Spotted: Scenes from Day 1 of Camp #MnCities—Wednesday, June 20

Day one is in the books, and by all accounts we've got a group of very happy campers in St. Cloud! See how everyone came together on arrival day at Camp #MnCities...

This year's camp theme welcomed attendees right away at registration to set the tone for the conference! (Photo credit LMC staffer Jenna Kramer)

More than 70 city officials came to the conference early for the pre-conference workshop, "Building More Welcoming, Inclusive Communities: City Leadership to Advance Race Equity." During the day-long session, panelists led a discussion on inclusion work in cities of all sizes, how our experiences impact how we view the world, and more. (Photo credit LMC staffer Danielle Cabot)

What do you want to discuss? City officials arrived early to discuss timely topics like affordable housing, city sustainability, and law enforcement responses to mental health crises. First-time attendees also had the chance to attend an orientation created just for them. (Photo credit LMC staffer Danielle Cabot)

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis welcomed campers to his city at the 2018 Annual Conference. (Photo credit Todd Myra Photography)

The crowd laughed along as the League’s Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) team took the stage with Autumn from Sassy Lassy Trivia & Events for a fun quiz game. IGR members formed two teams—the Jolly Green Giants and the Paul Bunyans—and were joined by LMC Board Members Mike Mornson and Heidi Omerza to test their knowledge on the 2018 legislative session. (Photo credits Todd Myra Photography)

Camp #MnCities was in full effect Wednesday evening in the exhibit hall. More than 300 attendees joined 100+ vendors to discuss city projects, create connections, and have fun! (Photo credit Todd Myra Photography)

Campers got to partake in some good old-fashioned summer activities, like bean bag toss and a crafts table. (Photo credit Todd Myra Photography)

Break time! City officials had the chance to relax around a faux campfire while listening to local musician Michael Shynes, and campers also celebrated Selfie Day early with a surprisingly life-like black bear. (Photo credit Todd Myra Photography)


Are you enjoying Camp #MnCities, too? Share your own highlights in the comments below!

Spotted: Rain or Shine, Camp #MnCities Is On Its Way

Flashlight? Check.
Sunscreen? Check.
Rain gear? Check.

It's all sunshine, s'mores, and good government at Camp #MnCities this week at the River's Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, even though the annual loading of the Annual Conference truck occurred on Tuesday under some dark and stormy skies.

Grab your packs too and we'll see you there!

Camp announcement: If you or a colleague can't make it for roll call this year, we'll be streaming several events via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/minnesotacities. Check out the page to be part of the action!

Photo credit goes to camp counselor Jeff Korte

What's in Store for the 2018 LMC Annual Conference

Have you packed your bags yet for Camp #MnCities? In just a couple of weeks, we invite you to escape your usual routine and join city officials from across Minnesota to celebrate cities and capture new ideas! Hope to see you in St. Cloud June 20-22, where we have lots of great things in store…

Last year, Mayor Ardell Brede welcomed Annual Conference attendees
to Rochester, and this year it's Mayor Dave Kleis's turn as we travel to St. Cloud!

Have fun while getting informed! Our intergovernmental relations (IGR) staff is back
to entertain while sharing what happened during the 2018 Legislative Session,
and this year they’ll kick off the conference Wednesday afternoon.
Last year Senior IGR Liaison Laura Ziegler discussed issues with attendees.

Right after the IGR update, we’ll move into the exhibit hall
where Camp #MnCities will be in full effect! There’ll be tasty s’mores,
samples of local St. Cloud beer, and yard games like giant Jenga and bag toss.
Dress casually and mingle with vendors to find out how they can
help Minnesota communities like yours succeed.

Lunch on Thursday will include the LMC Annual Meeting,
where new board members will be announced. Pictured here are
Northfield Mayor Rhonda Pownell (LMC Past President),
White Bear Lake Mayor Jo Emerson (LMC Current President),
and Ely Councilmember Heidi Omerza (LMC First Vice President).

