LANSING, Michigan - Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett told Michigan Municipal League members Wednesday how placemaking has helped his city reinvent itself. Cornett spoke at the Michigan Municipal League's 2012 Capital Conference in Lansing.
With Mayor Cornett leading the way, Oklahoma City became a major league city with the arrival of the National Basketball Association. During his tenure, Oklahoma City’s economy has been one of the strongest in the nation. Standing for efficient government and responsible leadership, Mayor Cornett has worked to promote an inclusive and optimistic vision of Oklahoma City, fueled by bold ideas. Cornett's humble nature, intense work ethic and optimistic attitude have become emblematic of a city that, as Cornett says, "works hard and dreams big."
Cornett received applause from League members at several points in his highly-enthusiastic presentation. He explained how his city used a penny on the dollar sales tax approved by voters to make numerous improvements to the city, including redeveloping a river front, refurbishing and building new schools and tackling the obesity problem of the city's citizens.
To stay up to date on the latest news from Capital Conference, read the Capital Conference blog or go to the League’s website at mml.org. Want to be sure you know what's happening as it happens? Follow the Capital Conference Twitter feed by searching the hashtag #mmlconf. View photos from Capital Conference here on the League's flickr page. View press releases from the conference here. Read more about placemaking at mml.org and the blog by League CEO Ddan Gilmartin at economicsofplace.com.
Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and 734-669-6317.
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett speaks at 2012 Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference.
LANSING, Michigan – Michigan Municipal League President Karen Majewski discussed League success stories and ongoing issues being faced by Michigan communities in her welcoming session presentation Tuesday during the League’s 2012 Capital Conference at the Lansing Center in Lansing.
Majewski, mayor of Hamtramck, explained 2011 saw the successful passage of long-awaited reforms to Public Act 312 involving police and fire arbitration and changes to the Urban Cooperation Act and Municipal Partnership Act to ensure more efficient and effective process in sharing services.
“But storm clouds remain as we have a number of issues we continue to keep an close eye on, such as state transportation funding concerns and the new Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP), formerly known as our statutory revenue sharing,” Majewski told the crowd of more than 400 municipal leaders from throughout the state. “Our most pressing issue currently revolves around the effort to reform the personal property tax.”
Majewski explained how the League is leading a coalition of organizations in a campaign called “Replace Don’t Erase”. The group is working to get guaranteed funding replacement should the personal property tax be eliminated. Cutting the tax without a guaranteed replacement would negatively impact the essential services Michigan citizens expects from their local governments, such as police and fire protection, road repair and snow removal.
Following Majewski on the stage was Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who also talked about the personal property tax issue. Calley was joined by Michigan Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, and the moderator of the session, League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin. The lawmakers explained the latest news on the issue.
Up next on Wednesday - the second of two days - in the conference are sessions about “Eye on the Environment: How Green is our Government”; “Bridging the Coverage Gap in the Media Landscape”; ”Legislative Ins and Outs”; “Media Officials Talk Politics” with Tim Skubick and “Transportation: Taking the Inside Track” featuring Sen. Tom Casperson.
Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 734-669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley at the 2012 Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference in Lansing.
The Michigan Municipal League 2012 Capital Conference begins at 9 am today with several interesting and informative workshops at the Lansing Center. Recreation Authorities & Other Funding for Parks & Rec is in Room 202. Most Common OMA and FOIA Mistakes and How to Avoid Them is in Room 205. Creative Consolidation: Success in Shared Services is in Room 204. The MAMA Advanced Institute is 9 am - 4:30 pm in Room 201, with the League Board of Trustees Meeting from 10 am - 1 pm at the League Capital Office.
The Governance Committee Meeting is 1:15-2:15 pm in Rooms 103-104.
Welcoming General Session starts at 2:30pm and features a discussion on the personal property tax issue with Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. This is a hot topic of concern to many League communities at risk of losing this crucial revenue source for local services, unless the legislature provides a guaranteed replacement. The general session is your chance to hear firsthand from the Lt. Governor on where this issue is headed.
Don't forget the Regional Roundtables at 3:45 pm, where you'll get a chance to hear and present entries for the annual Community Excellence Award competition. This year the process starts with a casual five-minute talk in front of your region, describing what your community's project has accomplished and how it's benefitted your city or village and its residents. Check the program or the League's Capital Conference apps for Android or iPhone to find out in which room your region meeting is taking place.
The day finishes up with the MML Liability & Property Pool Kick-Off party at 5:30 pm in Hall A.
Onsite registration and packet pick-up is open in the Central hallway from noon to 6 pm.
Welcome, everyone! Check back here on the Capital Conference blog, follow the event on Twitter at hashtag #mmlconf, and check out event photos on flickr throughout the next two days.
To stay up to date on the latest news from Capital Conference, read the Capital Conference blog or go to the League’s website at mml.org. Want to be sure you know what's happening as it happens? Follow the Capital Conference Twitter feed by searching the hashtag #mmlconf. Want to see photos from the event? We'll be posting them throughout the event on the League's flickr page.
Go here for the full agenda that covers everything from brownfield tax credits to green government to Lt. Gov. Brian Calley discussing the personal property tax issue.
LANSING, Michigan - The Michigan Municipal League's Capital Conference starts tomorrow (Tuesday, March 20) and our hundreds of attendees are in for a couple action-packed days.
To stay up to date on the latest news from Capital Conference, read the Capital Conference blog. Want to be sure you know what's happening as it happens? Follow the Capital Conference Twitter feed by searching the hashtag #mmlconf. Want to see photos from the event? We'll be posting them throughout the event on the League's flickr page.
Go here for the full agenda that covers everything from parks and recreation authories to green government to Lt. Gov. Brian Calley discussing the personal property tax issue.
Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 734-669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.
Chris Kolb, President of the Michigan Environmental Council, will speak at the Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference March 21, 2012 in Lansing.
LANSING, Michigan - Since taking office in January of 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder has made sweeping changes designed to revitalize and re-energize Michigan’s economy. But how is Lansing doing on that vast landscape of legislation involving energy and the environment? Join the conversation with some of the state’s top experts, including Michigan Environmental Council President Chris Kolb and Valerie Brader, Senior Policy Advisor for the Executive Office of Rick Snyder.
The session, called "Eye on the Environment: How Green is Our Government?" will take place Wednesday morning (March 21, 2012) during the Michigan Municipal League's 2012 Capital Conference at the Lansing Center in Lansing. Also on the panel will be Jamie Clover Adams, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Department of Environmental Quality and session moderator will be Midland utilities director Noel Bush. Go here for details on other speakers planned for Capital Conference, go here to view the full agenda and go here to register.
Read additional posts about the 2012 Capital Conference here:
- Peter Anastor to Talk Brownfield Tax Credits at Michigan Municipal League Conference
- Lt. Gov. Brian Calley to Discuss Personal Property Tax at Capital Conference
- Michigan Municipal League Launches Mobile App for Capital Conference
- Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett to Discuss Placemaking at Capital Conference
- Energy, Environment, Transportation Policy: What's Ahead? Find out at Capital Conference
- Capital Conference General Session To Have Transportation Focus
Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.
