|
MML MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
No. 292
August 2010
76th MML ANNUAL CONFERENCE … The 2010 MML Annual Conference will be held at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles on September 12-15. Ample free parking for conference attendees will be available at the convention center. All conference information and registration material is available on the MML Annual Conference Web page on the MML Web site at www.mocities.com. Registration information appeared in the July Review magazine; be sure to mark your calendar and plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you in St. Charles! Reminder: There are three scholarships available.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE ROOM BLOCK AND HOUSING FORM … The St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau will be in charge of assigning all rooms for the Conference. All attendees must use the housing form as provided by the St. Charles CVB; attendees will be able to select from a number of hotels and the housing form will have information on all hotels. Conference attendees can download the housing form at the MML Annual Conference Web page at http://www.mocities.com/AnnualConference.html.
MML NOMINATING COMMITTEE … If you would like to be considered for the MML Board of Directors, please send a letter with your qualifications to the Nominating Committee at League headquarters.
SHUTTLE BUSES AT CONFERENCE … Complimentary shuttle service will be provided by the Greater St. Charles Convention Center from hotels that are contracted by the Missouri Municipal League to the St. Charles Convention Center. This service will be available:
YMonday, September 12, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Service will extend to 11:00 p.m. so that convention delegates can participate in a very special St. Charles-style welcome on North Main Street that you won’t want to miss!
YTuesday, September 13, 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
YAdditional complimentary trolley service from the convention center to the Historic District, attractions and restaurants will be available all three days of the conference, 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. More information will be available upon registration. Please look for signage in hotel lobbies. All service and schedules are subject to change.
CITY SHIRT DAY AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE … Delegates attending the MML Annual Conference are encouraged to wear their city shirts to the Sunday opening reception.
REMINDER TO READOPT ANNUAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE ORDINANCES … When the General Assembly adopted the ethics/personal financial disclosure law in 1991, an MML supported amendment allowed municipal officials to adopt their own simplified personal financial disclosure requirements by ordinance. This law affects only municipalities with an annual operating budget in excess of $1 million. The General Assembly requires each political subdivision to readopt the ordinance every two years. However, in order to avoid the significant consequences of the failure to readopt the ordinance, we urge each municipality with an annual operating budget over $1 million to adopt the personal financial disclosure ordinance by September 15, 2010, and forward a copy of the ordinance to the Missouri Ethics Commission, PO Box 1370, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
CRICKET CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT … Many municipalities in Missouri have contended for years that wireless (or cellular) telephone companies were subject to the same business licenses and taxes as landline telephone companies. After extensive negotiation, attorneys for municipalities and Cricket Wireless have entered into a settlement agreement of a class action lawsuit. The court gave preliminary approval on June 28. Claim forms are being sent to all Missouri municipalities, and claims must be postmarked by September 14, 2010. Municipalities with a claim of less than $1,000 do not have to file a claim. Terms of the settlement are similar to the previous settlements with Verizon, AT&T Mobility, Sprint-Nextel, and Alltel. Since Cricket's business is largely prepaid, a special prepaid sourcing rule was made part of this settlement. The final approval hearing is scheduled for October 19, 2010. You will find settlement documents on the MML Web site at www.mocities.com.
T-MOBILE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT … Many municipalities in Missouri have contended for years that wireless (or cellular) telephone companies were subject to the same business licenses and taxes as landline telephone companies. After extensive litigation, attorneys for municipalities and T-Mobile have entered into a settlement agreement of a class action lawsuit. The court gave preliminary approval on June 28. Claim forms are being sent to all Missouri municipalities, and claims must be postmarked by September 14, 2010. Terms of the settlement are similar to the previous settlements with Verizon, AT&T Mobility, Sprint-Nextel and Alltel, except that this settlement provides somewhat different past-tax benefits for the period before September 2007, depending on whether the city's ordinance only taxes exchange telephone services or telephone services generally. The final approval hearing is scheduled for October 19, 2010. You will find settlement documents on the MML Web site at www.mocities.com.
HUD ANNOUNCES FUNDING AVAILABILITY FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PLANNING … HUD has announced the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program, which provides a total of $100 million for regional planning efforts. The Regional Planning Grants will be awarded competitively to multi-jurisdictional and multi-sector partnerships, as well as regional consortia consisting of state and local governments, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), educational institutions, non-profit organizations and philanthropic organizations. Not less than $25 million will be awarded to regions with populations less than $500,000. The size of grants awarded will be determined by the size of the applicants’ geographic area, whether a large metropolitan region or a smaller rural community. Grant applications, which will be reviewed not only by HUD, but also by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, are due August 23, 2010. More information, including the Notice of Funding Availability, can be found on HUD’s Web site: http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa10/scrpg.cfm
ROCK HILL CITY ADMINISTRATOR WILL ASSIST IN AFGHAN GOVERNMENT … The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (7/25) reported that Rock Hill City Administrator George Liyeos "will be going to Afghanistan to work as a municipal management consultant in Kabul as part of a program to help the country strengthen municipal governments." He was chosen for a program run by "the United States Agency for International Development, the International City/County Management Association and the Afghan government" and is "waiting for a ship-out date." He will take a 30-day furlough from his job to participate. Good luck and be safe, George!
MML ANNUAL CONFERENCE COMMERCIAL FIRMS PARTICIPATION … The interest of commercial firms in MML Annual Conference activities is significant again this year. The Special Sponsor Program, which was established several years ago for firms desiring to increase their participation, continues to be popular. The following firms have agreed to participate as special sponsors: ConEdison Solutions; Curtis, Heinz, Garrett & O’Keefe PC; ING Financial Advisers, LLC; Laserfiche; MO-DNR Brownfields/
Voluntary Cleanup Program; MOPERM; Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.; Piper Jaffray & Co.; Sullivan Publications, Inc.; Tetra Tech, Inc; Trane – Kansas City/St. Louis; and Unique Paving Materials Corp. The exposition at this year’s Conference features a very diverse group of firms. The MML expresses sincere thanks to all the firms participating as special sponsors, exhibitors, and hospitality hosts. The interest and cooperation of these firms enables the League to provide enhanced special events and door prizes during the Conference.
NANCY YENDES RECEIVES CZECH AWARD … Nancy Yendes, assistant city attorney, Springfield, received the Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association’s annual Lou Czech Award for outstanding contributions to municipal law. Congratulations, Nancy!
|
