CLERKS AND CORPORATE OFFICERS FORUM 2009

Transcription

1 CLERKS AND CORPORATE OFFICERS FORUM 2009 The Local Government Management Association of British Columbia is pleased to announce the staging of the 2009 Clerks and Corporate Officers Forum to be held at the beautiful Delta Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops from October 14-16, The changing role of the clerk/corporate officer continues to place demands on the skills required by those individuals occupying these positions. This annual educational forum has been designed to draw attention to innovations, legal, and legislative changes that will help Clerks and Corporate Officers do their jobs better, as well as providing an opportunity for information sharing with peers, particularly in the area of best practices. Registration will be limited to 100 individuals, which will include all meals. Accommodations will be available at the Delta Sun Peaks Resort at a special forum rate starting at $106 per night plus applicable taxes. Cost: LGMA Members - $495 + GST, Non Members $595 + GST (Registration limited to Statutory Clerks and/or Corporate Officers and their Deputies.) Registration information will be available on-line starting Monday, June 1, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. at or via the LGMA Website at Registration limited to 100 participants. Deadline for booking hotel rooms at negotiated rate: September 11, 2009 Phone for reservations; Fax Group name: City Clerks & Corporate Officers Further information on the Delta Sun Peaks Resort and directions on how to get there can be found at Registration deadline is October 1, Cancellation Policy: Requests for refunds/cancellations will be accepted up to September 30 th, subject to a $50.00 cancellation fee. No refunds after October 1 st. Forum attendance is transferable. 1

2 2009 CLERKS AND CORPORATE OFFICERS FORUM October 14-16, 2009 DELTA SUN PEAKS RESORT KAMLOOPS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2009 Program Agenda 7:00-9:00 PM WELCOMING RECEPTION Welcome to delegates Presenter: Stephen Fleming, City Clerk, City of Kelowna THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, :30 8:30 AM BREAKFAST 8:30 a.m 12:00 noon THE CLERK OR CORPORATE OFFICER S ROLE IN THE PLANNING PROCESS- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW! Presenter(s): Lui Carvello, Staples McDannold, Stewart Patti Bridal, Manager, Corporate Services, City of Vernon Don Schaffer, Manager, Legislative Services, City of Victoria Rick Page, City Clerk, City of New Westminster Suzanne Gresham, Director of Corporate Administration, Fraser Valley Regional District One of the key functions of local government is to provide an effective planning and development service which ultimately defines how the community evolves for its citizens. While in 2

3 many municipalities and regional districts, the Planning Department plays an important role in managing this task, in virtually every local government, it is ultimately the responsibility of the Clerk or Corporate Officer to ensure all necessary process steps are followed. There are a myriad of things that must be kept in mind including notifications (and their very important content, dates, and timing), proper wording of necessary resolutions, receipt of information after a public hearing has been concluded, procedural bylaws and determining whether a public hearing is the same as the public s right to be heard, to mention just a few. In some circumstances, it may be appropriate to delegate the holding of a public hearing to a third party. Then of course there is the issue of crafting development permit and development variance permit resolutions, proper filing of documents at the Land Title and Survey Authority, and maybe even a formal road closure and/or dedication, just to make things interesting. This panel session featuring seasoned local government Clerks and Corporate Officers and a lawyer with a background in planning will take an in depth examination of your critical function in the planning function and the things you will need to know to keep your planning process moving along smoothly. 12:00 1:00 PM LUNCH Guest Speaker: Karen Burley, Director of Corporate Services, District of Westside On December 6, 2007, the District of Westside became British Columbia s newest municipality. Karen Burley will outline some of the challenges and opportunities of being the first Corporate Officer in a new municipality. 1:00 2:30 PM Parliamentary Procedure Refresher Presenter: Lisa Zwarn, Registered Parliamentarian In your role as Clerk or Corporate Officer, you are periodically called upon to be the parliamentarian for your local government, and to give advice to your Council or Board on proper meeting procedure. You have a copy of Robert s Rules of Order in your office, but fervently pray that you will never have to use it in a meeting when the elected officials and members of the public need quick and accurate advice on a procedural matter- which often seems to come up when controversial matters are being discussed. Then of course, your may have been called upon to craft a resolution on the fly when one of your elected officials says obliquely, I move what he just said following an incoherent debate on a complicated matter. What do you do? This session will provide both novices and seasoned Corporate Officers with a refresher on the essential and most 3