Once again this year, we’ll have a variety of information-packed sessions
in tracks like Governing & Leading, Managing Your City, Civic Engagement & Leadership,
 and Building Inclusive Communities for you to sink your teeth into. On Thursday afternoon,
hear a panel discussion about how to attract the next generation to public service—a
growing challenge for many Minnesota cities! Last year members of a youth group from Northfield
attended the conference to get a taste of careers and issues in city government.

As always, there will be plenty of time to network and visit with both old friends
and new during this year’s conference! Last year conference speaker Gordon Goodwin
(from GARE—Government Alliance on Race Equity) chats with a board member during a break.

Come celebrate cities and local leaders during an all-new awards show on Thursday evening!
Applaud noteworthy projects, leadership, and GreenStep Cities during an entertaining
dinner and program. Pictured here, former Minnetonka Mayor Terry Schneider is awarded
the C.C. Ludwig Award for Elected Officials at at the 2017 Annual Conference.

Wrap up your time at the conference on an inspiring note when
Keynote Speaker Paul Schmitz will talk about how to strengthen communities
through meaningful engagement and collaboration.

We hope you're looking as forward to Camp #MnCities as we are—see you soon!

Spotted: Happy Campers Ready for Camp #MnCities

Pictured L to R: Baudette City Clerk-Treasurer Tina Rennemo, Alexandria Mayor Sara Carlson,
White Bear Lake Mayor Jo Emerson, and Granite Falls Mayor Dave Smiglewski
dream of summer camp after a recent LMC Board Meeting.

Roasting s’mores over a campfire. Paddling away the afternoon on a sun-drenched lake. Stopping by the canteen for snacks. These might be familiar (and hopefully fond!) memories for those of us who went away to summer camp as kids. Too bad there’s no such thing for adults, right? Think again!

The League is bringing back some of that same nostalgia at Camp #MnCities—the 2018 LMC Annual Conference in St. Cloud—this June 20-22. We’ve got a whole variety of activities planned and hope you join us to:

• Enjoy fun and games at the camp kick-off in the exhibit hall 
• Meet up with old friends (and new!) during longer networking breaks 
• Find ideas and tools that will help you navigate challenging issues 
• Celebrate cities and local leaders at an all-new awards show dinner 

Most of all, we want you to escape your routine and get re-energized for the important work you do in Minnesota cities every day. Learn more and register here—hope to see you next month!

Municipal Clerks Week Is Better Than Shark Week. And Here's 5 Reasons Why ...

This quill is much cooler than a shark fin.
Image courtesy International Institute of Municipal Clerks

Clerks, we love Municipal Clerks Week because it's a great time to sing your praises. We enjoy it so much, we even like it better than Shark Week, that pop culture phenomenon that gets all the "splash." Yeah, that's right. So to back up that bold statement, we've compiled the top five reasons why Municipal Clerks Week is better than Shark Week—you can add your own reasons to the list in the comments!

LMC's top five reasons why Municipal Clerks Week is better than Shark Week:

1. Clerks are vital to our elections, i.e. democracy. Sharks are definitely not.
2. Clerks keep our local governments operating on the right side of data practices and open meeting law to ensure legal compliance. Sharks don't seem to care about legal compliance.
3. Clerks take care of a wide range of business ranging from management of city finances to human resources-related decisions. Sharks mostly swim and eat things, which is cool, but not as cool.
4. Clerks are patient and knowledgeable when helping the public. Sharks lack the necessary customer service skills.
5. While you have to wait 70+ more days for Shark Week, Municipal Clerks Week is happening now.

For all these reasons and more, we think that Municipal Clerks Week is better than Shark Week, because city clerks are the backbone of Minnesota's local government community and frankly, we'd be lost without you. So if there's a clerk in your professional city gov life, be sure to show them some appreciation today (and every day!). Sharks, we'll see you in July, but probably won't write a blog post. 

Thank you, clerks, for all that you do!

Spotted: The 2018 Legislative Conference for Cities

More than a hundred city officials from all over the state came to St. Paul for the 2018 Legislative Conference for Cities this March to talk with legislators about city priorities, meet with other city officials, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the current state of politics in Minnesota. 

Tip: If you were energized by the conference and the legislative topics discussed, there's more where that came from! Registration is open now for city officials that want to get involved in the policy development process this summer.

