A Veterans Day Message From LMC's Executive Director

A Veterans Day message from Executive Director Dave Unmacht:

My father was a staff sergeant in the Korean War.  He was in college for two years, then served two years in the Army before returning to finish his bachelor’s degree.  Like many men of his generation he did not talk much about his time in Korea, even though he was very proud of his service. 

The same is true for many men and women who serve our country and who on this Veterans Day deserve our special thanks and recognition.  Beyond their military service, many of these same men and women have continued to contribute to public service through involvement in city government as elected officials or staff.

All of us at the League are profoundly thankful for the rights and privileges that our veterans fought for and worked to protect.  It is with honor and respect on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff that I want to express our gratitude to all former and current members of our military for your dedication and commitment to this country. I am extraordinarily proud of my dad for his service and of all veterans who deserve special recognition on this day and every day.

Thank You, Local Election Officials

Local election officials and staff: as you work to complete the many administrative tasks required after election day that no one ever sees, we want to extend some words of encouragement to everyone in our member cities who needs an extra cup o' joe today. You rock.

And special thanks go to you for all of your work administering absentee balloting for early-bird voters this year, who participated to the tune of well over 600,000 votes cast in Minnesota prior to election day. Wowza.

You are doing a great job serving the voters of Minnesota. We know it takes a lot of time, energy, and resources; and we here at the League know you deserve a slow clap and a hearty THANK YOU!

P.S. If you thought your colleagues across the state seemed extra busy this year, you'd be right. Take LMC's homepage poll through Nov. 20 to see just how many city seats there were on the ballot this year.

Do Your City’s Codes Need Some TLC?

This old code book lives in the archives of the
League of Minnesota Cities' Research Library.

Chances are, your city’s codes aren’t as dusty and worn as the example pictured here…but maybe it’s still been a while since your ordinances have been given due attention.

From leash laws to zoning, codes really are the backbone of your municipality—forming the structure by which your city and your residents coexist. These ordinances help your citizens and businesses understand which regulations apply to them. In conjunction with state and federal laws, city codes help your community run smoothly.

Whether your local laws need a complete overhaul or just some minor updating, the League of Minnesota Cities has a program dedicated specifically for this purpose.

Our Codification Services will index your city’s codes into a format that is simple to both search and update. We partner with American Legal Publishing (ALP)—one of the nation’s largest producers of municipal codes—to provide this assistance. Attorneys in this program will review your city’s ordinances and make sure they are up to date and in compliance.

No matter how small or large your community, we have options for you:

• The Livable City Code of Ordinances is best suited for Minnesota cities with populations below 500. The Livable City Code includes only the provisions that every small city needs and is intended to be adopted without change (versus the Minnesota Basic Code—more info below—which can be modified).
  
  
• The Minnesota Basic Code (MBC) is generally designed for cities with populations below 2,000—but it may also may also be appropriate for larger cities that would like to have a comprehensive set of model ordinances. The MBC can be tailored to meet local needs, though extensive revisions are not recommended since much of the language has been tested in courts.
  
  
• Customized codes allow you to create a code specifically for your municipality—or we can simply update your existing codes—whatever your city’s size. Periodic legal and editorial reviews ensure provisions are always current, lawful, and enforceable.

Whichever option your city chooses, the information will be supplied to your city in easy-to-use formats (a printed binder and CD-ROM are free, or you can host it online for an annual fee).

So if you’re ready to polish up your city’s code—or if you’ve just got questions about our Codification Services—please contact LMC Staff Attorney Amber Eisenschenk at (651) 281-1227,
(800) 925-1122, or aeisenschenk@lmc.org.

You can also find more information on this program at www.lmc.org/codes.

Spotted: Local Leaders (Broad)band Together

Need an example of small but mighty? Check out Minnesota Cities magazine to see how 10 small cities and 14 townships in southern Minnesota banded together to establish high-speed, fiber-based internet.

Seen here at the RS Fiber Cooperative office in Gaylord, Mayor Don Boeder of Gaylord, RS Fiber financial advisor Philip Keithahn, Mark Erickson of Winthrop, and Todd Schaefer of Hiawatha Broadband Communications are just a few of the stakeholders who have been a part of the long and sometimes discouraging process.

From figuring out the cooperative's financial structure to scheduling public meetings, committed local leaders and their partners made the difference in manifesting this powerful economic development infrastructure for residents and businesses.

Check out the RS Fiber Cooperative and more in Minnesota Cities magazine

Photo credit goes to Michael Braun

It's a Wrap! 2016 Greater Minnesota Regional Meetings

Thank you to everyone who attended the Regional Meetings we held across Minnesota this October! We wrapped up our annual gatherings this week with great conversations in Slayton, North Mankato, and Chatfield. Here are some scenes from these final locations:

The day in Slayton kicked off with a communications workshop
presented by LMC Assistant Communications Director Don Reeder.

League of Minnesota Cities President and Northfield
City Councilmember Rhonda Pownell addresses
city officials at the meeting in Slayton.

Attendees toured the new Taylor Corporation technology center and innovation lab to begin the day in North Mankato.

City officials at the North Mankato meeting held small-group discussions on
the most effective ways to handle challenging situations and difficult people.

Our final Greater Minnesota meeting was held at the beautiful Chatfield Center for the Arts.

Lake City Councilmember Andru Peters - pictured here at the Chatfield location - was
one of hundreds of city officials who participated in the 2016 Regional Meetings.

We're so pleased to have spent productive time with you all this fall! Metro city officials: you're up next. We'll see you in Brooklyn Center on Nov. 30: www.lmc.org/RM16blog

Photo credit: LMC staff

Spotted: Kicking Off the 2016 Regional Meetings!

A beautiful day welcomed the Hibbing Regional Meeting
attendees during their morning tour of the Hull Rust Mine.

City officials also toured the Range Regional Airport
to see the renovations that were recently completed there.

En route to the meeting, LMC Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Representative
Ann Lindstrom found the street named for Minnesota's own Bob Dylan.

Officials got practical tips and connected through conversation in Hibbing today.
Pictured above are city officials from Minnesota's newest city, Rice Lake, as well
as a councilmember from Ely and LMC second vice president Heidi Omerza.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon discussed election trends
and issues with city officials this afternoon.

Thank you to all the city officials who attended our first meeting in Hibbing! This is just the beginning...LMC staff will be on the road for six more meetings this October in Greater Minnesota and at a Metro Meeting in November. www.lmc.org/RM16blog

 Photo credit: LMC staff

Spotted: 'New Kids’ on the Board

New members of the League of Minnesota Cities Board of Directors for 2016-2017, from left to right: Mayor Gary Willhite, Crookston; City Manager Mark Casey, St. Anthony Village; Councilmember Anne Mavity, St. Louis Park; Councilmember Kevin Staunton, Edina; Mayor Robert Broeder, Le Sueur; Clerk-Treasurer Tina Rennemo, Baudette; City Administrator Brent Mareck, Carver; Mayor Dave Smiglewski, Granite Falls.

Eight new faces on LMC’s Board of Directors hit the ground running recently in Red Wing, where they joined returning board members for an annual retreat.

A big thanks to these newbies (with more than 125 years of experience in local government among them!) and the entire board for taking time from their packed schedules and hunkering down for a couple of days to focus on the big picture. They brought their passion, smarts, and experience to the table to help shape League priorities that will benefit all members across the state.

Photo credit: LMC Staff