4 2:30 2:45 PM REFRESHMENT BREAK common issues related to meeting procedure in local government council and board meetings. It is intended that a significant portion of this presentation will be allotted to your specific questions and scenarios which will serve as examples for your colleagues. 2:45 4:00 PM BOARDS OF VARIANCE- Procedural Refresher and Case Law Update Presenter: Sandra Carter The Local Government Act provides that any local government that has a Zoning Bylaw must establish a Board of Variance whose mandate is to consider requests for minor variances to the zoning bylaw where undue hardship has been demonstrated. In many communities, it falls to the Clerk or Corporate Officer to act as Secretary to the Board of Variance and to provide advice to its members on procedural matters. There are definitely some things to keep in mind to keep your BOV functioning smoothly and to keep your local government out of the Courts. Is there a definition of minor that can be used to guide the members? What about the term adjacent that you must consider when giving notice to neighbors- Is that the same as when you give a notice for a regular land use application such as a development permit? And who determines whether a variance would affect the use and enjoyment of adjacent land? Does that property owner have a veto? This session will provide a refresher on the important procedural steps of operating a Board of Variance and an update on the recent case law that will affect the way you manage this process. 4:00-5:00 IIMC Update (Optional) Presenter: IIMC President Elect Sharon Cassler The IIMC was founded in 1947 and has 10,000 plus members representing municipalities of 250 to more than 10 million people in North America and 15 other countries. This optional session will provide an update on the work of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and how it can enhance your role as Municipal Clerk and Corporate Officer 4:00 6:00 PM Free Time 6:00 7:00 PM NO HOST RECEPTION 7:00 PM DINNER 4

5 After Dinner Speaker: Chris Gibson FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009 Raising the Bar on Customer Service Chris Gibson has spent years studying the art of customer service. The days of just a friendly greeting and a smile have long been past by organizations that are setting new standards on customer service every day. "Raising The Bar" goes far beyond a greeting and looks at how the service landscape is changing at light speed - how organizations are keeping up and what you can do to help lead your team. This 5 step plan will outline how to raise your customer service scores, increase employee engagement and bring heightened satisfaction for your taxpayers, elected officials, and workplace colleagues. Humorous, entertaining and engaging are words that have been used to describe "Raising The Bar." This fast paced high tech presentation uses a variety of multi media effects to illustrate and stimulate the learning experience. 7:30 8:30 AM BREAKFAST 8:30 10:00 AM LEGAL UPDATE Presenter: Barry Williamson, Young Anderson Barry Williamson of Young, Anderson will provide delegates with an update on current legal issues affecting local governments. 10:00 10:30 AM REFRESHMENT BREAK AND HOTEL CHECKOUT 10:30-12:00 Managing Challenging Conversations Presenter: Diane Ross Frequently, Clerks and Corporate Officers are called upon to deal with hostile individuals on a one-on-one basis. Be it with members of the public who are incensed about a decision of the elected officials, how they were treated by a Bylaw Enforcement Officer, or who have a complaint about customer service in general. As well, we all periodically face challenging conversations that make us feel anxious and uncomfortable. Imagine having to: deliver bad news; express disagreement with a difficult person; confront offensive or disrespectful behaviour; deliver a negative performance review; or say no to a taxpayer, boss, colleague or relative. In this session you will learn practical skills and a framework to help you initiate and navigate challenging conversations in 5

6 a way that: reduces defensiveness; promotes learning; resolves differences; and gets results. 12:00 1:00 PM LUNCH Guest Speaker: Representative of the British Columbia Ombudsman s Office 1:00 2:30 PM TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS FOR THE CORPORATE OFFICER Presenter:Todd Stone, President, icompass Technologies This presentation will focus on a high level overview of new and emerging technology trends impacting corporate administrators, including Web 2.0 How local government web sites are now becoming web services, content aggregation tools such as Google readers, use of Wikipedia, how taxpayers groups are using blogs, Facebook, and MySpace to communicate among themselves, Mashups (use of Google Maps, Flickr), and the use of audio/video streaming for council or board meetings. Topics also covered will include mobile web applications and cloud computing and how those applications are likely to affect your organizations. 2:30 3:30 PM NUTS AND BOLTS SESSION 3:30 PM ADJOURN Getting to Delta Sun Peaks Resort Delta Sun Peaks Resort is located 45 minutes from Kamloops northbound on Highway 5. Kamloops Airport (approximately 45 minutes from Sun Peaks) is serviced by Air Canada Jazz. Shuttle service to Sun Peaks can be arranged by calling Accommodations A block of rooms has been booked at the Delta Sun Peaks Resort for the LGMA under Group Code City Clerks & Corporate Officers Forum with a special rate of $106 + taxes being provided. Book before September 15, 2009 to receive the negotiated group rate. Call Call to reserve and quote City Clerks and Corporate Officers Forum rate. International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) The 2009 LGMA Clerks and Corporate Officers Forum provides the following points/credit hours for members of IIMC: CMC aspirants: MMC aspirants: CMC Recertification training: 2 CMC Experience/Continuing Education points 2 MMCA Advanced Education points 12 hours of education Certificates of attendance will be provided upon request. 6