from local community leaders that you can use in spreading the word.  
• Identify low-response areas using the Census Bureau's response data and target outreach in those places. This interactive map from the Census Bureau is updated daily. 
• Check out the Directory of Language Resources to help communicate effectively.

The state demographer’s website is a good place to go for more ideas and resources for promoting the census during this time.

If you have questions or concerns about how your team can most effectively redirect your resources and energy, please reach out to Andrew Virden, the director of census operations and outreach in Minnesota, at (651) 201-2507 or andrew.virden@state.mn.us.

P.S. We love these census hero posters! These images and more are available to share from the state demographer in high-resolution pdf files.

Check out more of Rachel's census updates:

• On The Road With the State Demographer
• Start Your Countdowns With 3 New Census Resources

How Your City Social Media Accounts Can Support COVID-19 Preparation

Cities across the state are thinking about how to prepare their organizations and their communities for the arrival of coronavirus (COVID-19), a new respiratory virus. Preparation can be built into many regular city activities – from personnel policies to parks and rec. Another place you can help prepare your community is online through your social media channels. Here are six tips for using your city’s social media to better prepare your community:

1.    Seek out and share official, accurate information.

Identify which official agencies are taking the lead in your community to distribute health information and share their updates to help distribute accurate information. The Minnesota Department of Health's COVID-19 page is a good place to start. Include a note that says the city wants to keep residents informed with the best and most trustworthy information available.

MDH has a variety of resources your city
can share to distribute accurate information
to your residents about COVID-19.

2.    Keep your language calm and clear. 

It’s easy to share on social — do you want to share information or fear? Information + preparation = better outcomes for everyone. Be mindful of tone, and don’t mock, diminish, or ridicule anything related to the pandemic. This is a good idea for any topic, really.

3.    Recognize those who are experiencing harm and how you can help mitigate that. 

Use correct terminology for the disease: It is “COVID-19” formally, or “coronavirus” informally. Make it clear that your community will not tolerate racist behavior toward people of Asian descent, or any other heritage for that matter. Encourage residents to continue supporting local businesses as appropriate and as advised by health professionals. You can download a "Viruses Don’t Discriminate” poster from the MDH to help.

4.    Translate! 

If you are posting or sharing updates about how to

There are resources to help you communicate with
people who need to access information in different formats.

prepare, prevent, or respond, consider who in your community will benefit from a translation of that post. Resources in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish are available from the Minnesota Department of Health. If you are sharing an infographic, make sure that the fundamental information in the infographic is also available in text format in your post or linked on a website for people with low vision or who use screen readers. An MDH video is also available on Youtube providing information about coronavirus in American Sign Language.

5.    Provide fun city content for those who need to stay inside. 

Share your library's online resources, boost your city’s photo contest results, or link to city publications. Use engaging questions and city-themed prompts to provide a “mental break” on people’s feeds: What’s your favorite sign of spring in your city? When someone comes to visit, what is your favorite spot in town to snap a photo? Any landmark-themed haikus out there?

And of course, wash your hands. :) City communicators are a valuable asset to the community and staying healthy is critical to that work. Looking for broader communication resources? Check out this page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dedicated to public health communicators.

The League recorded a webinar on March 12 to address how local governments can prepare. Find more information about the webinar and city preparation resources here: www.lmc.org/coronaviruswebinar20. 

Start Your Countdowns With 3 New Census Resources

By Rachel Walker, LMC policy analysis manager 

Hey all, it’s Rachel, your trusty policy analysis manager at the League. You may remember me from such escapades as “On The Road With the State Demographer.” Well I’m back with a quick check-in. On New Year’s Day, it will be just a quick three months until Census Day — April 1.

A complete count in 2020 means a lot for Minnesota cities, not the least of which is about $2,800 in federal funding per person per year that is distributed into the state through formulas based on the census. That money funds things like roads and schools, to name just a few.  

Since everyone loves a countdown at this time of year, here are three of the latest ways to raise awareness of the census in your city hall and community:

Three ... 

Spread the word with your staff, volunteers, retirees, neighbors, friends, and anyone else who may be interested in high-paying and flexible, part-time work. Minnesota needs 7,500 census workers! The jobs start at $16 per hour.  More details are available on the state demographer’s census website:  https://mn.gov/admin/2020-census.

Two ...

Get yourself to the We Count Minnesota Census store for all your counting merchandise.  Need a belated holiday gift or planning ahead for 2020 birthday gifts for family and friends? A "We Count Minnesota" canvas shopping bag can help you start conversations about the census at the grocery store, the library, or the park.

One ...

Listen to the League’s City Speak podcast on preparing for the 2020 Census. Minnesota’s own state demographer, Susan Brower, details how her office is supporting local governments in getting ready and explains why the census matters.

Happy Census Year!

As always, you can find information on complete count committees, census jobs, and key contact information for your census questions at https://mn.gov/admin/2020-census/.

We've also got a roundup of census training resources for cities on the League website, and you can email me at rwalker@lmc.org with questions.

Yours in a complete and accurate count,

Our census caped crusader, spotted at
the League's Annual Conference.

Rachel Walker

P.S. In case you missed it, Census Man, aka Circle Pines City Councilmember Dean Goldberg, has hit the big time. Following Census Man's appearance at the 2019 Annual Conference in Duluth, he is now making the late-night talk show rounds. (OK only one, but still pretty cool).