June 17 – Greater Kansas City Public Management Exchange. For more information or to RSVP contact Jenny Jones-Lacy.
June 25–26 Leadership Academy Essentials. For more information go online.
July 24 – Creating Health Communities Forum. Practical ideas and development of a regional strategy to encourage active living within our communties. For more information visit the Web site.
August 7 – Managers Luncheon. Place TBD, Topic: Developing a regional energy strategy.RSVP to Beverly Wilson or register online .
For information on the Managers' Roundtable or the Government Innovations Forum, or to subscribe to this newsletter, contact Dean Katerndahl
June 2009
Regional News
Press receives ASPA L.P. Cookingham Award
Mike Press, retired Johnson County manager, received the Kansas City Chapter of ASPA's L.P. Cookingham Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Administration at its annual awards banquet. The recognized his long years of outstanding service to Johnson County, the region, and his profession.
Rouse receives local ASPA Public Administrator of the Year Award
Earnest Rouse, assistant to the city manager for the city of Kansas City, Mo., received the ASPA Public Administrator of the Year Award for his work in setting up the city's 3-1-1 system.
Davis, Lee receive ASPA awards
Gladstone city manager, Kirk Davis, received ASPA's Crisis Management Award for his work, and that of his staff, in handling the aftermath of the recent tornado.
Jennifer Lee, assistant city administrator for Mission Hills, received recognition for her Special Contributions to the Greater Kansas City ASPA Chapter.
After many years of service to the ASPA Chapter as treasurer and in other board positions Courtney Christensen, city administrator for Mission Hills, stepped down from the board.
Other regional news
Basehor City Administrator Carl Slaugh left the employment of the city effective May 19.
The city of Liberty recently adopted a renewable energy code regulating the use of solar and wind energy to power the primary structure on a property. This is becoming an issue of increasing interest. If you would like a copy of the ordinance contact Dean Katerndahl.
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners approved the merger of the De Soto Fire Department and Johnson County Rural Fire District No. 3 to create the Northwest Consolidated Fire District. The new fire district will be governed by a five-member board. The county commission and the De Soto City Council will appoint two members each and the fifth will be appointed alternatively by the council and commission. The new fire district will become fully operational Jan. 1.
The cities of Prairie Village, Mission, Fairway, Roeland Park, and Merriam began this year offering a joint swimming pool pass to all of their pools. This provides their citizens with more recreation options and provides the communities with more revenue.
According to The Kansas City Star, Independence and Jackson County are considering partnering in the construction and operation of a joint animal shelter. The city would run the facility, which would be built by Jackson County. The proposed new shelter would triple the size of the current Independence shelter. Under the plan the city would lease the land to the county, which would build the facility. The city of Independence would operate the shelter for the city and the unincorporated parts of Jackson County as well as other communities that contracted for service.
According to The Kansas City Star, the city of Olathe, during its 2010 budget considerations, will consider making recycling mandatory. This will make collection simpler and help extend the life of the landfill.
North Kansas City has just launched a new Web site.
The next meeting of the Greater Kansas City Public Management Exchange is June 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 at Cascone's, 3733 North Oak Trafficway. The exchange is an informal organization of public management young professionals. For more information or to RSVP contact Jenny Jones-Lacy at 816-513-1428.
In order to comply with state (both Missouri and Kansas) law on naming, MARCIT will change its name to Midwest Public Risk effective July 1. MARCIT now serves over 100 members with $35 million in revenue.
MARC News
MARC adopts regional energy strategy
The MARC Board voted to adopt a regional energy efficiency and conservation strategy that will support local government strategies required by the stimulus package and provide an outline for regional action. The strategy identifies seven areas for focus including the development of local building and development codes, implementation of education and outreach strategies, and the linking of energy strategies with regional sustainability efforts. The strategy was developed by a coalition of local communities that expect to receive Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Paint the Town unveiled
MARC Research Services demonstrated Paint the Town, its new modeling tool to assist in forecasting future population, employment and development distributions within the metropolitan area. This model will be used to help shape the long-range transportation plan, Transportation Outlook 2040. The new tool allows area planners to visualize various scenarios that show potential regional development patterns under alternative assumptions about the future. Frank Lenk, MARC's Research Services director, presented two such patterns to the board, one based on current trends and one based on changes such as higher fuel costs and more concentrated development in nodes and corridors. The tool is also being used as a public engagement device to spark conversation about the region's growth patterns and policy choices. If you would like to see Paint the Town demonstrated and engage in such a discussion, contact Frank Lenk.
