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.
Attorneys from around the state gathered for the 26th annual MAMA Advanced Institute at the Lansing Center in Lansing during the preconference sessions of the Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference 2012.
Among the full day's agenda were a wide variety of topics of interest to municipal attorneys, including how to avoid or resolve construction claims, dealing with mergers and consolidations, digital case management and administrative support systems, municipal law enforcement, FOIA vs discovery, and an update on the Michigan Court of Appeals.
The Honorable Elizabeth Gleicher, Michigan Court of Appeals, was a featured speaker, offering insights from a judge's perspective on how to create better briefs using the principles of brevity to create reader-friendly text that incorporates short sentences, paragraph breaks, clear concepts, active language and other simple common-sense writing tools and strategies.
Holland City Attorney Andy Mulder, who gave the Michigan Court of Appeals Update, was also honored with a Years of Service Award.
To see more photos from the event, go to the League's flickr page and search MAMA Advanced Institute within the Capital Conference 2012 set.
A packed room was on hand to learn how parks and recreation can play an important role in creating a sense of place and enhancing the quality of life for residents--and just as importantly, how to find creative funding and form cooperative efforts to build and maintain these assets that are often the place where visitors and newcomers alike develop some of their strongest impressions of a community and its liveability.
Understanding your demographics is key in knowing the changing needs of residents, such as the "silver tsunami" of aging Baby Boomers, who are reaching retirement age between 2011-2029. This new generation of seniors is younger, healthier and more active, and interested in living somewhere they can pursue an active social life, from pickleball leagues to trails and bike paths.
Embracing a community's cultural diversity can also help officials identify new recreational needs such as Canton's building of two cricket fields in response to residents' interest in a sport that is nontraditional in the US.
Dog parks are a hot new trend and are a fantastic opportunity to encourage community engagement. Their real purpose is adult socialization among a new generation of dog owners who are passionate about their pets and want to include them in their social life. Due to the enthusiastic grassroots support of pet owners in the community, Canton built a first-class new dog park without a single tax dollar.
Parks and recreational facilities can also help create a sense of place, such as the way Charlotte, NC has parlayed its recreational assets into an image as a national whitewater center.
The workshop was just one of the great preconference sessions at the League's Capital Conference. To see more photos from this and other events, visit the League's flickr page.
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.
