AGENDA #15a

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

FROM:            Sabrina Oliver, Town Clerk

SUBJECT:       NC League of Municipalities Services

DATE:             April 27, 2005

The purpose of this report is to briefly outline the services that the Town receives from the NC League of Municipalities and the value of the Town’s membership in the League.

The League is a nonpartisan federation of State towns and villages. Its purpose is to advocate for municipalities at the State and federal level and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among municipal officials. Following are the services provided by the League.

• Provides general and legal inquiry services. League staff includes attorneys who are familiar with State municipal law and applicable federal law, as well as personnel and management experts. They can answer questions about municipal authority, zoning, information technology and other aspects of municipal government.

• Provides lobbying for municipalities at the State and federal level. The League staff keeps municipal officials informed about how State and federal legislative issues may affect their municipality. The League staff coordinates a grassroots, hometown lobbying effort in which municipal officials work with State legislators and the congressional delegation to ensure that the interests of municipal residents are served.

• Sponsors three risk management programs - workers’ compensation, property and liability insurance, and health insurance coverage. The Town of Chapel Hill participates in the workers’ compensation and property and liability insurance programs.

• Supplies research, reports and publications. Its research analyzes fiscal trends, shows how to estimate the amount of revenues cities will receive from the State and analyzes the financial impact of proposed State legislation. The League reports offer guides to annexation, salary comparisons, information on solid waste management practices and other subjects.

• Is the resource for a number of publications covering a variety of State municipal issues, including but not limited to assessments for street improvements and water and sewer extensions, mechanics of annexation, and State fringe benefits and personnel practices. The League also has two monthly publications, Southern City and League Letter, that keep municipal officials up-to-date on how other municipalities are tackling specific challenges and how State and federal actions will affect their town or city.

Council members can view a list of publications by logging on to the League’s website at www.nclm.org. The banner across the top of the webpage has several links, one of which is Publications. Attached is a complete list of League publications.

• Provides a range of special studies, including pay and classification, organization and management, performance appraisal systems, rightsizing, privatization, revenue enhancement, FSLA audits, retreat facilitation and charter revisions. These services are provided on a contract basis.

• Offers training and opportunities for professional development and networking. Yearly regional meetings offer updates on State and federal issues, while the annual conference includes workshops and sessions on the problems municipalities face.

• Offers a one-day training session for newly elected mayors. The staff teaches sessions at the Essentials of Municipal Government, co-sponsored by the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government.

• Provides specialized training ranging from workshops on environmental regulations to seminars on the Americans with Disabilities Act and federal cable television regulations.

According to Executive Director Ellis Hankins, the League of Municipalities, “serves as the eyes and ears and voice of municipalities, monitoring the work of many statewide committees, commissions and boards whose work affects Chapel Hill and other cities.”

“The League is the organization in North Carolina that policymakers look to when the opinions of municipal officials are sought. Chapel Hill, through its membership, and its active participation in the League, helps shape the policies that guide the League in its work. Chapel Hill’s membership in the League benefits Chapel Hill, and in turn, benefits municipal government in North Carolina,” Mr. Hankins added.

ATTACHMENTS

1.         League Publications List (p. 3).