Other MARC news
The MARC Board voted to adopt the Eco-Logical Action Plan which links transportation and environmental planning. The plan emerged from a series of workshops and an advisory group. The plan identifies a set of strategies to align decision making with a vision, formalize ongoing collaboration, and create a regional mitigation strategy. For information contact Tom Gerend, Tom Jacobs, or Lisa Pool.
The MARC Board voted to authorize the establishment of a pilot project bank for environmental and sustainability projects. The Project Bank will identify potential sustainability projects that are ready for investment. Initially, this listing is intended to be used as a resource to EPA Region 7 to facilitate the matching of local projects with enforcement settlements. Eventually the project bank might be used to match projects with other resources. For more information contact Tom Jacobs or Marlene Nagel.
The MARC Solid Waste Management District is partnering with Riverside Mayor Kathleen Rose to launch the Greater Kansas City 2009 Recycling Challenge. The challenge is intended to encourage local governments to take a leadership role in waste reduction. District staff are available to help with a walk through of local government facilities. For more information go online.
The MARC Solid Waste Management District has put out their annual call for grant applications. For more information visit the online site.
MARC has convened area local government planners through the Planning Roundtable over the last year. The roundtable has now established a Web site to share information from the quarterly meetings.
MARC's Annual Assembly is scheduled for September 16. The assembly will feature a keynote speech by Angela Glover Blackwell, president and founder of PolicyLink, a national organization working for social and economic equity. Time and place are still being determined.
Recently a delegation of 25 local government officials attended a half-day briefing and tour of Fort Leavenworth in May. The intent was to familiarize local officials with the role of the fort and its impact on the metro area. The event was sponsored by the city of Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, the fort, and MARC.
The Government Training Institute and the University of Kansas are sponsoring a two-day program, Leadership Academy Essentials, which will focus on the essential lessons from its annual Leadership Academy to develop strong and effective leadership. For more information and registration visit MARC's Web site.
State and National News
ARRA Updates
More specific information on energy block grant funds for cities under 35,000 in population will have to wait until after states file their strategies with the Department of Energy on June 25.
FEMA has released its guidance for assistance with firefighter grants for new or expanded fire stations (shovel ready). The applications are due July 10. The guidance can be found online.
Other state and national news
The Atlantic recently ran an article "Do CEOs Matter." The answer is yes, but not as you might expect. The author argues that most loyalty and work is confined to small groups which work more effectively when collaborative. The leader's job is to create the environment for small group collaborative action.
Transportation projects are out to an early lead in the quick use of stimulus funds. The US DOT has cited Missouri for its efforts obligating 91 projects totaling over $170 million already.
The U.S. Departments of HUD and DOT have formed a high-level task force to integrate their programs in support of sustainable communities and better access to affordable housing and transportation.
GIF News
Creating Healthy Communities Forum
K C Healthy Kids and MARC are partnering to sponsor a Creating Healthy Communities Forum on July 24, 2009. The forum will focus on ways that local governments, nonprofits, and the business community can facilitate and encourage healthy living. The forum will feature national speakers, provide practical information, and will start a process to develop a regional, healthy living strategy that will complement a similar strategy developed by KC Healthy Kids for food production and distribution. For more information visit the Web site.
Other GIF news
A committee of Cities on the Edge managers has developed a survey for edge cities about the kinds of services they need and would be interested in sharing or jointly contracting. If you want a copy of the survey or would like more information contact Dean Katerndahl.
American Fiber Systems, a private firm supplying dark and lit fiber to the metro area, is planning to apply for stimulus funs to add several new fiber loops serving suburban locations. A meeting with the company of interested parties north of the river occurred to get input on where loops should be located. The company is willing to meet with local jurisdictions in southern Jackson County and Johnson County where additional loops are planned. If you would like more information contact Dean Katerndahl.
Although no monies have yet been designated for the Green Impact Zone, an urban core area of Kansas City, Mo., for which Congressman Cleaver has asked MARC to help coordinate ARRA services, it has drawn a lot of national attention. Later this month representatives from the Brookings Institution will visit the zone and discuss it with neighborhood and civic leaders. On June 30, representatives from PolicyLink, a national research and advocacy organization, will visit to help the zone identify successful models from other parts of the country.
MARC has now paired nine coaches and proteges in its new Coaching Program. The coaches will meet with their proteges and draw on their experience to help the proteges become better public administrators. If you are interested in being a protege or a coach visit the web site.
The Regional Information Technology Managers Association (RITMA) is investigating the possibility of developing an assessment of the opportunities for collaborative IT initiatives in the metro area. As a part of this assessment they are updating their two-year-old public fiber map. For more information contact Dean Katerndahl.
The next meeting of the Managers Luncheon is scheduled for August 7. A location is yet to be determined, but the program will focus on a regional energy strategy and local government strategies to reduce energy use.