Ask me about #MnCities! City officials and League staff at the 2018 Legislative Conference wore buttons to encourage conversation about Minnesota cities and declare their local gov credentials. (Hashtags are a popular way to label conversation topics on social media.) Couldn't make the conference? Email advocacy@lmc.org to request your very own.

Just how do you advocate for city priorities? More than 70 city officials from across the state came to the League offices Wednesday afternoon for this preconference session. Are you curious about the ins-and-outs of city advocacy too? You can view the recording of this live webinar on the League's website.

Left to right: LMC Member Services Director Kevin Frazell moderated as Rep. Jerry Relph (former city attorney), Sen. Patricia Torres Ray (master's of public affairs), and Rep. Tim O’Driscoll (former mayor) talked about city-specific issues such as annexation and local control as well as how overall session priorities, such as federal tax conformity and bonding, will affect cities.

Left to right: Moderator Jay Kiedrowski from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Rep. Mike Freiberg (former city councilmember), Mayor Jo Emerson, and Sen. David Senjem (former city councilmember) discussed local decision-making authority and several pre-emption bills. The panel also shared ideas for how city and state officials can work together effectively. Senjem encouraged relationship-building with your legislators—"We’re people too, just like you."

LMC Executive Director Dave Unmacht (in his thinking pose) sits down with city officials during a break in the legislative conference action.

Shaunna Johnson, city administrator of Waite Park (left), visits with LMC General Counsel Pat Beety.

How do reporters feel about the political climate at the Capitol? Briana Bierschbach, political reporter with MinnPost (with mic); Patrick Coolican, politics and state government reporter from the Star Tribune (middle); and Brian Bakst, political correspondent at Minnesota Public Radio (right) joined LMC's Don Reeder (far left) to share their take on a wide variety of topics, including how the "urban-rural divide" is being used politically, social media's effect on civility, and how upcoming elections are influencing this session's activity.

Thank you to all the city officials who came to St. Paul for this important day of information and advocacy. Stay connected with these issues and other city priorities throughout the year by subscribing to the Cities Bulletin and Capitol Updates.

Photo credit goes to LMC staffers Danielle Cabot and Laura Harris.

Responsibly Recycle Your City’s Old Equipment

Does your city have old electronic equipment gathering dust that you’d like to responsibly recycle? Whether you’ve got computers, printers, keyboards, or cables lying around—consider dropping them off at one of the e-recycling events the League is hosting with PCs for People, an organization that will wipe data from used equipment and refurbish it for reuse.

Below the League’s Chief Information Officer Mel Reeder answers a few questions about these drop-off events:

• Why are we offering this opportunity for Minnesota cities?
  We all know it’s difficult to dispose of electronics. On top of that, cities are challenged to ensure that government data on their old equipment is properly destroyed. Many cities do not have the resources to do this. Rather than risk a data breach, old electronics end up in storage. In addition, many cities in greater Minnesota do not have enough equipment to draw a low-cost recycler on their own. By coordinating regional drop-off events, the combined volume allows for free pickup.


• What is important about properly recycling e-waste?
  In Minnesota, by law you must recycle computer monitors. They cannot go into the trash. The same goes for components that contain mercury or rechargeable batteries. Local government can lead the way by choosing a responsible recycler for all their electronics, therefore achieving a zero-landfill goal.


• Why should cities consider dropping off their old equipment to PCs for People?
  It’s easy and free*! PCs for People will pick up city equipment from League-designated locations this spring. They are the only recyclers in the state with both AAA NAID and R2 certification for data destruction. These certifications ensure that data is properly destroyed, usable equipment is refurbished, and unwanted equipment is recycled to safeguard human health and the environment. They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides affordable computers to low-income families across Minnesota. Read more about PCs for People.


• Anything else you’d like to add?
  Whether or not you are attending a workshop, someone from your city can drop off your zero-value, city-owned equipment for free. The League of Minnesota Cities wants to lower your risk of a data breach. If you have any questions about this event or other concerns about protecting your government data, please contact me at mreeder@lmc.org or (651) 281-1221.

For more information on these drop-off events (including dates, locations, FAQs, and forms), visit this webpage.

*Older, CRT tube monitors are $35.